South Saskatchewan Regiment

Last updated

The South Saskatchewan Regiment
S Sask R Cap Badge.jpg
The cap badge of the South Saskatchewan Regiment.
Active
  • July 3, 1905–September 1, 1968 (Militia);
  • September 1, 1968–present (Supplementary Reserve)
CountryCanada
Branch
TypeLine infantry
Role Infantry
SizeOne battalion
Part of
Garrison/HQ Estevan, Saskatchewan
March"Warwickshire Lads"
Engagements
Battle honours See #Battle Honours

The South Saskatchewan Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces formed in 1936 by the amalgamation of The Weyburn Regiment and The Saskatchewan Border Regiment. It was reduced to nil strength and placed on the Supplementary Order of Battle (i.e., virtually disbanded) in 1968. They participated in the 1942 Dieppe Raid.

Contents

History

The regiment traces its lineage to July 3, 1905, when an infantry regiment was authorized in the District of Assiniboia and the District of Saskatchewan, which later that year became the province of Saskatchewan. The regiment was eventually organized as the 95th Saskatchewan Rifles, in Regina. After the First World War the 95th merged with the 60th Rifles of Canada (in Moose Jaw) to become the South Saskatchewan Regiment, which expanded to five battalions [1] with the creation of units in Weyburn (3rd Battalion), Moosomin (4th Battalion) and Estevan (5th Battalion).[ citation needed ]

In 1924, each of the battalions became a distinct regiment, and the name "South Saskatchewan Regiment" went out of use. In the 1936 reorganization of the Militia, The Weyburn Regiment and The Saskatchewan Border Regiment (in Estevan) re-amalgamated into a new South Saskatchewan Regiment. [1]

During the Second World War, The South Saskatchewan Regiment participated in many major Canadian battles and operations, as part of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division. The South Saskatchewan Regiment fought in the Dieppe Raid of 1942, [1] Operation Atlantic, Operation Spring, Operation Totalize, Operation Tractable, and the recapture of Dieppe in 1944. They, along with the 8th Reconnaissance Regiment liberated the Westerbork transit camp on 12 April 1945.[ citation needed ]

During the Dieppe Raid they also undertook one of the more unusual missions of the war. They provided a bodyguard for an RAF radar expert, Flight Sergeant Jack Nissenthall, who had volunteered to try penetrate a German radar station on a cliff above "Green Beach". Because Nissenthall knew the secrets of British and US radar technology, he was awarded a personal bodyguard of South Saskatchewan sharpshooters. Their orders were to protect him, but in the event of possible capture to kill him. He survived and his action enabled vital information on the state of development of the German radar to be discovered. The full story, along with graphic, first-hand descriptions of the South Saskatchewan Regiment's actions during the raid are told in James Leasor's book, "Green Beach".[ citation needed ]

After the regiment was placed on the Supplementary Order of Battle in 1968, the Queen's and Regimental Colours were deposited at Estevan Comprehensive School in 1969. [2]

Lineage

Lineage [1]
1905Regt of inf.
190795th Regt
190995th Saskatchewan Rifles
191295th Saskatchewan Rifles 105th Regt
191360th Rifles of Canada
19201st Bn, The South Saskatchewan Regt2nd Bn, The South Saskatchewan Regt3rd Bn, The South Saskatchewan Regt4th Bn, The South Saskatchewan Regt5th Bn, The South Saskatchewan Regt
1924 The Regina Rifle Regt The King's Own Rifles of Canada The Weyburn Regt The Assiniboia Regt The Saskatchewan Border Regt
 
1936The South Saskatchewan Regt
1939The South Saskatchewan Regt, CASF
19401st Bn, The South Saskatchewan Regt, CASF
19412nd (Reserve) Bn, The South Saskatchewan Regt
1945DisbandedThe South Saskatchewan Regt
1968 Supplementary Order of Battle
2024

Perpetuations

Battle Honours

The regiment possesses the following battle honours: [1] [Note 1]

First World War

  • Arras, 1917
  • Hill 70

Second World War

  • Dieppe
  • Bourguébus Ridge
  • St. André sur Orne
  • Falaise
  • Falaise Road
  • The Laison
  • Forêt de la Londe
  • Dunkirk, 1944
  • Antwerp–Turnhout Canal
  • The Scheldt
  • Woensdrecht
  • South Beveland
  • The Rhineland
  • The Hochwald
  • Xanten
  • The Rhine
  • Groningen
  • Oldenburg
  • North-West Europe 1942, 1944–45

Alliances

The regiment was formerly allied with these regiments, but these alliances automatically expired when the British regiments amalgamated with other regiments.

Notable members

Music

"We're the boys of the S.S.R." words by Isabel McCrae Parker and music by Arthur Clare Parker was published in Weyburn, Saskatchewan by A.C. Parker, circa 1939 and was dedicated to the officers and men of the South Saskatchewan Regiment. First line: "We're the boys who have gathered from near and far". [4]

Media

Literature

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fusiliers Mont-Royal</span> Military unit

Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queen's Own Rifles of Canada</span> Military unit

The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada is a Primary Reserve regiment of the Canadian Armed Forces, based in Toronto. The regiment is part of 4th Canadian Division's 32 Canadian Brigade Group. It is the only reserve regiment in Canada to currently have a parachute role. The regiment consists of the reserve battalion, the Regimental Association, and the Regimental Band and Bugles. The official abbreviation is The QOR of C, but the name is often abbreviated to QOR.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calgary Highlanders</span> Canadian infantry regiment

The Calgary Highlanders is a Canadian Army Primary Reserve infantry regiment, headquartered at Mewata Armouries in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The regiment is a part-time reserve unit, under the command of 41 Canadian Brigade Group, itself part of 3rd Canadian Division, one of four region-based Canadian Army divisions. The regiment is one of only two regiments in the Canadian Forces to wear an honorary distinction on their uniform, commemorating the counterattack at Kitcheners' Wood. On 9 January 2015, the regiment was recognized with the Canadian Forces' Unit Commendation for outstanding contributions to the war in Afghanistan.

<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">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 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">Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (Wentworth Regiment)</span> Military unit

The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (Wentworth Regiment) (RHLI) is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army, based at John Weir Foote VC Armoury in Hamilton, Ontario. The RHLI is part of 31 Canadian Brigade Group, which is part of 4th Canadian Division.

<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, MMM,CD. 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">Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada</span> Military unit

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.

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

The Royal Winnipeg Rifles are a Primary Reserve one-battalion infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. Nicknamed the "Little Black Devils", they are based at Minto Armoury in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Royal Winnipeg Rifles are part of 3rd Canadian Division's 38 Canadian Brigade Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Essex and Kent Scottish</span> Military unit of the Canadian Army

The Essex and Kent Scottish is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Saskatchewan Regiment</span> Military unit

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 Mike Graver, 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 152nd Battalion, CEF, was a unit of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the Great War. It was authorized on 22 December 1915, recruiting in Weyburn and Estevan, Saskatchewan, and embarked for Great Britain on 3 October 1916, where its personnel were absorbed by the 32nd Reserve Battalion, CEF, on 21 October 1916 to provide reinforcements for the Canadian Corps in the field. The battalion was disbanded on 21 May 1917.

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

The Royal Regina Rifles is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. Prior to 1982 the regiment was known as The Regina Rifle Regiment. The Royal Regina Rifles are part of 3rd Canadian Division's 38 Canadian Brigade Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saskatchewan Dragoons</span> Military unit

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">12th Manitoba Dragoons</span> Military unit

The 12th Manitoba Dragoons is an armoured regiment of the Canadian Army that is currently on the Supplementary Order of Battle.

The Saskatchewan Border Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Non-Permanent Active Militia of the Canadian Militia. The regiment was created in 1924 in Estevan, Saskatchewan, from the reorganization of The South Saskatchewan Regiment into five separate regiments. In 1936, The Saskatchewan Border Regiment was amalgamated with The Weyburn Regiment to re-form The South Saskatchewan Regiment.

The Weyburn Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Non-Permanent Active Militia of the Canadian Militia. The regiment was created in 1924 in Weyburn, Saskatchewan, from the reorganization of The South Saskatchewan Regiment into 5 separate regiments. In 1936, The Weyburn Regiment was amalgamated with The Saskatchewan Border Regiment to re-form The South Saskatchewan Regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Highland Light Infantry of Canada</span> Military unit

The Highland Light Infantry of Canada was an infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. In 1965, the regiment was amalgamated with The Scots Fusiliers of Canada to form The Highland Fusiliers of Canada.

The 10th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA is an artillery regiment of the Canadian Army Primary Reserve. Based in Regina, Saskatchewan, the regiment forms part of the 38 Canadian Brigade Group of the 3rd Canadian Division.

The South Saskatchewan Regiment was a short-lived infantry regiment of the Non-Permanent Active Militia of the Canadian Militia. In 1924, the regiment was reorganized and split up into 5 separate regiments.

References

Notes

  1. Battle honours in small capitals are for large operations and campaigns and those in lowercase are for more specific battles. Entries displayed in bold type are honours that are authorized to be shown on the regimental colour.

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "The South Saskatchewan Regiment". Official Lineages: Volume 3: Combat Arms Regiments, Part 2: Infantry Regiments. Directorate of History and Heritage. October 2010. Retrieved October 13, 2011.
  2. "Stories behind the carvings". Estevan Mercury. September 7, 2016.
  3. "Perpetuation of C.E.F. Units – Infantry – 151st Bn to 200th Bn" . Retrieved November 25, 2007.
  4. "We're the boys of the S.S.R." Retrieved February 13, 2016.