King's Own Calgary Regiment


The King's Own Calgary Regiment is a Royal Canadian Armoured Corps cavalry regiment of the Canadian Armed Forces. Headquartered at Mewata Armoury in Calgary, Alberta, the King's Own is a part-time Primary Reserve unit of 41 Canadian Brigade Group, 3rd Canadian Division. Its regimental museum is at The Military Museums in Southwest Calgary.
The King's Own conducts tactical and technical training for armoured crewmen and officers, in preparation for expeditionary deployments overseas and in support of Canadians at home through domestic operations. These deployment are often in the form or individual or subunit deployments augmenting the Regular Force. King's Own crewmen and officers gain expertise on motorized warfare, to include direct attack, reconnaissance, defensive, delay and exploitation tasks, by combining knowledge on armoured warfare, and communication, driving and gunnery skills. Members of the regiment are trained on the Textron tactical armoured patrol vehicle, the Mercedes Benz G-Wagen and Polaris UTV, as well as on support vehicles, such as the Medium Support Vehicle System  and militarized Chevrolet Silverado and the Light Support Vehicle Wheeled.  Selected members have the opportunity to also be trained on the Leopard 2A4 main battle tank and the LAV 6.
Besides reconnaissance crewman and officers, soldiers of the regiment are also trained as mechanics, CIMIC operators, musicians, resource management support clerks, and storesmen.

Cap badge

On a shield Argent a cross Gules surmounted by a maple leaf in autumnal tints charged with a bison statant on a mound, on a chief the local landscape at sunset all proper, the shield ensigned by the Royal Crown, supported dexter by a horse, sinister by a steer, adorned beneath with a rose between shamrocks and thistles all proper, the whole set upon three scrolls Or, the upper one inscribed with the motto ONWARD and the two below inscribed KING'S OWN CALGARY REGIMENT in letters Azure.
The Crown represents service to the Sovereign. The badge, incorporates the shield, the horse, the steer and the roses, thistles, and shamrocks, as adopted by the City of Calgary in 1902. "KING'S OWN CALGARY REGIMENT" is a form of the regimental title and "ONWARD" is the motto of the regiment and the City of Calgary.

Lineage

The King's Own Calgary Regiment was split off in 1920 from the 103rd Regiment, which was originally raised on 10 April 1910 at Calgary, Alberta. The regiment was reorganized on 15 March 1920 as two separate regiments, The Alberta Regiment and The Calgary Regiment, as part of the Otter Committee reorganizations. On 15 May 1924, The Calgary Regiment was again reorganized and split into two separate regiments, The Calgary Regiment and The Calgary Highlanders.
On 15 September 1921, The Calgary Regiment was divided into six battalions. The 1st Battalion became the 1st Battalion, Calgary Highlanders, The Calgary Regiment. The 2nd Battalion, The Calgary Regiment later became the King's Own Calgary Regiment. The 3rd, 4th and 5th battalions were paper units that were never formed and disbanded in the 1936 reorganizations of the Militia.
On 15 May 1924, The Calgary Regiment reorganized as separate regiments.

The King's Own Calgary Regiment (RCAC)

Source:
  • 1 April 1910: Organized as the 103rd Regiment "Calgary Rifles"
  • 15 March 1920: Reorganized as two separate regiments, The Calgary Regiment and The Alberta Regiment and The Calgary Highlanders
  • 1 April 1936: Amalgamated with the 'Headquarters' and 'B Company' of the '13th Machine Gun Battalion, CMGC' retaining its designation.
  • 15 December 1936: Redesignated The Calgary Regiment
  • 1 April 1941: Redesignated 14th Army Tank Battalion,
  • 15 August 1942: Redesignated 14th Army Tank Regiment,
  • 1 April 1946: Redesignated 14th Armoured Regiment, RCAC
  • 22 July 1946: Redesignated 14th Armoured Regiment
  • 4 Feb 1949: Redesignated The King's Own Calgary Regiment
  • 19 May 1958: Redesignated The King's Own Calgary Regiment
File:Tapv-calgary-2.webp|thumb|Textron tactical armoured patrol vehicle, used by KOCR, outside of Mewata Armouries.

13th Machine Gun Battalion, CMGC

  • Originated on 1 June 1919, in Edmonton, Alberta, as the 13th Machine Gun Brigade, CMGC
  • Redesignated on 15 September 1924, as the 13th Machine Gun Battalion, CMGC
  • Amalgamated on 1 April 1936, with The Calgary Regiment

    Lineage chart

History

1910–1913

The King's Own Calgary Regiment began on 1 April 1910, when its predecessor the 103rd Regiment, an infantry regiment of the Canadian non-permanent militia, was authorized and formed at Calgary, Alberta, Canada, by General Order 38/10. The first commanding officer was Lieutenant-Colonel William Charles Gordon Armstrong. The regiment was approved to train six companies of 50 men each, and later expanded to eight companies.
The unit initially paraded at the former Calgary General Hospital building before being ordered to vacate in September 1910. The unit then moved into the former drill hall of the Canadian Mounted Rifles on Centre Street and 12th Avenue SE. In 1911 a new armoury was found, in a former German-Canadian club a block south of their former home at the General Hospital. After Mewata Armouries was completed during the First World War, the regiment moved its offices to that location.
At the outbreak of the First World War the regiment was not mobilized but served as a recruiting depot to raise battalions for the Canadian Expeditionary Force. These soldiers were also employed full time as part of the Active Militia. A number of reinforcement battalions were commanded by former 103rd Regiment officers, including Lieutenant-Colonel William Charles Gordon Armstrong and Lieutenant-Colonel George Morfitt.
The regiment also supplied soldiers to man internment camps near Castle Mountain and the Cave and Basin in Rocky Mountains Park. Three soldiers of the 103rd Regiment died while assigned to the camp and are buried in Banff.

First World War

Details of the 103rd Regiment "Calgary Rifles" were placed on active service on 6 August 1914 for local protection duties. The 103rd contributed men to a number of battalions that became antecedents of The King's Own Calgary Regiments. The King's Own perpetuates the 50th, 89th and 137th Battalions CEF.
The 50th Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force was authorized on 7 November 1914; authorization was published in General Order 86 on 1 July 1915. It was mobilized in Calgary in December 1914 under the command of LCol E.G. Mason, and trained at Sarcee Camp. The first draft of 5 officers and 251 other ranks was sent to England on 14 June 1915. 5 officers and 250 other ranks embarked 11 September 1915 and became replacements for the 10th Battalion. The battalion was brought back up to full strength of 41 officers and 1036 other ranks, and embarked for Britain on 27 October 1915 aboard. The battalion disembarked in France on 11 August 1916, where it fought as part of the 10th Canadian Infantry Brigade, 4th Canadian Division in France and Flanders until the end of the war. The battalion suffered over 4000 casualties. During this period Pte J.G. Pattison won the Victoria Cross. The battalion returned to England 27 April 1919, disembarked at Halifax 5 June 1919 and demobilized at Calgary 9 June 1919. The 50th was disbanded by General Order 149 of 15 September 1920. This is the main battalion perpetuated by The King's Own. For further details consult The 50th in No Man's Land by Victor W. Wheelerdge, Pte. John George Pattison of the 50th Battalion CEF was awarded the Empire's highest award for gallantry, the Victoria Cross, for his heroic actions on 10 April 1917, storming a German machine-gun nest.
The 89th Battalion, which was authorized by General Order 151 on 22 December 1915 as the “89th Overseas Battalion CEF” It was organized in Calgary under the command of LCol W.W. Nasmyth and recruited from Alberta. The battalion embarked for Britain on 2 June 1916 aboard the and disembarked on the 8 June 1916 with 23 officers and 969 other ranks. In June 1916, drafts were sent to: 167 men to the Machine Gun Depot; 168 to the 9th Reserve Battalion; and 65 to other units. In August 1916 drafts were sent to: 115 men to 7th Battalion; 150 men to 10th Battalion; and 150 to 31st Battalion. After some further small drafts, its personnel were absorbed by the 97th Battalion and the 9th Reserve Battalion 7 October 1916. The battalion was disbanded on 21 May 1917. The 89th Battalion was disbanded Privy Council Orders 1366 and 1863 of 21 May and 6 July 1917.
The 137th Overseas Battalion CEF was authorized by General Order 151 on 22 December 1915. It was organized in Calgary under the command of LCol G.W. Morfitt in November 1915. The battalion embarked for Britain from Halifax on 24 August 1916 on board RMS Olympic. It disembarked in England 29 Aug 1916 with 32 officers and 936 other ranks. On 28 November 1916 it sent drafts of 100 men to the 10th Battalion, and 150 men to the 31st Battalion. On 5 December it sent 100 men to the 49th Battalion. It was amalgamated with the 175th "Overseas" Battalion, CEF to form the 21st Reserve Battalion, CEF, on 10 January 1917, to provide reinforcements for the Canadian Corps in the field. The battalion was disbanded on 4 August 1917 by Privy Council Order 1895 of 17 July 1917. For further reading on the 137th Bn, read A Legacy of Courage “Calgary's Own” 137th Bn CEF by Fred Bagley and Dr. Harvey Duncan.
On 1 April 1936, the Calgary Regiment was amalgamated with the 'Headquarters' and 'B Company' of the '13th Machine Gun Battalion, CMGC retaining its designation.
It was re-designated: 'The Calgary Regiment ' on 15 December 1936.

1920-1938

On 15 March 1920 the 103rd Calgary Rifles was reorganized as two separate regiments, designated 'The Alberta Regiment' and 'The Calgary Regiment'. On 1 April 1920 the Calgary Regiment was reorganized as a five battalion regiment with the 1st Battalion and 2nd Battalion on the Non Permanent Active Militia order of battle and the 3rd Battalion, 4th Battalion and 5th Battalion on the Reserve order of battle.
On 15 May 1924 the Calgary Regiment was again reorganized as two separate regiments, designated 'The Calgary Highlanders' and 'The Calgary Regiment' Upon further reorganization, the Calgary Regiment was organized as a three battalion regiment with the 1st Battalion on the Non Permanent Active Militia order of battle and the 2nd Battalion and 3 rd Battalion on the Reserve order of battle. The reserve units were disbanded on 14 December 1936.