Canadian Mounted Rifles was part of the designation of several mounted infantry units in Canada in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Permanent Active Militia was the proper name of Canada's full-time professional land forces from 1855 to 1940, when it was reorganized into the Canadian Army.
| Regiment | Formed | Successor Unit |
|---|---|---|
| The Canadian Mounted Rifle Corps | 1885 | The Royal Canadian Dragoons [1] [2] [3] |
| The Royal Canadian Mounted Rifles | 1901 | Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) [1] [4] [5] [6] [7] |
| Regiment | Perpetuation |
|---|---|
| 1st Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles | Renamed as The Royal Canadian Dragoons (Special Service Force) in August 1900 and referred to as the Second Canadian Contingent [1] [2] [8] [9] |
| 2nd (1st) Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles | Sailed as part of the Second Canadian Contingent, landing in South Africa in February 1900. Renamed as the 1st Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles in 1900. Recruited by the North-West Mounted Police and now perpetuated by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police [10] Fought with the RCD at the Battle of Leliefontein in 1900. |
| 2nd Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles | Raised in November 1901 and landed in South Africa in January 1902. Fought at the Battle of Hart's River in 1902. |
| 3rd Regiment, Canadian Mounted Rifles | Raised in late 1901. Went to South Africa in May/June 1902, but never saw action [11] Billy Eagle served in the 5th CMR. |
| 4th Regiment, Canadian Mounted Rifles | |
| 5th Regiment, Canadian Mounted Rifles | |
| 6th Regiment, Canadian Mounted Rifles |
It was originally intended that the second Canadian contingent would consist of a CMR unit of three squadrons recruited among the militia located in eastern Canada. [12] This concept provoked disagreement at the highest Canadian political level, as the Governor General believed that more troops should be recruited in western Canada where more individuals had relevant civilian experience. [13] As a political compromise, two units of two sabre squadrons each were formed, despite the lack of tactical sense to such a structure. [14]
The third contingent was recruited at the expense of the British government and consisted of one 901-person unit - 2 CMR - that contained six sabre squadrons. [15]
The fourth contingent consisted of four units, each with four sabre squadrons, that have been described as the only sensibly organized Canadian mounted units in the war, other than the Strathcona's Horse. [16] These units arrived in South Africa after the war had ended. [17]
| Squadron | Successor Unit |
|---|---|
| B Squadron, Canadian Mounted Rifles | 12th Manitoba Dragoons [1] [6] [18] [19] [20] [21] |
| C Squadron, Canadian Mounted Rifles | |
| D Squadron, Canadian Mounted Rifles | |
| E Squadron, Canadian Mounted Rifles | |
| F Squadron, Canadian Mounted Rifles | |
| J Squadron, Canadian Mounted Rifles | The Mississauga Horse [1] [6] [22] [23] [24] |
| K Squadron, Canadian Mounted Rifles | |
| L Squadron, Canadian Mounted Rifles | The Prince Edward Island Light Horse [1] [6] [25] [26] [27] |
| A Squadron, Canadian Mounted Rifles | 19th Alberta Dragoons [1] [6] [28] |
| B Squadron, Canadian Mounted Rifles | |
| C Squadron, Canadian Mounted Rifles | |
| E Squadron, Canadian Mounted Rifles | |
| D Squadron, Canadian Mounted Rifles | 21st Alberta Hussars [1] [6] [28] [29] |
| G Squadron, Canadian Mounted Rifles | The Saskatchewan Mounted Rifles [1] [6] [30] |
| F Squadron, Canadian Mounted Rifles | |
| B Squadron, Canadian Mounted Rifles | The British Columbia Horse (later reorganized into The British Columbia Dragoons and the British Columbia Hussars) [1] [6] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] |
| C Squadron, Canadian Mounted Rifles |
