The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada

The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada
Active	April 26, 1860 – Present
Country	Canada
Branch	Infantry-Canadian Forces Land Force Command-Primary Reserves
Type	Rifles
Role	Light/Airborne Infantry
Size	One battalion
Part of	Royal Canadian Infantry Corps
Garrison/HQ	Downtown Toronto (HQ)/Scarborough
Motto	In Pace Paratus (In Peace Prepared)
March	Quick: The Buffs / The Maple Leaf Forever Double Past: Money Musk
Anniversaries	150th Anniversary on April 26, 2010
Commanders
Colonel-in-Chief	HRH Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy
Abbreviation	QOR of C

The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada are a militia regiment within the Canadian Forces, based in Toronto, Ontario. The regiment is part of Land Force Central Area's 32 Canadian Brigade Group. It is the only Primary Reserve regiment in Canada to have a parachute role. The regiment consists of the reserve battalion, the regimental association^[1] and the regimental band.^[2] The official abbreviation is QOR of C, but the name is often abbreviated to QOR.

The QOR of C parade out of Moss Park Armoury in downtown Toronto and Dalton Armoury in Scarborough every Wednesday night. The unit motto is In Pace Paratus—In Peace Prepared.

Contents 1 Regimental structure 2 Role 3 History 3.1 Battle honours 3.1.1 Early years 3.1.2 First World War 3.1.3 Second World War 3.2 Important engagements 3.3 Victoria Cross recipients 3.4 Colonels-in-chief 3.5 Notable members 4 Regimental Museum 5 Regimental Church 6 Memorials 7 Alliances 7.1 Historical Alliances 8 Order of precedence 9 See also 10 References 11 External links

Regimental structure

The Reserve Battalion is made up of the following companies:

• Battalion Headquarters
• 60th Company
• Buffs Company (Dalton Armoury)
• Victoria Company (Training)
• Para Company

Role

The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada are the only Primary Reserve unit in Canada that participates in parachuting exercises. The unit has qualified parachute instructors and jumpmasters. Members also take courses in helicopter operations, aerial delivery, and as landing zone/drop zone controllers. Members of the QOR have also been sent on the Patrol Pathfinder Course. Qualified personnel in jump positions are allowed the honour of wearing the maroon beret. Trained soldiers are addressed as Riflemen.

The Queen's Own Rifles have had a long standing support role with the Canadian Forces Land Advanced Warfare Centre. They also send many parachute instructors and jumpmasters to assist with parachuting courses.

Several reserve units have soldiers who have completed the Canadian Army's Basic Parachutist Course, but none can bring Parachute Instructors, jumpmasters, parachute riggers, LZ/DZ controllers, and aerial delivery specialists together like the QOR. Most members of Parachute Company jump several times a year, as opposed to parachutists in other reserve units, who do not have the option to jump with their units.

The Canadian Forces SkyHawks Parachute Demonstration Team has also had support from The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, with several members joining the elite demonstration team.

Many current and former members of the QOR are also members of the Canadian Airborne Forces Association.

Members of the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada have served on recent overseas tours including: UNTAG (United Nations Transition Assistance Group) Namibia 1989–1990, Cambodia, Cyprus, Somalia (for Operation Deliverance 1992–1993 members were attached to 1, 2 and 3 Commando of the Canadian Airborne Regiment), Sierra Leone, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and the Sudan.

History

The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada (originally named 2nd Battalion, Volunteer Militia Rifles of Canada) was formed on April 26, 1860, predating the Confederation of Canada. It is Canada's oldest continuously-serving infantry regiment.

The Queen's Own Rifles first saw combat during the Battle of Ridgeway, where they retreated in disarray when confronted by a small group of mounted scouts, misinterpreted as a large body of cavalry. The Second Boer War was the first time that soldiers from The Queen's Own Rifles fought on foreign soil. They were recognized for their service and earned a battle honour for the regiment, even though they were not allowed to wear the QOR cap badge in South Africa.

In the First World War, only two regiments in Canada were mobilized. However, in 1914 many volunteers from the Queen's Own joined the 3rd Canadian Battalion (Toronto Regiment), CEF, which was part of the 1st Canadian Division in France in Flanders. Later in the war, the Queen's Own Rifles recruited for additional CEF battalions, which did not enter combat as units, but supplied reinforcements to the Canadian Corps:

• 83rd Battalion (Queen's Own Rifles of Canada), CEF
• 95th Battalion, CEF
• 166th Battalion (Queen's Own Rifles of Canada), CEF
• 198th Battalion (Canadian Buffs), CEF
• 255th Battalion (Queen's Own Rifles of Canada), CEF

After the CEF battalions disbanded, the Queen's Own Rifles have perpetuated their traditions and battle honours. The QOR and The Royal Regiment of Canada both perpetuate the 3rd Battalion.^[3]

The regiment saw action in the Second World War and the Korean War, as well as during conflicts after these wars. The Queen's Own Rifles were amongst the lead wave of the D-Day assault on Normandy, 6 June 1944.

In October 1953, the status of the regiment was upgraded, and it was made a part of the Regular Force. The regiment consisted of two Regular Force battalions and the Reserve (Third) battalion in Toronto until 1968. There was also a regimental depot in Calgary. In 1970, with the downsizing of the Canadian Forces, the disbanded 1st Battalion of The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada was renamed as 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.

From 1983 to 1995, the regiment was operationally tasked to provide an airborne company to the Canadian Airborne Regiment.

The unit played a large role in the purchase of the Victoria Cross of Corporal Frederick George Topham in 2005 and its subsequent donation to the Canadian War Museum.

On April 22, 2006, the QOR opened Dalton Armoury in Scarborough as part of the Land Force Reserve Restructure expansion. Buffs Company parades out of Dalton Armoury. In September 1910, the QOR went on a 13-mile (21 km) route march with The Buffs (East Kent) Regiment of the British Army. It was noted that the Buffs and QOR used the same regimental march, a tune known as "The Regimental Quick Step of the Buffs" composed for The Buffs by Handel. A regimental alliance was made official in 1914.

Battle honours

The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada have earned 46 battle honours during its history. The battle honours in bold are approved to be emblazoned on the regimental drums (rifle regiments do not carry "colours").

Early years

• North West Canada 1885
• South Africa 1899–1900

First World War

• Ypres, 1915
• Gravenstafel Ridge
• St. Julien
• Festubert, 1915
• Mount Sorrel
• Somme, 1916
• Pozières Ridge
• Flers-Courcelette
• Ancre Heights
• Arras, 1917
• Vimy, 1917
• Arleux
• Scarpe 1917
• Hill 70
• Ypres, 1917
• Passchendaele
• Amiens
• Arras, 1918
• Scarpe 1918
• Drocourt-Quéant Line
• Hindenburg Line, Battles of
• Canal du Nord
• Pursuit to Mons
• FRANCE AND FLANDERS, 1915–18

Second World War

• Normandy Landing
• Le Mesnil-Patry
• Caen
• Carpiquet
• Bourguebus Ridge
• Faubourg de Vaucelles
• Falaise
• Quesnay Wood
• The Laison
• Boulogne 1944
• Calais 1944
• The Scheldt
• Breskens Pocket
• The Rhineland
• Waal Flats
• The Hochwald
• The Rhine
• Emmerich – Hoch Elten
• Deventer
• NORTH-WEST EUROPE 1944–45

Important engagements

• Battle of Ridgeway, Fenian Raids, 1866
• Battle of Cut Knife, North-West Rebellion, 1885
• First World War
  • St Julien
  • Hill 70
  • Passchendaele
  • Mount Sorrel
  • Amiens
  • Somme, 1916
  • Flers-Courcelette
  • Canal du Nord
  • Pursuit to Mons
  • Vimy, 1917
• Second World War
  • Normandy Landing
  • Le Mesnil-Patry
  • The Scheldt
  • Caen
  • The Rhineland
  • Bourguebus Ridge
  • The Hochwald
  • Falaise
  • The Rhine
  • Boulogne, 1944

Victoria Cross recipients

Seven members who served with the regiment have been awarded the Victoria Cross:

• Cpl Colin Barron (as member of 3CEF)
• Lt G.F. Kerr MC MM (as member of 3CEF)
• Sgt Aubrey Cosens, VC (May 21, 1921 – February 26, 1945)

Colonels-in-chief

• HM Queen Mary (1928–1953)
• HRH Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy (1960–

Notable members

• The Right Honourable Vincent Massey was appointed Governor General of Canada in 1952. He was the first Canadian appointed to the post since Pierre François de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnal, and since then the governor general has always been a Canadian citizen. Massey Hall in Toronto was named for his family.

• General Sir William Dillon Otter (3 December 1843 – 6 May 1929) KCB, CVO, VD was the first Canadian-born chief of the general staff, the head of the Canadian Army. In 1890, Otter founded the Royal Canadian Military Institute as a body for "the promotion and fostering of military art, science and literature in Canada." He was appointed as the first commanding officer of the Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry in 1893.
• Lieutenant-General Charles H. Belzile, CM, CMM, CD was a former head of the Canadian Army.
• Major-General Lewis MacKenzie, C.M., CMM, MSC (and bar), O.Ont , CD, (born 30 April 1940) is a retired Canadian general and writer. MacKenzie established and commanded Sector Sarajevo as part of the United Nations Protection Force or UNPROFOR in Yugoslavia in 1992.
• Major-General Malcolm Mercer, CB, was a barrister and art patron who practised law in Toronto. He led the 3rd Canadian Division during the first two years of the First World War before he was killed in action at Mount Sorrel in Belgium. He remains the most senior Canadian officer to die in combat.
• Major-General Sir Henry Pellatt, C.V.O., D.C.L., (6 January 1859, Kingston, Ontario, Canada—8 March 1939) was a well-known Canadian financier and soldier
• Lieutenant Colonel The Honourable Barney Danson, PC, CC, served with the regiment in Normandy and later served as Minister of National Defence. He is a Companion of the Order of Canada, Canada's highest civilian honour.
• Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Godfrey Peuchen was a businessman and RMS Titanic survivor. He commanded the Home Battalion of the QOR during the First World War.
• Ben Dunkelman—Promoted through the ranks from private to major during the Second World War.
• Major Edward Arunah Dunlop, Jr. CM, OBE, was an MPP and first president of the Toronto Sun. He was blinded during the Second World War while trying to save a soldier from a grenade.
• Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae is remembered for his poem In Flanders Fields. He was a member of The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada while studying at the University of Toronto, during which time he was promoted to captain.
• Lieutenant Norm Gardner, former Chair of the Toronto Police Services Board.
• Sir John Morison Gibson, KCMG, KC (January 1, 1842 – June 3, 1929) was a Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. He was a Lieutenant during the the Fenian Raids, and fought at the Battle of Ridgeway.
• Frederick J. Conboy served as Mayor of Toronto from 1941 to 1944.
• Alexander Muir—author of "The Maple Leaf Forever", fought at the Battle of Ridgeway
• Major John Hasek, CD, was a journalist and author of The Disarming of Canada. He was the first commander of the SkyHawks Parachute Team. Hasek was injured and killed while reporting on the war in Yugoslavia in 1994.

Regimental Museum

The Regimental Museum of The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada is located on the third floor of the historic Casa Loma château. Sir Henry Pellatt, who built Casa Loma, was an ardent supporter of the Regiment, and was knighted in 1905 for his service with the unit.

Regimental Church

St. Paul's, Bloor Street Anglican Church in Toronto has been the Regimental Church of the QOR since 1910. It is located at 227 Bloor Street between Church Street and Jarvis Street.

The Cross of Sacrifice located outside the Church is dedicated to the members of the QOR that have fallen. It was built and dedicated after the First World War.

The Books of Remembrance are a list of the names of the QOR fallen, and are located in the interior of the Cathedral. The Books are paraded annually on Remembrance Day Sunday, when the Regiment parades to St. Paul’s to attend services.

Memorials

The most recent is the regimental crest carved on the back of one of the pews of the Royal Memorial Chapel at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

The oldest memorial is the Ridgeway tablet at the Memorial United Church in Ridgeway, Ontario. Ridgeway is also commemorated in a stained glass window at University College, a tablet in the Ontario Provincial Parliament buildings, the Canadian Volunteers Monument in Queen’s Park (west side of Queen’s Park Crescent) and a cairn at Ridgeway.

The North-West Rebellion of 1885 is remembered by the North-West Rebellion Monument in Queen’s Park (east side of Queen’s park Crescent), the Battleford Column tablet in Moss Park Armoury and a cairn at Battleford, Saskatchewan.

The South African War memorial is on University Avenue. An additional tablet is in Denison Armoury.

The First World War is commemorated by the Cross of Sacrifice and the shrine containing the Book of Remembrance at St Paul’s Anglican Church. In addition, a tablet is mounted at Moss Park Armoury. The QOR fallen are also remembered in The Buffs Memorial window, Warrior’s Chapel, of Canterbury Cathedral.

A plaque was erected to the fallen in the Second World War at the site of the D-Day landing, Bernières-sur-Mer, Normandy, France. A tablet was also placed of a farm building at Mooshof, Germany, where Sergeant Aubrey Cosens, VC, earned his decoration.

There are also significant memorials at Le Mesnil-Patry, Anguerny, Anisy (France) and Wons, Rha, Sneek, Doorn, Oostburg, Zutphen (Holland). Other lesser memorials also exist.

Alliances

•  United Kingdom - The Rifles (2007-Present)
•  United Kingdom - The Royal Gurkha Rifles (1994-Present)
•  United Kingdom - The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires) (1992-Present)

Historical Alliances

•  United Kingdom - The Brigade of Gurkhas (1982-1994)
•  United Kingdom - The Royal Green Jackets (1966-2007)
•  United Kingdom - The Queen's Regiment (1966-1992)
•  United Kingdom - The Queen's Own Buffs, The Royal Kent Regiment (1961-1966)
•  United Kingdom - The King's Royal Rifle Corps (1956-1966)
•  United Kingdom - The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) (1935-1961)
•  United Kingdom - The Buffs (East Kent Regiment) (1914-1935)

Order of precedence

Preceded by: The Canadian Grenadier Guards

The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada

Succeeded by: The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada

See also

• The Canadian Crown and the Canadian Forces
• Canadian Airborne Forces Association
• Military history of Canada
• Riflemen
• Paratrooper
• Parachuting
• SkyHawks Parachute Team
• Maroon beret
• Parachute rigger
• Pathfinders

References

1. ^ http://www.qor.com/association.html
2. ^ http://www.qor.com/band/band.html
3. ^ "Perpetuation of C.E.F. Units - Infantry - 1st Bn to 50th Bn:". http://regimentalrogue.com/cef_perpetuation/cef_infantry_1-50.htm. Retrieved 2009-02-07. 

Regiments.org page of The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada

External links

• History and Uniform of the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, 1860 to 1970
• Official Website of The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada
• Juno Beach—The Queens Own Rifles on D-Day

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