Canadian brass...well some of it is.

[Laurence Strong]

Hi Michael

Thanks for the info, I got that from a friend who was working as a recruiter out in that area prior to retiring, and yes it is from the garrison jacket that was all the rage back then.

[Laurence Strong]

Calgary Highlanders

[Laurence Strong]

The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada

The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada is a reserve infantry regiment in 34 Brigade Group, Land Force Quebec Area. The regiment is located on rue Bleury in Montreal, Canada, and is currently commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas MacKay.

The regiment was originally formed as 5th Battalion, Royal Light Infantry, in 1862. As the senior Highland regiment in Canada they were associated with the Black Watch of the British Army, eventually taking the same name and later the red hackle that all Black Watch soldiers wear on their headdress.

The regiment has participated in the following battles:

Early years

South Africa

First World War

The Regiment contributed many men to several battalions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, most notably the 13th Battalion (which fought in the First Division) and the 42nd Battalion (of the 2nd Division).

Ypres

Vimy

Gravenstafel

Arleux

St. Julien

Scarpe

Festubert

Hill 70

Mount Sorrel

Passchendaele

Somme

Amiens

Pozieres

Drocourt-Queant

Flers-Courcelette

Hindenburg Line

Thiepval

Canal du Nord

Ancre Heights

Pursuit to Mons

Ancre

France and Flanders

Arras

Second World War

The Black Watch raised several battalions again for the Second World War, only one (the First) of which went overseas as part of the Canadian Active Service Force/Canadian Army (Overseas). The 1st Battalion, Black Watch was brigaded with Le Regiment de Maisonneuve and Les Fusiliers Mont Royal of the Second Canadian Division, however the FMR were replaced with the Calgary Highlanders in the 5th Brigade in 1940. The Black Watch served in Newfoundland from June 1940 to 11 August 1940, after which it travelled to England where it trained for several years. One company of the Black Watch was attached to the Royal Regiment of Canada during the Dieppe Raid. In the first week of July 1944, the battalion landed in Normandy and served in action until VE-Day in May 1945.

The 1st Battalion suffered more casualties than any other Canadian infantry battalion in Northwest Europe according to figures published in The Long Left Flank by Jeffrey Williams. Disaster seemed to follow the unit; on the voyage to France on the day of the Dieppe Raid, casualties were suffered by the unit during a grenade priming accident onboard their ship. During the assault on Verrierres Ridge in July 1944, 325 men left the start line and only 15 made it back to friendly lines, the others being killed or wounded by well entrenched Waffen SS soldiers and tanks. On 13 October 1944 - known as Black Friday by the Black Watch - the regiment put in an assault near Hoogerheide during the Battle of the Scheldt in which all four company commanders were killed, and one company of 90 men was reduced to just 4 survivors.

Bourguebus Ridge

Woensdrecht

Faubourg de Vaucelles

South Beveland

Verrieres Ridge -- Tilly-La-Campagne

Walcheren Causeway

The Rheinland

Falaise

The Hochwald

Clair Tizon

Xanten

Forte de la Londe

The Rhine

Dunkirk, 1944

Groningen

Antwerp-Turnhout Canal

Oldenburg

The Scheldt

North-West Europe

Korea

A regular battalion of the Regiment was raised in 1953 and sent to Korea after the armistice, where it participated in occupation duties.

Order of precedence

Preceded by:

The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada Succeeded by:

Les Voltigeurs de Qu?bec

[Laurence Strong]

Some Artillery flashes. On top is the current shoulder flash for French Militia units and the 2 below were used with the old Battle Dress. The numeral designation is for 30 Fd Regt from Ottawa, the first unit I ever joined.

30th Field Artillery Regiment

Ottawa, Ontario

The first elements of 30th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA, formed as the 2nd Volunteer Militia Field Battery of Ottawa by the Militia Act on September 27, 1855. It?s nickname, ?The Bytown Gunners?, derives from its affiliation with Ottawa when the city was known as Bytown, in honour of Colonel John By, the builder of the Rideau Canal.

Before the turn of the power by assisting in the collection of taxes from unruly farmers, and the suppressing of riots and civil disturbances. Members of the unit served during the Fenian Raids of 1860 and 1870, the North-West (Riel) Rebellion of 1885, and also sent volunteers to serve as part of the Second Canadian Contingent I the South African War of 1899-1902. Many awards for gallantry and meritorious service were won by unit members during these conflicts.

The regiment was authorized on 9 May 1905 as ?8th Brigade of Field Artillery, CA?. It was mobilized in Ottawa at the beginning of the First World War as the 1st Brigade Canadian Field Artillery (1 CFA), and consisted of the 2nd and 23rd Batteries, and saw service throughout the conflict. The Bytown Gunners were present at many battles.

Among them were; Flanders, Ypres, Festubert, Sanctuary Canal du Nord, and Mons. During the conflict, Ottawa Gunners won eight Distinguished Service Orders (DSO?s), 13 Distinguished Conduct Medals (DCM?s), 61 Military Medals (MM?s) as well as 18 foreign decorations. It was while serving with 2nd Battery of 1 CFA as a medical officer that Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae wrote the famous poem ?In Flanders Fields?.

In 1939, at the outbreak of the Second World War, two batteries from Ottawa were mobilized, the 2nd Field Battery, which fought through Normandy, the Scheldt, the Reichswald, and into Germany, and the 51st Anti-Tank Battery, which saw action in Sicily, Italy and Holland. In 1941, the 1st Battery was formed as a light anti-aircraft battery and saw action in NorthWest Europe. Later in the war, the 25th Battery was formed as a training battery and remained in Canada throughout the war.

In 1946, the unit received its present designation as the ?30th Field Regiment, RCA?, incorporating the 1st, 2nd and 25th Batteries. Since World War II, members of the unit have seen active service in the Korean conflict, and have served in UN Ops around the world as Reservists with Regular units and most recently fighting the flood in Manitoba and the ice storm in Eastern Ontario, as well as providing personnel for augmentation of Regular Force units within Canada.

Today, the regiment consists of Regimental Headquarters (RHQ) Battery, 1st (Training) Battery, and 2nd (Operational) Battery. In addition to regular training responsibilities, the special occasion such as the Queen?s Official Birthday, Canada Day, Remembrance Day, the opening of Parliament, and the arrival and departure of important dignitaries.

The regiment is proud of its tradition of service to Canada and the community of Ottawa, a tradition which has continued unbroken since its inception 1855.

[Laurence Strong]

Princess Patricias Canadian Light Infantry.

[Laurence Strong]

Canadian Armoured Corps. The friend that gave me this pair said they were WW2, but I would have thought that they would have been embroidered back then instead of silk screened. maybe someone has an answer to these!!

[Laurence Strong]

Along with the Queens own Rifle's hat badge I recieved this belt and FN bayonet

[Laurence Strong]

Close up of the belt buckle

[Laurence Strong]

He also gave me this greatcoat for the Fort Gary Horse. With the Mobile Command badge this dates to about 1968 - 1972

The Fort Garry Horse is a Canadian Militia armoured regiment based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is currently part of Land Force Western Area's 38 Canadian Brigade Group.

Edited August 11, 2006 by Laurence Strong

[Laurence Strong]

The interior lining

[Laurence Strong]

A close up of the button

The regiment was formed in 1912 as the 34th Regiment of Cavalry. In 1913 it was renamed 34th Fort Garry Horse.

In the First World War, volunteers from the regiment helped form the 6th Battalion, CEF, later Canadian Cavalry Depot, then later The Fort Garry Horse for active service in France.

Harcus Strachan of the regiment was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions on November 20, 1917 in France.

In 1920 the regiment was named The Fort Garry Horse in order to perpetuate The Fort Garry Horse of the CEF. In 1936 the regiment absorbed The Manitoba Horse.

During the Second World War the regiment was mobilized as the 10th Canadian Armoured Regiment (The Fort Garry Horse).

After the war, in 1946, the regiment was reconstituted in the militia.

In 1949 the regiment was renamed The Fort Garry Horse (10th Armoured Regiment). In 1958 the regiment was split into the 1st Fort Garry Horse (in the Regular Force) and the 2nd Fort Garry Horse (in the Militia). In 1970 the Regular Force component was disbanded.

Guidon of the Fort Garry Horse Facings: Yellow

Official Abbreviation: FGH

Colours: Regimental Guidon, presented to both the 1st and 2nd Fort Garry Horse in 1964. When the regular force unit was disbanded, the Guidon was presented to the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba for safekeeping.

Motto: Facta Non Verba (deeds not words)

Regimental March: El Abanico (quick), Red River Valley (slow), Alternate quick march: St. Patrick's Day

Unofficial Nicknames: the Garrys

Order of precedence

Preceded by:

The British Columbia Dragoons The Fort Garry Horse Succeeded by:

Le R?giment de Hull

[Laurence Strong]

The manufactures label.

As a point of interest the story of Winnie-the-Pooh was inspired by the FGH's regimental mascot, Winnipeg Bear.

[Laurence Strong]

A couple of frames that I have put together:

I call this one "Canada's sharp end" as it's all the regular force combat units. They are all placed in order of precedence, though the Artillery should be on top as the "Horse Artillery" are always right of the line when mounted. The regular force Artillery are all "Horse".

Edited August 11, 2006 by Laurence Strong

[Laurence Strong]

This one is just a collage of pre-unification NCM ranks.

I have put these together for my collection's room, which is coming together. I hope to have a virtual opening on Sun or Mon.

[Avitas]

Great stuff Larry!

It's nice to see such a collection of various Canadian militaria from all eras, with excellent historical information added in with the items, very informative. The histories of individual Canadian regiments are fascinating, and one of my favourite things to read about (although I stick mainly with the ww2 era). Keep the good Canadian stuff coming!

Later,

Pat

[Laurence Strong]

Hi Pat

Thanks for the nice words. I fiqured i would add some history to spice it up a bit, and in the process I have also learned alot about our history myself.

[Guest Darrell]

I have put these together for my collection's room, which is coming together. I hope to have a virtual opening on Sun or Mon.

Great stuff Larry. Can't wait for the Grande Opening

[Laurence Strong]

Thanks Darrell, I am getting excited myself, and I owe the wife a big one for re-doing the daughters old room. I think it will turn out OK

Found this for ten bucks:

[Laurence Strong]

The "Canadian Volunteer Service Medal", the obverse

[Laurence Strong]

The reverse. Some nice patina on it, and by itself not much to write home about.......

[Laurence Strong]

.....however add a frame and a couple 4 or 5 other items and.......

[Cam_s]

Hello Laurence,

I like the FGH and Armoured Corps stuff you have posted. To answer your question about the Canadian Armoured Corps Shoulder Flash, printed versions were made during the war. They were made as a way of saving time and money. From the soldiers point of view on printed flashes, they were not liked as much beacue the look cool factor was not there. From a collectors stand point, they are more sought after since they are rarer and harder to find.

I have quite a bit of FGH stuff myself. I am more into the WW1 Cavalry Brigade. Here are some of my CEF badges of the FGH.

A picture of the 34th FGH holding a camp probably in 1913.

Cam

[Laurence Strong]

Hi Cam

Thanks for the info Nice Badges, I am going to have to find a Fort Gary hat badge.

Thanks for the posts

[Chris B.]

Lawrence, is that Dellaire's quote at the bottom of your pages? I don't think that man will ever recover from what he had to witness. Never Again really doesn't mean Never Again, does it. Cheers, Chris B. PS, nice stuff. My son is in the Ontario Regiment Reserve. Their cap badge has that cat with the arched back on it.

[Laurence Strong]

Hi Pat

I dont know if that can be attributed to Gen Dallaire or not, I found it in a newspaper article and for a variety of reasons I found it appropriate.

The Ontario Regt:

Directly descended from the Whitby Highland Rifle Company, formed in 1827, the Ontario Regiment is one of Canada's oldest units. In April of 1860, the Whitby company was one of several Toronto area units that amalgamated to form the 2nd Battalion, Volunteer Militia Rifles, but split off again in 1862, at the time of the Trent affair, to become part of the developing militia garrison of Ontario County. The Whitby Highland Rifle Company faced fire for the first time in 1866 at the Battle of Ridgeway. Later that year, it joined with eight other Ontario County infantry companies to form the 34th Battalion of Infantry, which, by 1900, was known as the 34th (Ontario) Regiment. Members of this unit volunteered for service in the Northwest Rebellion of 1885 and the Boer War.

In September 1915, the 34th Ontario Rebiment raised the 116th Battalion, canadian Expeditionary Force, from Ontario County. Its commanding officer managed to keep the 116th together and it fought with great distinction, but its battle honours came at a high price - 474 men killed. Through the 34th, Ontario County also raised the 182nd Battalion CEF, which was broken up to reinforce other battalions.

After the First World War, the Ontario Regiment came under the patronage of Sam McLaughlin, the founder of G.M. Canada and Honorary Colonel of the Regiment. "Colonel Sam's Private Army" survived the peace because McLaughlin kept it going, sometimes even paying the soldiers. The 1936 militia reorganization transformed the Regiment into a Tank Battalion and, on 1 September 1939, it mobilized for war as the Ontario Regiment(Tank). Within six days, 594 men had volunteered for active service.

The Regiment trained in England and, as part of the 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade, landed in Sicily in July 1943 and in Italy in september 1943. After fighting through Italy, the Regiment was moved to the Nijmengen sector of Holland. During the Second World War, the Regiment earned 20 battle honours at the cost of 69 killed.

In 1973, when the last of the Mark IV Sherman thnks were retired, the Regiment became wheeled reconnaissance unit. In 1980, the Ontarios acquired the Cougar Armoured Combat Vehicle and was redesignated a cougar regiment while retaining their reconnaissance role, although fiscal restraint compelled it to reduce Recce Squadron to a seven-car troop attached to Regimental Headquarters. Today, as well as performing its Reserve functions, the Regiment supplies soldiers to United Nations missions and to Canadian Forces operations in Europe and across Canada. In September 1991, it celebrated 125 years of continuous service to Canada.

In 1966, the Ontario Regiment recieved the Freedom ot the City of Oshawa and the Freedom of the County of Ontario. In 1979, the Regiment recieved the Freedom of the Region of Durham.

Here's a photo of the hat badge

Edited August 21, 2006 by Laurence Strong