Canadian Guards

Last updated

The Canadian Guards
CDN GDS Cap Badge.PNG
Regimental badge
Active16 October 1953 – 6 July 1970
CountryCanada
Branch Canadian Army 1953–68, Force Mobile Command 1968–70
Type Foot guards
RoleLight infantry
SizeFour battalions (1953–57)
Two battalions (1957–68)
One battalion (1968–70)
Part of Royal Canadian Infantry Corps
Garrison/HQ Camp Petawawa (1st and 2nd Battalions and the Regimental Depot [1] )
Camp Valcartier (3rd Battalion)
Camp Ipperwash (4th Battalion)
Camp Borden (Regimental Band) 1953–1957
Motto(s) Latin: A mari usque ad mare , lit.  'from sea to sea'
MarchQuick: "The Standard of St. George"
Slow: "From Sea to Sea"
Commanders
Colonel-in-chiefVacant
Colonel of
the Regiment		Major General R. Rowley
Insignia
PlumeRed over white, left side of bearskin cap
Tartan Royal Stewart (pipes and drums)

The Canadian Guards (officially known as the Regiment of Canadian Guards) was an infantry regiment of the Canadian Army that served in the same role as the five regiments of foot guards in the British Army. The regiment was formed on 16 October 1953, by Lieutenant-General Guy Simonds, the Chief of the General Staff of the Canadian Army, with the redesignation of four separate battalions:

Contents

On 25 November 1953, the following reserve units affiliated with the Canadian Guards but remained separate regiments (see § Affiliations):

The Canadian Guards not only served as the Household Troops of Canada, but was also the country's first national military regiment. [2] The regiment was reduced to nil strength and assigned to the supplementary order of battle in 1970. [3]

History

The regiment was created when it was decided that the composite 1st and 2nd Canadian Infantry Battalions that were created for the 27th Canadian Infantry Brigade should not be given a specific territorial identity. The Guards would be able to recruit nationally, and Lieutenant General Guy Simonds, said there was nothing wrong with infusing the standard of the Household Brigade into the Canadian Army. [4] Despite political divisions in the government over the concept, the plan received support from the Royal House with the Queen writing to Simonds on 19 October 1954 and counselling him to "not allow any criticism of this sort to depress you unduly." [5] Several weeks later, reserve or militia affiliations were added, when the Governor General's Foot Guards and Canadian Grenadier Guards were designated the 5th and 6th Battalions. Despite the battalion numbers, they remained distinct regiments (see § Affiliations).

The 3rd and 4th Battalions were disbanded on 31 March 1957 to make way for the formation of Regular Army armoured regiments, the 8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise's) and The Fort Garry Horse, leaving the 1st and 2nd Battalions and the Regimental Depot in the Regular Force. In October 1957, the 1st Battalion received its first Colours, while the 2nd Battalion was deployed to Germany as part of 4 CIBG. Two years later, the 1st Battalion replaced the 2nd Battalion, with the 2nd Battalion receiving its colours in 1960. In the late 1960s, as part of a reorganization of the Canadian Army, it was decided to disband The Canadian Guards. The 1st Battalion was disbanded on 1 October 1968, and the 2nd Battalion reduced to nil strength on 6 July 1970 (its personnel and equipment going to the new 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment). [6] [7] On 6 June 1970, a final Trooping the Colour parade in front of Governor General Roland Michener took place on Parliament Hill. [5] The role of Household Troops then reverted to the two surviving militia units, which resumed their separate identities in 1976. Some regular members were reassigned to The Canadian Airborne Regiment.

Controversy

At the time, the regiment was criticized for being irrelevant and a show unit. Lieutenant Colonel J. Thomas Bowie, an 83-year-old veteran of the foot guards, claimed that the guards "have no history, no tradition, no nothing." At a 1952 convention of the Royal Canadian Legion, the guards were branded as "an affront and disgrace". Julian Ferguson, a Member of the House of Commons for Simcoe North as well as a World War I recipient of the Military Cross, attacked the Guards as having "never fought and never defeated". He then shook his finger at the then Minister of National Defence Brooke Claxton, and exclaimed "Shame on you!". [8] Colonel Strome Galloway, who commanded the Guards' 4th Battalion from 1955 to 1957 and was the first and last regimental lieutenant-colonel, believed that the disbanding of the Guards was a "political decision" by powerful "francophone" elements. "Our crime," Galloway wrote, "was that we were 'too British' in uniform and character to pass muster with the Francophone hierarchy which dominated the Defence Department at the time. The Unification program was the official excuse, but the program itself was partly a gimmick to 'Americanize' the Canadian forces and eliminate, as far as possible, the British traditions of the past." [9]

Characteristics and duties

A guard of honour provided by the 1st Battalion, Canadian Guards, during the visit of West German Chancellor Ludwig Erhard to Ottawa in 1964. Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F018250-0008, Kanada, Staatsbesuch Bundeskanzler Erhard.jpg
A guard of honour provided by the 1st Battalion, Canadian Guards, during the visit of West German Chancellor Ludwig Erhard to Ottawa in 1964.

The regiment was originally raised to be similar to the five regiments of the British Foot Guards: the Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, Scots Guards, Irish Guards and Welsh Guards. [10] The Canadian Guards wore a white-over-red plume on the left side of their bearskins. Ceremonial dress uniform was similar to that worn by the Canadian Grenadier Guards, with the Canadian version of the "Home Service" Dress tunic being worn in the summer and Atholl-grey greatcoats authorized for wear in the autumn and winter. The standard service rifle for the guards was the C1A1 (self-loading rifle). Its cap badge is a star that has ten points to symbolize the ten provinces of Canada. The maple leaves are based the royal arms of Canada, with the colour changed from red to gold. [11]

The most prominent role of the 1st Battalion was the performance of public duties in the Ottawa-Gatineau region while operationally it performed the role of light infantry. The regiment pioneered what is now the changing of the Ceremonial Guard in Ottawa, with the first such ceremony to take place in the country being performed by the regiment on Dominion Day in 1959 when the 1st Battalion mounted the new guard on Parliament Hill with its band and corps of drums. [12] It also provided honour guards for the Opening of the Canadian parliament and sentries for guard duty at Rideau Hall. [8] In September 1959, the regiment's 1st Battalion gave the royal salute following the proceedings of the swearing in of Georges Vanier as Governor General of Canada. [13] It provided most of the guards of honour for visiting heads of state, including Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, and US President John F. Kennedy. [7] [10] On 15 February 1965, the guards provided the guard of honour for an official ceremony held on the unveiling of the current flag of Canada. Toronto Mayor Philip Givens inspected a guard of honour of the guards at the Toronto City Hall after the battalion returned from Cyprus in 1965. [10] In 1969, these duties were transferred onto the Public Duties Detachment. [14]

Bands

Military Band

Throughout their existence the regular components of The Canadian Guards maintained a regimental band as well as pipes and drums. [15] Known officially as the Band of Her Majesty's Canadian Guards, it was created on 22 April 1954 as a redesignation from the 1st Canadian Infantry Battalion Band and was disbanded on 30 September 1968. [16] The band was based at Camp Borden from 1953 to 1957 and after which it was transferred to Petawawa where it stayed until the 1970s. Bandsmen were recruited from other Canadian military bands as well as bands from the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. [10] One of the major events the band took part in was the Canadian Armed Forces Tattoo 1967 for Canada's centennial celebrations that year. [17] [18]

Pipe Band

Two pipe bands were to be formed in the Regiment, with the 2nd and 4th battalions, although the latter battalion was disbanded in 1957. In common with the pipes and drums of the Scots Guards in the British Army, pipers of The Canadian Guards were granted the privilege of wearing the personal tartan of the Monarch – the Royal Stuart tartan. The 2nd Battalion band was formed in February 1954 under Pipe Major Archie Cairns and accompanied the battalion during its tour of duty in West Germany from 1957 to 1959. Although initially having few active pipers, Pipe Major Cairns grew the band to a high standard with the band playing at the Canadian National Exhibition in 1956. The Regimental pipe band was based at Camp Petawawa and undertook many high profile public duties, including the daily Changing of the Guard Ceremony on Parliament Hill. The Canadian Guards Pipes and Drums had a high profile, appearing at hundreds of music festivals, military tattoos, parades and other public events in both North America and Europe. After Pipe Major Cairns' departure from the band in 1964, he was succeeded by Willie Stirling (formerly of the Seaforth Highlanders) and later by John Huggan. As part of reorganisation during the Unification of the Canadian Forces, the Canadian Guards were disbanded with the 2nd Battalion (with pipe band) transforming to become the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment In 1970. [14]

Affiliations

In the Canadian Forces, units may make formal, official links between each other called affiliations. These affiliations are "to foster continuous fraternal connections between military organizations beyond the close, professional relationships which are always encouraged." [19] The two Reserve Force foot guard regiments, the Governor General's Foot Guards (GGFG) and the Canadian Grenadier Guards (CGG), were affiliated with the Canadian Guards, and from 1954 to 1976 they used Canadian Guards battalion numbers in token of the affiliation. Despite the battalion numbers, the GGFG and the CGG were considered separate regiments from the Canadian Guards. The affiliations automatically ceased when the Canadian Guards were put on the Supplementary Order of Battle in 1970. [20]

Deployments

Notable members

Guards Association

The Canadian Guards Association was founded in October 1969 with Regimental Sergeant Major Jim Baird elected as its first president. It carried out the traditions of the regiment and included a group of 100 soldiers from all ranks. Its headquarters was in Ottawa and was the parent organization for other branches established in Petawawa, Picton, and Oromocto. In 2018, with the 65th anniversary of the unit's founding approaching, it was announced that a final reunion would take place at Garrison Petawawa from 12 to 14 October. The decision was made due to the age range of members and the board of directors, averaging at around 80. At the reunion, the association signing a memorandum of understanding with the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment that saw them act as custodians of the Guards collection. The Canadian Guards Memorial at the garrison was also rededicated during the ceremony. [29]

See also

Related Research Articles

The Infantry of the British Army comprises 49 infantry battalions, from 19 regiments. Of these, 33 battalions are part of the Regular army and the remaining 16 a part of the Army Reserve. The British Army's Infantry takes on a variety of roles, including armoured, mechanised, air assault and light.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foot guards</span> Senior infantry regiments in some militaries

In some militaries, foot guards are senior infantry regiments. Foot guards are commonly responsible for guarding royal families or other state leaders, and they also often perform ceremonial duties accordingly, but at the same time are combat soldiers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry</span> Canadian military unit

Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry is one of the three Regular Force infantry regiments of the Canadian Army of the Canadian Armed Forces. Formed in 1914, it is named for Princess Patricia of Connaught, daughter of the then-Governor General of Canada. The regiment is composed of three battalions, for a total of 2,000 soldiers. The PPCLI is the main lodger unit of Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Edmonton in Alberta and CFB Shilo in Manitoba, and attached to 3rd Canadian Division; as such, it serves as the "local" regular infantry regiment for much of Western Canada. The Loyal Edmonton Regiment (LER), a Reserve Force battalion, is affiliated with the PPCLI but is not formally part of it. As part of this affiliation, the LER carries the designation '4th Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Regiment of Canada</span> Military unit

The Royal Regiment of Canada is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. The regiment is based in Toronto, Ontario, and forms part of the 4th Canadian Division's 32 Canadian Brigade Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Governor General's Horse Guards</span> Regiment in the Canadian Army Primary Reserve

The Governor General's Horse Guards is an armoured cavalry regiment in the Primary Reserve of the Canadian Army. The regiment is part of 4th Canadian Division's 32 Canadian Brigade Group and is based in Toronto, Ontario. It is the most senior reserve regiment in Canada, and the only household cavalry regiment of Canada's three household units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Canadian Regiment</span> Infantry regiment of the Canadian Army

The Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR) 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 hackle is a clipped plume or short spray of coloured feathers that is attached to a military headdress, with different colours being associated with particular regiments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Grenadier Guards</span> Military unit

The Canadian Grenadier Guards (CGG) is a reserve infantry regiment in the 34 Canadian Brigade Group, 2nd Canadian Division, of the Canadian Army. The regiment is the oldest and second-most-senior infantry regiment in the Primary Reserve of the Canadian Army. Located in Montreal, its main role is the provision of combat-ready light infantry troops in support of Canadian regular infantry. It is a Household Foot Guard regiment and also provides soldiers for public ceremonial duties, performing similar ceremonial duties as the Guards regiments of the British Army. This primarily entails mounting the guard at Government House, the King's and Governor General's residence, and performing the "Changing the Guard" ceremony on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, a task it shares with Canada's senior Household Foot Guard regiment, the Governor General's Foot Guards of Ottawa. The Canadian Grenadier Guards is an allied regiment to the British Grenadier Guards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Governor General's Foot Guards</span> Infantry regiment in the Canadian Army Primary Reserve based in Ottawa

The Governor General's Foot Guards (GGFG) is the senior reserve infantry regiment in the Canadian Army. Located in Ottawa at the Cartier Square Drill Hall, the regiment is a Primary Reserve infantry unit, and the members are part-time soldiers.

North-West Europe 1944–1945 is a battle honour earned by regiments of the British Commonwealth forces during the Second World War that took part in the actions of the northern part of the war's Western Front. The battle honour North-West Europe is suffixed with the year, or years, in which the awarded unit took part in the action.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Anglian Regiment</span> Infantry regiment of the British Army

The Royal Anglian Regiment is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It consists of two Regular battalions and one Reserve battalion. The modern regiment was formed in 1964, making it the oldest of the line regiments now operating in the British Army, and can trace its history back to 1685. The regiment was the first of the large infantry regiments and is one of the three regiments of the Queen's Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's)</span> Military unit

The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's), or A & SH of C, is a Primary Reserve Highland infantry regiment of the Canadian Armed Forces, based at John W. Foote VC Armoury in Hamilton, Ontario. The regiment is part of 4th Canadian Division's 31 Canadian Brigade Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada</span> Military unit

The Black Watch of Canada is a reserve infantry regiment in 34 Canadian Brigade Group, 2nd Canadian Division, of the Canadian Army. The regiment is located at 2067, rue Bleury in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and is currently commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel R.M. Unger. The regiment's armoury was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2008. They are the senior Canadian-Scottish Regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Authorized marches of the Canadian Armed Forces</span>

The following is a list of the notable authorized marches for various organisations of the Canadian Armed Forces. The first march listed is the march most commonly performed for that organisation on parade; it is commonly referred to simply as that organisation's "march" or "march past". In addition, many organisations also have additional pieces for slow marches, marches for mounted parades, pipe marches, etc.; they are subsequently listed and footnoted as applicable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brockville Rifles</span> Military unit

The Brockville Rifles is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. The unit is a part of the 33 Canadian Brigade Group, 4th Canadian Division. It is fifteenth in the order of precedence of Canadian Army Infantry Regiments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa</span> Canadian Army Primary Reserve infantry regiment

The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa (Duke of Edinburgh's Own) is a Canadian Army Primary Reserve infantry regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian military bands</span>

Canadian military bands are a group of personnel in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) that performs musical duties for military functions. Military bands form a part of the Music Branch of the CAF, composed of six full-time professional Regular Force bands, 15 Regular Force voluntary bands, and 53 part-time reserve force bands. Bands of the Music Branch are often badged with the unit or Canadian Forces base insignia that they support.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3rd Regiment "Granatieri di Sardegna"</span> Active Italian Army grenadier unit

The 3rd Regiment "Granatieri di Sardegna" is a grenadiers unit of the Italian Army's infantry arm's grenadiers speciality. In 1849, the Royal Sardinian Army formed the 3rd Grenadier Guards Regiment for the second campaign of the First Italian War of Independence. The regiment was disbanded after the war's end. In 1926, the Royal Italian Army reformed the 3rd Regiment "Granatieri di Sardegna", which was assigned to the 21st Infantry Division "Granatieri di Sardegna". In 1935-36, the regiment's I Grenadiers Battalion fought in the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. In 1939, the regiment left the 21st Infantry Division "Granatieri di Sardegna" and became an autonomous unit. The same year the regiment moved from Viterbo to Tirana in occupied Albania. In 1940, the regiment was renamed 3rd Regiment "Granatieri di Sardegna e d'Albania". Between 28 October 1940 and 23 April 1941, the regiment fought in the Greco-Italian War. For its conduct in the war the regiment was awarded Italy highest military honor the Gold Medal of Military Valor. The regiment then served on occupation duty in Athens. After the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943 the regiment was disbanded by invading German forces.

The Royal Grenadiers was an infantry regiment of the Non-Permanent Active Militia of the Canadian Militia. The regiment was unique in its history as it was only one of two regiments in the Canadian Army to be designated as a grenadier regiment. In 1936, the regiment was amalgamated with The Toronto Regiment to form The Royal Regiment of Toronto Grenadiers.

References

  1. ↑ "2CMBG HQ - Petawawa".
  2. ↑ https://www.archives.gov/files/social-media/transcripts/transcript-big-picture-salute-canadian-army-2569680.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwi97Zrbi97mAhVJgK0KHWc2A4M4FBAWMAd6BAgCEAE&usg=AOvVaw1g7OJjmtEa3zDayMm-5p7N [ dead link ]
  3. ↑ "www.canadiansoldiers.com". www.canadiansoldiers.com. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  4. ↑ Marteinson, John and Harris, Stephen J. We Stand On Guard – An Illustrated History of the Canadian Army (1992)
  5. 1 2 Bourdon, Buzz (13 July 2010). "Career military officer Ron Cheriton played key roles in the rise and fall of The Canadian Guards - The Globe and Mail". The Globe and Mail .
  6. ↑ Canadian Forces Publication A-DH-267-003/AF-002 -- Part Two: Infantry Regiments
  7. 1 2 "The Regiment of Canadian Guards".
  8. 1 2 "Will the Guards Idea Go over Here? | Maclean's | APRIL 16 1955".
  9. ↑ Strome Galloway, The General Who Never Was (Belleville, Ontario: Mika, 1981), p. 277.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Former Guardsmen Carry On Tradition - Legion Magazine". March 2003.
  11. ↑ "The Public Register of Arms, Flags, and Badges of Canada". 12 November 2020.
  12. ↑ "New season for Changing of the Guard ceremony in Ottawa has started".
  13. ↑ https://diefenbaker.usask.ca/documents/the-crown-in-canada/vanier_swearing_in.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjn3s_UgtXmAhUPIKwKHd9FB_o4KBAWMAJ6BAgIEAE&usg=AOvVaw04FB4PppYoZMeFLv-hAJCf [ dead link ]
  14. 1 2 Clark, Fraser (12 April 2016). "Archie Cairns: A Tribute". Pipes and Drums. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  15. ↑ "St Andrew's College Highland Cadet Corps - Pipers and Pipe Bands". Archived from the original on 23 August 2002.
  16. ↑ Horn, Bernd (27 May 2011). From Cold War to New Millennium: The History of the Royal Canadian Regiment, 1953–2008. Dundurn. ISBN   9781554888986.
  17. ↑ Wilson, K.A.; Fraser, I.S. (2017). The Making of a Tattoo: Canadian Armed Forces Tattoo 1967. FriesenPress. p. 115. ISBN   9781525514043 . Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  18. ↑ "The Minute Book". regimentalrogue.tripod.com. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  19. ↑ The Heritage Structure of the Canadian Forces. Directorate of History and Heritage. 4 January 1999. pp. 8–1.
  20. ↑ The Heritage Structure of the Canadian Forces. Directorate of History and Heritage. 4 January 1999. pp. 8–4.
  21. ↑ "Governor General's Foot Guards". Official Lineages Volume 3, Part 2: Infantry Regiments. Directorate of History and Heritage. 9 November 2004. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  22. ↑ "The Canadian Grenadier Guards". Official Lineages Volume 3, Part 2: Infantry Regiments. Directorate of History and Heritage. 9 November 2004. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  23. ↑ Burch-Pesses, Michael (1 January 2008). Canadian Band Music: A Qualitative Guide to Canadian Composers and Their Works for Band. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN   9781574630879.
  24. ↑ Bourdon, Buzz. "Career military officer Ron Cheriton played key roles in the rise and fall of The Canadian Guards - The Globe and Mail". The Globe and Mail .
  25. ↑ Kinder, Keith W. (7 July 2014). This Awareness of Beauty: The Orchestral and Wind Band Music of Healey Willan. Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press. ISBN   9781554589616.
  26. ↑ "Canadian Guards hold last reunion leading up to Remembrance Day | Toronto Sun".
  27. ↑ "Ian Turnbull - SABIAN Cymbals".
  28. ↑ "Obituary of McManus RSM John James Thomas CD | Barclay Funeral Home..."
  29. ↑ "Canadian Guards to hold last reunion at Garrison Petawawa this fall".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.