War of 1812 The Markham Troop, perpetuated by the Regiment, was raised in 1810 as the first Cavalry troop in the colony. The Troop was raised for the York Volunteer Infantry. When the Town of York population expanded the Battalion was split into three new Battalions in 1812 just in time for the war. The Markham Troop was assigned to the 1st York Regiment and designated the York Troop of Horse. Its soldiers served at several engagements including Detroit, Queenston Heights and the Battle of York. Capt Button was one of the signatories at the surrender of Fort York. The Regiment was given a War of 1812 Banner in 2012 to commemorate the Troops participation in this conflict on the 200th Anniversary of the War.
The 1837 Rebellion When Mackenzie's rebels marched onto Toronto down Yonge Street the Toronto Troop was the first to report for duty in uniform at the Capitol. The Troop met the rebels at Gallows Hill, what is now the intersection at St Clair Ave, on Young Street assisting in the repelling of their advance on the town. It would also participate in actions taken at Navy Island and the town of Scotland, The Troop was grouped with the Markham Troop and gazetted the Queen's Light Dragoons for its action and served for the remainder of the conflict for some 400 days on active duty.
The Fenian Raids 1866 The Toronto Troop was the only Cavalry Troop to be activated for duty to engage with the Fenians who had invaded the Niagara Peninsula. The Troop was tasked to scout for Colonel Peacock's Column and was the first to enter Fort Erie where the troop captured many escaping Fenian soldiers. Once the Niagara Frontier was secured the Troop remained on Active Duty conducting patrols on the frontier and along the river for another month before returning home. The Markham and Oak Ridges Troops also patrolled the frontier as relief, most of the members of all three troops were decorated with the Canadian General Service Medal with 1866 bar for their service.
North West Rebellion The Governor General's Body Guard for Ontario mobilized as a Squadron of 75 men and horses for active service on 10 April 1885 and served in the Alberta Column of the North West Field Force. The Squadron's main role was to secure Humboldt, where they built a hasty fort named Fort Denison, the forward supply depot and communication hub for the Field Force. The Troop provided escorts for convoys to the front, ran dispatches for General Middleton and provided telegraph service to Ottawa. The unit was successful in the capture of Chief Whitecap and his band of Dakota Sioux. The Commander of the force, LtCol GT Denison III, made friends with the Chief and petitioned for his release. The unit was removed from active service on 24 July 1885. The unit suffered the loss of one horse shot during a dispatch run.
South African War The Governor General's Body Guard contributed 51 volunteers for the Canadian contingents in the field, augmenting the Royal Canadian Regiment, The Royal Canadian Dragoons (1st CMR) and the 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles during the campaign. The Regiment suffered one killed in action and four wounded.
The Great War Both the Governor General's Body Guard and the 9th Mississauga Horse, like most of the militia units at the time, remained in Canada to recruit and raise numbered Battalions for the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Both units supplied thousands of soldiers to numerous Battalions, including the three the modern Regiment perpetuate today: The
4th Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles CEF was authorized on 7 November 1914 and embarked for Britain on 18 July 1915. It disembarked in France on 24 October 1915. There it formed as part of the 2nd Brigade Canadian Mounted Rifles until 31 December 1915, when it converted to infantry and was allocated to the 8th Infantry Brigade,
3rd Canadian Division. The regiment was re-designated as the 4th Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles, CEF on 1 January 1916. It remained in France and Flanders on the front lines for the remainder of the war, taking part in most of the major CEF battles with distinction. The battalion disbanded on 6 November 1920. The Battalion had 4,693 serve in its ranks and lost 839 soldiers killed and 1,540 wounded in the field. The 7th Canadian Mounted Rifles was authorized on 7 November 1914. The regiment was broken-up in Canada, and supplied the 2nd Canadian Divisional Cavalry Squadron (perpetuated by the
1st Hussars) and two squadrons formed the Canadian Mounted Rifles Depot in England. The regiment disbanded on 11 April 1918. The Battalion did not serve in the Trenches. The
216th Battalion (Bantams), CEF was authorized on 15 July 1916 and embarked for Britain on 18 April 1917. There, its personnel were absorbed by the 3rd Reserve Battalion, CEF on 5 May 1917 to provide reinforcements to the Canadian Corps in the field. The battalion disbanded on 1 September 1917.29
World War II Details from the regiment were called out on service on 26 August 1939 and on active service on 1 September 1939 as The Governor General's Horse Guards, CASF (Details), for local protection duties. Those details called out on active service disbanded on 31 December 1940. Subsequently, the regiment mobilized as the 2nd Canadian Motorcycle Regiment, CASF (GGHG) for active service on 24 May 1940. It converted to armour and was redesignated as The Governor General's Horse Guards, CASF, on 9 February 1941; as the 3rd Armoured Regiment (The Governor General's Horse Guards), CASF, on 11 February 1941; as the 3rd Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment (The Governor General's Horse Guards), CAC, CASF, on 1 January 1943; and as the 3rd Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment (The Governor General's Horse Guards), RCAC, CASF, on 2 August 1945. It embarked for Britain on 9 October 1941 and landed in Italy on 19 December 1943 as the divisional reconnaissance unit for the
5th Canadian Armoured Division. On 20 February 1945 the regiment moved with the I Canadian Corps to northwestern Europe as part of
Operation Goldflake, where it was engaged in the Netherlands and continued to fight until the end of the war. The overseas regiment disbanded on 31 January 1946. The regiment lost 71 killed and 210 wounded in the war.
UN and NATO Missions The Regiment has augmented many Regular Force UN missions to include Korea, Egypt, Golan Heights, Cyprus and Bosnia. NATO Mission support include tank crews in Germany on fall exercises during the Cold War, and operations in Kosovo in the 1990s, Afghanistan in 2000s, and more recently training missions in Ukraine and Latvia. Two soldier were killed in Korea.
Aid to the civil power The regiment supported a number of national emergency responses with troops to include
Hurricane Hazel in 1954, security posts at the
1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal and
1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, the
ice storm in Ottawa in 1998,
tsunami in the Philippines 2011, and the Quebec floods in 2014 and Ontario in 2018.
War In Afghanistan The regiment contributed an aggregate of more than 20% of its authorized strength to the various Task Forces which served in Afghanistan between 2002 and 2014 totaling 35 soldiers. Soldiers served in a number of roles, the largest being part of the Combat Logistics Patrols at Kandahar Air Field. Many of the officers served in Higher HQs in various capacities, many to do with Sector Security Reform of the Afghan National Security Forces. ==Battle honours==