Royal Canadian Regiment


The Royal Canadian Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. The regiment consists of four battalions, three in the Regular Force and one in the primary reserve. The RCR is ranked first in the order of precedence amongst Canadian Army infantry regiments, but in a quirk of the rules of seniority, its 4th battalion is ninth.
The RCR was originally authorized as the Infantry School Corps on 21 December 1883, and established its first three company stations at Fredericton, New Brunswick; St Jean, Quebec; and Toronto, Ontario. In 1887 a fourth company was authorized and the next year was established at London, Ontario. Now consisting of three Regular Force battalions and one Reserve Force battalion, the regiment's four battalions are now stationed in Ontario and New Brunswick. With many of its soldiers drawn from Ontario and the Atlantic Provinces in recent decades, the regiment maintains a general connection as the "local" infantry regiment for anglophone eastern Canada.
The regiment is a "British-style" infantry regiment that is the spiritual home and repository of customs and traditions for a number of battalions that do not necessarily serve together operationally. The RCR maintains its Regimental Headquarters in Petawawa, Ontario, which has no operational command role but handles regimental affairs outside the responsibility of the individual battalions. The Royal Canadian Regiment Museum is located within historic Wolseley Hall in London, Ontario. Wolseley Barracks in London has been continuously occupied by some element of the regiment since construction of Wolseley Hall was completed in 1888. At various times Wolseley Barracks has been the home of the Regimental Headquarters, the 1st and 2nd Battalions, and remains the home of the 4th Battalion today.

Battalions

BattalionHomeBrigadeNotes
1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian RegimentCFB Petawawa 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade GroupMechanized infantry
2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian RegimentCFB Gagetown 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade GroupMechanized infantry
3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian RegimentCFB Petawawa 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade GroupLight infantry. Includes a parachute company.
4th Battalion, The Royal Canadian RegimentWolseley Barracks and Stratford Garrison 31 Canadian Brigade GroupLight infantry; Reserve

Lineage

Royal Canadian Regiment

  • Originated 21 December 1883 as the Infantry School Corps
  • Redesignated 14 May 1892 as the Canadian Regiment of Infantry
  • Redesignated 24 May 1893 as the Royal Regiment of Canadian Infantry
  • Redesignated 1 April 1899 as the Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry
  • Redesignated 1 November 1901 as The Royal Canadian Regiment
  • Amalgamated 25 April 1958 with The London and Oxford Fusiliers ' retaining its designation.
  • The 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment redesignated in 1970 as the 4th Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment
  • 4th Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment designated as the 4th Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment on 22 May 1990.

    London and Oxford Fusiliers (3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment)

  • Originated 27 April 1866 in London, Ontario as the 7th Battalion Infantry, "Prince Arthur's Own"
  • Redesignated 1 May 1866 as the 7th Battalion Infantry
  • Redesignated 15 February 1867 as the 7th Battalion "London Light Infantry"
  • Redesignated 16 January 1880 as the 7th Battalion "Fusiliers"
  • Redesignated 8 May 1900 as the 7th Regiment "Fusiliers"
  • Redesignated 29 March 1920 The Western Ontario Regiment
  • Redesignated 1 August 1924 as The Canadian Fusiliers
  • Amalgamated 15 December 1936 with the Headquarters and A Company of the 2nd Machine Gun Battalion, CMGC and redesignated as The Canadian Fusiliers
  • Redesignated 29 January 1942 as the 2nd Battalion, The Canadian Fusiliers
  • Redesignated 24 March 1942 as the 2nd Battalion, The Canadian Fusiliers
  • Redesignated 1 April 1946 as The Canadian Fusiliers
  • Amalgamated 1 October 1954 with The Oxford Rifles and redesignated as the London and Oxford Fusiliers
  • Amalgamated 25 April 1958 with The Royal Canadian Regiment and redesignated as the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment.

    Oxford Rifles

  • Originated 14 August 1863 in Woodstock, Ontario as the Twenty-second Battalion Volunteer Militia Rifles, Canada or The Oxford Rifles
  • Redesignated 13 April 1866 as the 22nd Battalion The Oxford Rifles
  • Redesignated 8 May 1900 as the 22nd Regiment The Oxford Rifles
  • Redesignated 29 March 1920 as the Oxford Rifles
  • Redesignated 18 March 1942 as the 2nd Battalion, The Oxford Rifles
  • Redesignated 1 June 1945 as The Oxford Rifles
  • Amalgamated 1 October 1954 with The Canadian Fusiliers and redesignated as the London and Oxford Fusiliers.

    2nd Machine Gun Battalion, CMGC

  • Originated 1 June 1919 in London, Ontario as the 2nd Machine Gun Brigade, CMGC
  • Redesignated 15 September 1924 as the 2nd Machine Gun Battalion, CMGC
  • Amalgamated 15 December 1936 with The Canadian Fusiliers

    Lineage chart

Perpetuations

War of 1812

The Royal Canadian Regiment has been awarded a total of 61 battle honours. In the list below, battle honours in capitals were awarded for participation in large operations and campaigns, while those in lowercase indicate honours granted for more specific battles. Battle honours in bold type are emblazoned on the regimental colours.

War of 1812

  • Non-emblazonable honorary distinction

    North West Rebellion

  • South African War

  • Great War

Second World War

Korean War

  • Afghanistan

History

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 and the 1st Regiment of Oxford Militia 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, which assisted the North-West Mounted Police in the Yukon during the Gold Rush. The regiment served in the South African War. 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, 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, the "2nd 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 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, 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, one of the four presented to soldiers of the Dominions, a further four scarves crocheted by Queen Victoria went to non-commissioned officers of the British Army.
A small statuette by André Gauthier commemorates the centennial of the Royal Canadian Regiment's Battle of Paardeberg during the Boer War.