Early history The Royal Canadian Regiment is one of Canada's oldest Regular Force military units. In 2012 the regiment was assigned the perpetuation of the
1st Regiment of Middlesex Militia (1812–15) and the 1st Regiment of Oxford Militia (1812–15) from the
War of 1812, and as a result carries three battle honours from that conflict. The RCR was also assigned the perpetuation of The Loyal London Volunteers which was accompanied by a non-emblazonable Honorary Distinction. The regiment itself was formed as the Infantry School Corps on 21 December 1883, authorized by a Militia Act which also created the
Cavalry School Corps. These school corps were created as regular units that would train the Canadian militia. The first companies stood up in Fredericton NB, St Jean-sur-Richelieu QC, and Toronto ON in 1883, with a fourth company standing up in London ON several years later. The Infantry School Corps' first
battle honours were earned during the
North-West Rebellion in 1885, where it fought at
Batoche and
Cut Knife Creek. The regiment later provided personnel to the
Yukon Field Force (1898–1900), which assisted the
North-West Mounted Police in the
Yukon during the
Gold Rush. The regiment served in the South African (Boer) War (1899–1903). Its Great War deployment was delayed by a garrison assignment in Bermuda from September 1914 until August 1915. Upon returning to Nova Scotia, its members attested for overseas service with the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF), arriving in France in October 1915 to fight in WW1.
South African War The regiment's name was changed to The Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry in 1893, with a new emphasis on being combat capable.
William Dillon Otter, formerly of
The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, was the first
Commanding Officer. He would later become the first Canadian-born
Chief of the General Staff, the head of the
Canadian Army. During the South African War (
Second Boer War), the "2nd (Special Service) Battalion" was raised from across the country to contribute Canada's First Contingent in this war, with Otter in command. This battalion was quickly disbanded in 1900 upon its return to Canada, even though they were considered by many British officers to be the best infantry battalion in the country. The
"3rd (Special Service) Battalion" was also raised at this time, in 1900, and was employed as a garrison force in
Halifax until 1902 when it was also disbanded. In the Boer War, the Toronto company of the 2RCRI fought Canada's first overseas battle at Sunnyside, Cape Colony, on January 1, 1900, defeating a Boer commando in an action led by Australia's Queensland Mounted Infantry. The unit as a whole then joined and played an instrumental role in the victory at the
Battle of Paardeberg Drift (18–27 February 1900), including an advance by night towards the enemy lines, quietly digging trenches on high ground 65 yards from the Boer lines. On February 27, 1900, the Boers, staring into the muzzles of Canadian and British rifles, surrendered, thus removing the commando blocking the way to the first Boer capital, Bloemfontein, Orange Free State. This date has since been celebrated by the Regiment as
Paardeberg Day. Having delivered the first unqualified good news of the war for the British Empire, the Regiment also distinguished itself on the march north, arriving first at the gates of
Pretoria. During the South African War Private Richard Rowland Thompson was awarded a Queen's scarf, and the regiment's name was changed to The Royal Canadian Regiment. In 1914, the regiment was deployed to the
Imperial fortress colony of
Bermuda for
garrison duties, replacing the 2nd Battalion,
Lincolnshire Regiment, from September 1914 (arriving at Bermuda on 3 September 1914, aboard , escorted by
HMCS Niobe) to August 1915, when it was replaced by the
38th Battalion (Ottawa), CEF and returned to
Halifax and reattested for overseas service. The RCR arrived in France in October 1915 to join the new
3rd Canadian Division. The regiment combined with
Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry and the 42nd and 49th Canadian Infantry Battalions to form the 7th Canadian Infantry Brigade. Battle honours awarded to The Royal Canadian Regiment for its actions in the First World War included: "Mount Sorrel,
Somme, 1916, Flers-Courcelette, Ancre Heights,
Arras, 1917, 18,
Vimy, 1917,
Hill 70,
Ypres, 1917,
Passchendaele,
Amiens,
Scarpe, 1918,
Hindenburg Line, Canal du Nord, Pursuit to
Mons, FRANCE AND FLANDERS, 1914–18". Among the honours and awards to members of the regiment in the First World War was the
Victoria Cross (VC) won by Lieutenant
Milton Gregg. The RCR also recognizes the VC won by Lieutenant
Frederick William Campbell, who was an officer of the 1st (Western Ontario) Battalion of the
Canadian Expeditionary Force, one of the battalions now perpetuated by The RCR.
Inter-war years; 1919–1939 The RCR remained a Permanent Force regiment between the wars and returned to its role of providing instruction to the Militia through garrisons in London (
Ontario),
Halifax (
Nova Scotia),
Toronto (Ontario) and
Montreal (
Quebec).
Second World War; 1939–1945 On 1 September 1939 the regiment was mobilized as part of the Canadian Active Service Force as Canada prepared for participation in the
Second World War. When war was declared on September 10, the RCR had already been allocated to the
1st Canadian Infantry Brigade, a formation made up entirely of Ontario units. Moving to the
United Kingdom in December 1939 as a component of the
1st Canadian Infantry Division, the RCR saw hard training for almost four years. On 10 July 1943, the RCR landed at
Pachino in the opening waves of the
Allied invasion of Sicily – the last member of the regiment to participate in these original waves – George F. Burrows of Chatham Ontario – died on April 11, 2012, in Windsor, Ontario at the age of 88. The regiment and its sister units in the 1st Brigade,
The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment and the
48th Highlanders of Canada fought in several battles as the division advanced north and then east towards Messina. After the 38-day campaign on the island was completed, the regiment was involved in another
amphibious landing (codenamed
Operation Baytown) at
Reggio di Calabria, as part of
Allied invasion of the Italian mainland in September. The RCR fought in several battles of the
Italian campaign, including key engagements in the
Moro River valley near
Ortona in December 1943. During 1944, the regiment took part the
Battle of Monte Cassino in attacks on German defensive lines called the
Hitler Line and later the
Gothic Line. The regiment was transferred to northwest Europe in February 1945 during
Operation Goldflake and took part in the liberation the Dutch city of
Apeldoorn. The regiment received 28 battle honours for its participation in the Second World War. The regiment returned home to Canada in 1945.
Post-war period and the Korean War; 1945–1953 In 1950 the regiment was called upon to contribute to Canada's forces for the
Korean War. A new
Active Service Force (Special Force) was to be raised, and the regiment expanded to a two-battalion, then a three-battalion, organization. The 2nd Battalion, followed by the 1st and
3rd Battalions, each saw service in Korea. The 2nd Battalion helped stabilize the 38th parallel, most notably at the Chail-li sector. In October 1952, the 1st Battalion fought the Chinese at the
battle of Kowang-san (Hill 355 – Little Gibraltar). It was replaced by the
3rd Battalion, which took over the Jamestown Line on Hill 187, where it fought one of the last engagements before the armistice in 1953. After the end of the Korean War, the regiment was reduced to two battalions, when the
3rd Battalion was disbanded in July 1954.
Cold War; 1953–1992 In 1954 two London, Ontario, Militia regiments, the Canadian Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) (MG) and The Oxford Rifles were amalgamated and redesignated The London and Oxford Fusiliers (3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment). This unit thus became the Reserve component of The RCR. In 1958, it was renamed 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (London and Oxford Fusiliers). In 1989, the designation of the Reserve battalion was shortened to 4th Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment. This amalgamation also brought to the regiment the perpetuation of a number of battalions of the First World War
Canadian Expeditionary Force, including the 1st, 33rd, 71st, 142nd and 168th Battalions as well as the 2nd Battalion of the
Canadian Machine Gun Corps. The amalgamation also saw the total battle honours for the First World War, based on the combined list of amalgamated components of the regiment, increase to the full list seen below. The Militia battalion (3rd Battalion) was renumbered as the 4th Battalion in 1970 when the
Canadian Guards were reduced to nil strength and the soldiers of that regiment's 2nd Battalion (at
CFB Petawawa) became the restored
3rd Battalion, The RCR, on the Regular Force order of battle. At the same time, the 2nd Battalion of The RCR was relocated to
CFB Gagetown, New Brunswick, and reconstituted from the soldiers of the
Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada as its two battalions there were also reduced to nil strength and removed from the active regiments in the army's Regular Force order of battle. During the 1950s and 1960s, battalions of The RCR were stationed as part of
4 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group at Fort York, Germany. These deployments were executed by 1RCR (1955–57 and 1962–65) and 2RCR (1953–55 and 1965–70).
3rd Battalion was later deployed to Germany, stationed in Baden-Söllingen 1977–84 and 1988–93. All three Regular Force battalions of The RCR were deployed during the
October Crisis in 1970 as part of the government's response to the
FLQ. Major
John Hasek became the first commander of the
Skyhawks Parachute Team when it formed in 1971. The three Regular Force battalions were also deployed in to support the
1976 Summer Olympics in
Montreal, Quebec. Throughout the
Cold War period, The RCR participated in Canada's contributions to
United Nations peacekeeping. For battalions of the regiment, this meant rotating tours on the island of
Cyprus. The six-month tours of this mission, named Operation Snowgoose, were executed by elements of the regiment 13 times between 1966 and 1992. In 1977 the
3rd Battalion was posted to
CFB Baden-Soellingen in Germany. In 1983, a Century of Service plaque at the
Royal Military College Saint-Jean commemorates the centennial of the Royal Canadian Regiment, 1883–1983 Canada's oldest permanent force infantry regiment. Elements of the regiment garrisoned at Saint John sur Richelieu from 1884 to 1908 and 1924–. In 1984 the battalion was rotated to
Winnipeg. In 1988 the battalion was rotated back to Baden until the base was closed in 1993 at which time it was disbanded in Germany and subsequently stood up at
CFB Borden, Ontario, as a "10/90" battalion. The "10/90" concept created an infantry battalion in each Regular Force regiment with approximately 10 per cent of its personnel being full-time Regular soldiers, while the remaining positions were filled by Reserve Force soldiers from affiliated units in the region. These units existed until 1996 when the three 10/90 battalions were stood down and replaced by light infantry battalions on the Regular Force order of battle. Initially formed without specific regimental affiliation, within the year the light infantry battalion was relocated to
CFB Petawawa and officially designated the
3rd Battalion, The RCR. In 1990, HQ and Duke of Edinburgh's Company (the first rifle company) of the 1st Battalion deployed to Cornwall, Ontario, as part of Operation
Kahnawake. The 2nd Battalion, as part of
5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group, deployed to the Montreal region to partake in Operation Salon. These deployments were part of the government's response to the
Oka Crisis. In 1991, M Company and a platoon from P Company from
3rd Battalion (CFB Baden-Soellingen, Germany) and C Company from 1RCR (
CFB London, Ontario) served in the
Persian Gulf during Operations
Desert Shield and
Desert Storm, the first
Gulf War. These companies were employed on airfield and field hospital security duties. File:Century of Service Plaque The Royal Canadian Regiment 1883-1983.jpg|Century of Service Plaque The Royal Canadian Regiment 1883–1983,
Royal Military College Saint-Jean Peacekeeping era; 1992–2004 In 1992, soldiers from the English-speaking N Company of the
3rd Battalion (Major Devlin), based in Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Baden-Soellingen in Germany, as an attachment to the French-speaking
Royal 22e Régiment, operationally secured the
Sarajevo airport during the
Yugoslav wars. This operation saw a redeployment of the entire battle group from Croatia to
Sarajevo, under the command of General
Lewis MacKenzie.
Elizabeth II,
Queen of Canada, made mention of this operational force and its commitment to international peace while she was in the
National Capital Region that same year during Canada's 125th, stating: Shortly thereafter the Governor General of Canada bestowed the
Commander-in-Chief Unit Commendation to N Company. The official warrant stated: The unit returned to Bosnia for a tour with the Stabilization Force,
SFOR, in 1998 and 1999. All three Regular Force battalions served as peacekeepers in the
Sinai Peninsula, in
Bosnia. The 1st Battalion served in
Kosovo under NATO mission
Operation Kinetic, Rotation 1, December 1999–May 2000. In 2000, the 2nd Battalion had the honour of mounting the
Queen's Guard at
Buckingham Palace, when a detachment came to London to commemorate the Canadian involvement in the
Second Boer War, and to celebrate the re-opening of
Canada House. Later that year, H Company Group of 2nd Battalion deployed to eastern Africa as part of UNMEE. As the United States prepared to launch military actions against Iraq, 2 RCR formed a provisional battle group and was warned off that if the government decided to participate, it would deploy. The government decided against participation and instead decided to return to Afghanistan. I Company Group deployed to Kabul on 26 May 2003 to form the Defence and Security Company for the construction of the Canadian camp. It returned to Canada in August of that year after
3rd Battalion Group took on ISAF operations. The "Leadership Award" (2000) by
André Gauthier (sculptor) was commissioned for The Royal Canadian Regiment. In March 2004 the same company deployed to
Port-au-Prince, Haiti, as part of Operation Halo (Operation "Secure Tomorrow" as the United States called it) to conduct security operations as part of the Multinational Interim Force. This force was set in place in order to set the conditions for the United Nations to take over. I Company conducted a relief in place with H Company Group in June. H Company changed roles to the UN force and redeployed to
Gonaïves, Haiti. It returned to Canada in September of that year.
Afghanistan; 2003–present In August 2003, the 3rd Battalion deployed to Kabul Afghanistan as part of Operation Athena for a six-month tour of duty. The battalion suffered the first Canadian casualties effected by enemy action in the war and conducted the first Canadian company-level direct action raid against insurgent forces since the Korean War. In August 2006, the 1st Battalion deployed to
Afghanistan as part of
Operation Athena, replacing the 1st Battalion,
Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) for a six-month tour of duty in theatre. In February 2007, the 2nd Battalion replaced the 1st Battalion in
Afghanistan for a tour of duty. In September 2008,
3rd Battalion replaced 2nd Battalion, PPCLI, as part of
Operation Athena, Roto 6, forming the core of the Task Force Kanadahar Battle Group. It served until relieved in place by
2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment in April 2009. The predeployment training of a platoon from the battalion was filmed for the
reality television series
Combat School. In April 2010, the 1st Battalion deployed for Task Force 1–10 In February 2012, the 2nd Battalion formed the core of Rotation 1 of the Canadian Contribution Training Mission – Afghanistan and deployed to
Kabul on Operation Attention till November 2012. In October–November 2018, an 82-strong contingent from all four battalions and 38 members of the
Royal Canadian Artillery Band provided the
Queen's Guard at
Buckingham Palace,
St James's Palace and the
Tower of London, as well as
Windsor Castle. The RCR has contributed personnel to
Canadian Forces Joint Task Force-Ukraine since 2014. ==Recognition==