Amalgamated 15 December 1936 with the 'Headquarters' and 'A Company' of the 12th Machine Gun Battalion, CMGC and retaining the designation as The Regina Rifle Regiment
Redesignated 7 November 1940 as the 2nd Battalion, The Regina Rifle Regiment
Redesignated 4 April 1946 as The Regina Rifle Regiment
Redesignated 5 July 1982 as The Royal Regina Rifle Regiment
Redesignated 24 October 1984 as The Royal Regina Rifles[1]
The 60th Rifles of Canada
Originated 2 January 1913 in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan as the 60th Rifles of Canada
Amalgamated 15 March 1920 with the 95th Saskatchewan Rifles[1]
The 12th Machine Gun Battalion, CMGC
Originated 1 June 1919 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan as the 12th Machine Gun Brigade, CMGC
Redesignated 15 September 1924 as the 12th Machine Gun Battalion, CMGC
Amalgamated 15 December 1936 with The Regina Rifle Regiment[1]
Operational history
The Great War
The distinguishing patch of the 28th Battalion (Northwest), CEF.
Details of the 95th Saskatchewan Rifles were placed on active service on 6 August 1914 for local protective duty.[1]
The 28th Battalion (Northwest), CEF, was authorized on 7 November 1914 and embarked for Britain on 29 May 1915 and arrived in France on 18 September 1915. The 28th Battalion fought as part of the 6th Infantry Brigade, 2nd Canadian Division in France and Flanders until the end of the war. The 28th Battalion disbanded on 30 August 1920.[1]
The 68th Battalion (Regina), CEF, was authorized on 20 April 1915 and embarked for Britain on 28 April 1916, where it provided reinforcements for units in the field until 6 July 1916, when its personnel were absorbed by the 32nd Reserve Battalion, CEF.[1]
The 195th Battalion (City of Regina), CEF, was authorized on 15 July 1916. Based in Regina, Saskatchewan, the unit began recruiting during the winter of 1915/16 in that city. It embarked for Britain on 31 October 1916, where its personnel were absorbed by the 32nd Reserve Battalion, on 11 or 12 November 1916, to provide reinforcements for units the field.[1] Lieutenant-Colonel A. C. Garner commanded the battalion throughout its existence.[2]
Between the Wars
On 15 May 1924, following extensive reorganizations of the Canadian Militia, each of the South Saskatchewan Regiment's battalions became a distinct regiment, and the Regina Rifle Regiment was created from the 1st Battalion. In the 1936 reorganization of the Militia, the Headquarters and A Company of the 12th Machine Gun Battalion, CMGC, merged into the Regina Rifles, which existed as a single battalion militia regiment until 1939.[1]
The Second World War
Three soldiers of the Regina Rifles Regiment who landed in France on June 6, 1944, in Ghent, Belgium, November 8, 1944
Details from the regiment were called out on service on 26 August 1939 and then placed on active service on 1 September 1939 as The Regina Rifle Regiment, CASF (Canadian Active Service Force), for local protection duties. The details called out on active service were disbanded on 31 December 1940. The regiment subsequently mobilized The Regina Rifle Regiment, CASF, for active service on 24 May 1940. It was redesignated the 1st Battalion, The Regina Rifle Regiment, CASF, on 7 November 1940 and embarked for Britain on 24 August 1941. On D-Day, 6 June 1944, it landed in Normandy, France as part of the 7th Infantry Brigade, 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, and it continued to fight in North-West Europe until the end of the war. The 1st Battalion was disbanded on 15 January 1946.[1]
Farmer Johns was their nickname and the name's origin came from other Canadian soldiers dismissing them as "just a bunch of Farmer Johns". They were farmers, students, and fur trappers who served as soldiers of Regina Rifles Regiment of the Canadian military.[3]
The regiment mobilized the 3rd Battalion, The Regina Rifle Regiment, CASF, for active service on 12 May 1942. It was subsequently redesignated the 2nd Airfield Defence Battalion (The Regina Rifle Regiment), CASF, on 19 July 1943 and served in Canada in a home defence role as part of Pacific Command. It was disbanded on 15 November 1943.[1]
On 1 June 1945, a third Active Force component of the regiment, the 4th Battalion, The Regina Rifle Regiment, CIC, CAOF, was mobilized for service with the Canadian Army Occupation Force in Germany. The 4th Battalion was disbanded on 4 April 1946. The 2nd (Reserve) Battalion did not mobilize.[1]
The regiment suffered 458 fatal casualties by 7 May 1945.
Its first taste of combat came in Normandy, landing on Juno Beach on D-Day, during which it was the first Canadian regiment to successfully secure a beachhead. It later faced the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend, which was almost completely annihilated by the British and Canadian forces. The regiment later entered Caen.
Korea and NATO
In 1946, the regiment reverted to a single-battalion militia regiment.
On 4 May 1951, the regiment mobilized two temporary Active Force companies designated "E" and "F" Company. "E" Company was reduced to nil strength upon its personnel being incorporated into the 1st Canadian Rifle Battalion for service in Germany as part of the 27th Canadian Infantry Brigade on North Atlantic Treaty Organization duty in Germany. "F" Company was initially used as a reinforcement pool for "E" Company. On 15 May 1952, it was reduced to nil strength, upon its personnel being absorbed by the newly formed 2nd Canadian Rifle Battalion for service in Korea with the United Nations. "F" Company was disbanded on 29 July 1953. The 1st and 2nd Canadian Rifle Battalions which became the Regular Force 1st and 2nd Battalions of the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada.[1]
Royal was added to the regimental title on 5 July 1982, and the name was shortened to the Royal Regina Rifles on 24 October 1984.
United Nations missions (1980–2000)
Since the reductions of the Regular Force battalions, the Primary Reserve members of the regiment have augmented the Regular Force units and deployed operationally in support of operations in Cyprus, Former Yugoslavia, and Bosnia.[citation needed]
Regimental camp flag.
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.[4]
2015 onwards
Soldiers of the Royal Regina Rifles contribute to domestic and expeditionary operations on a regular basis.
Operation Lentus
Wildfires in Saskatchewan's north threatening life and property of Canadians.[5]
NATO's commitment to stability in Eastern Europe.[citation needed]
Freedom of the city
On 5 September 2015, the largest freedom of the city parade in Regina since the end of the Second World War was exercised by the Royal Regina Rifles. Collaborating with all local military units (HMCSQueen; 10th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA; 38 Signal Regiment; 38 Service Battalion; 16 Field Ambulance; and 15 Wing Moose Jaw) a Canadian Armed Forces Open House was held at the Regina Armoury throughout the day. The culmination of the day was a charity gala dinner entertaining over 315 guests. The patron for the evening was the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan. The charity raised seed money for a rewrite of the regimental history.
Previous to that a freedom of the city was exercised by the Royal Regina Rifles in Regina on June 4, 2007.[6]
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. Rifle regiments do not carry colours. They may emblazon their battle honours on regimental appointments such as cap badges. Those battle honours in bold type are authorized to be emblazoned on regimental appointments.[1]
Up the Johns! The Story of the Royal Regina Rifles by Stewart A.G Mein (1992)
In the flashback scenes in the film I Confess, where Montgomery Clift is a soldier in World War II, he is wearing a uniform with a "Regina Rifle Regiment Canada" shoulder patch.
Regimental Museum of The Royal Regina Rifles
The Regimental Museum of The Royal Regina Rifles is located in the Regina Armoury in the Saskatchewan Military Museum.
Regimental church
The regimental church is St. Paul's Cathedral in Regina. The colours of units that the Royal Regina Rifles perpetuate hang in perpetuity in the cathedral.
Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army.
The Royal New Brunswick Regiment (RNBR) is a reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army based in New Brunswick. The Royal New Brunswick Regiment is part of 37 Canadian Brigade Group, 5th Canadian Division. The RNBR holds 65 battle honours.
The Nova Scotia Highlanders is an infantry regiment in the primary reserve of the Canadian Army. It is part of 36 Canadian Brigade Group, 5th Canadian Division.
The Toronto Scottish Regiment (Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother's Own) is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. It is part of 4th Canadian Division's 32 Canadian Brigade Group.
The Princess of Wales' Own Regiment (PWOR) is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army.
The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. The regiment is part of 33 Canadian Brigade Group, one of four brigade groups of 4th Canadian Division. The regimental headquarters and one company are at 187 Pinnacle Street in Belleville and on Willmott Street in Cobourg, with another rifle company in Peterborough. The Peterborough Armoury houses what was traditionally B Company or Moro Company. Moro Company also serves as the headquarters for the regiment’s Assault Pioneer Platoon. Normally, the regiment deploys as a composite, Ortona Company, while the headquarters and administration form Somme Company.
The Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada is a Primary Reserve light infantry regiment of the Canadian Army, with companies in Cambridge and Kitchener, and is an infantry sub-unit of 31 Canadian Brigade Group, headquartered in London, Ontario. The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon and The Prince Andrew, Duke of York, as members of the Canadian Royal Family, acted as Colonel-in-Chief.
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.
Le Régiment de Maisonneuve is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces. The regiment is Canada's twenty-sixth most senior reserve infantry regiment, and comprises one battalion serving as part of the Canadian Army Reserves.
The North Saskatchewan Regiment is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army, headquartered in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, with companies in Saskatoon and Prince Albert. Its current commanding officer is Lieutenant-Colonel Dennis Sansom, and the regimental sergeant-major is Chief Warrant Officer Jason Balcaen. The N Sask R is part of the 3rd Canadian Division's 38 Canadian Brigade Group.
The Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary's) is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army based on Vancouver Island in British Columbia.
The Royal Montreal Regiment is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army based in Westmount, Quebec. It is part of the 2nd Canadian Division's 34 Canadian Brigade Group.
The Irish Regiment of Canada is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army based in Sudbury, Ontario. It is part of the 4th Canadian Division's 33 Canadian Brigade Group. Currently one battalion of the regiment exists.
The Saskatchewan Dragoons is a Primary Reserve armoured regiment of the Canadian Army. The unit is based in Moose Jaw. Their primary job is to assist the Regular Force in meeting Canada's military commitments. Their training and equipment closely follow that of the Regular Force, which the Reserves are called upon to assist increasingly often. The Saskatchewan Dragoons are part of 3rd Canadian Division's 38 Canadian Brigade Group.
The 12th Manitoba Dragoons is an armoured regiment of the Canadian Army that is currently on the Supplementary Order of Battle.
The 19th Alberta Dragoons was a cavalry regiment and later an armoured regiment of the Canadian Militia and later the Canadian Army. It was placed on the Supplementary Order of Battle in 1965. In 2006, it was taken off the Supplementary Order of Battle and amalgamated with the South Alberta Light Horse.
The 14th Canadian Hussars was a light cavalry and later light armoured reconnaissance regiment of the Non-Permanent Active Militia of the Canadian Militia and later the Canadian Army. First raised in 1910 as the 27th Light Horse, the regiment was Redesignated in 1920 as the 14th Canadian Light Horse and again in 1940 as the 14th Canadian Hussars. On 31 March 1968, the regiment was reduced to nil strength and placed on the Supplementary Order of Battle.
The Victoria Rifles of Canada was an infantry regiment of the Non-Permanent Active Militia of the Canadian Militia and later the Canadian Army. First formed in Montreal, Quebec in 1862, the regiment would see a history of service stretching from the Fenian Raids of the 1860s-70s right into the middle of the 20th Century. In 1965, the regiment was reduced to nil strength and transferred to the Supplementary Order of Battle.
The Canadian Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was an infantry regiment of the Non-Permanent Active Militia of the Canadian Militia (now the Canadian Army). In 1954, the regiment was amalgamated with The Oxford Rifles to form The London and Oxford Fusiliers (now the reserve battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment).
The Saint John Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the Non-Permanent Active Militia of the Canadian Militia. In 1946, the regiment was amalgamated with The New Brunswick Rangers to form the South New Brunswick Regiment which was later renamed as The New Brunswick Scottish. They now form part of the 1st Battalion, The Royal New Brunswick Regiment.
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.
