Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians)

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Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians)
Cap Badge of Lord Strathcona's Horse
Active	1 July 1901-
Country	Canada
Branch	Land Command
Type	Line Cavalry
Role	Armoured/Armoured Reconnaissance
Size	One regiment
Part of	Royal Canadian Armoured Corps
Garrison/HQ	Edmonton
Nickname	Strathcona's, Strats, Straths (WWII era)
Motto	Perseverance
March	Soldiers of the Queen
Commanders
Colonel-in-Chief	HRH The Prince of Wales
Colonel of the Regiment	Colonel I.D.M. Egener, CD
Insignia
Tartan	Forbes (Pipes and Drums)

Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) (LdSH [RC]) is a regular armoured regiment of the Canadian Forces. Currently based in Edmonton, Alberta, the regiment is part of Land Force Western Area's 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group. When deployed overseas, however, the regiment is placed in ad hoc formations that report directly to National Defence Headquarters and not to 1 CMBG. Members of the regiment are commonly called Strathconas or Strats as a short form.

The regiment is currently composed of a regimental headquarters, four primary squadrons: A, B, Recce, and Headquarters, as well as E Company (composed of a company of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry members trained in an anti-armour role). The squadron that distinguishes itself with the highest efficiency rating earns the title "Prince of Wales Squadron" for the year. In addition, there are seven affiliated cadet corps in Alberta and British Columbia.

The main vehicles operated by Lord Strathcona's Horse are the Leopard tank and the Coyote Reconnaissance Vehicle. Due to a change in Canadian Army doctrine away from heavy armour to more infantry centered operations, Lord Strathcona's Horse is the only regular armoured regiment to operate MBTs[1]

The regimental motto is Perseverance. The current commanding officer is Lieutenant Colonel Demers and the regimental sergeant major is Chief Warrant Officer Ross. The colonel-in-chief of the regiment is His Royal Highness Charles, Prince of Wales.

1 History
2 Battle honours
3 Victoria Crosses
4 Heraldry & Dress
5 Order of precedence
6 Alliances
7 Regimental Museum
8 External links

[edit] History

The regiment was one of the last in the British Empire to be created and raised by a private individual. During the Boer War, Donald Alexander Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal, recruited and equipped the cavalry regiment at his own expense for service in South Africa. Many skilled horsemen (cowboys and North West Mounted Police members) enlisted, allowing for a short training period and rapid deployment to Africa. The 537 officers and men, as well as 599 horses, of the new regiment sailed from Halifax on 18 March 1900 and arrived in Cape Town on 10 April. Along with The Royal Canadian Dragoons, the regiment won renown for their scouting skills.

Supposedly General Kitchener was astonished at the size of the newly arrived Canadian soldiers. Their commander, Sam Steele, is said to have replied "My apologies, sir. I combed all of Canada and these are the smallest I could find."

After the war, the regiment boarded ship at Cape Town on 20 January 1901 and arrived in London on 14 February. Here they met Lord Strathcona for the first time and were presented their medals by King Edward VII personally. On its return to Canada on 9 March 1901, the regiment was disbanded. The regiment was recreated as regiment of the Permanent Force in 1909.

At the outbreak of the First World War, the Regiment was mobilised and began its training in England. In 1915, Lord Strathcona's Horse served as infantry in the trenches in France. On 16 February 1916, the Strathcona's were reconstituted as a mounted force and, as an Imperial Service Regiment, served in the Canadian Cavalry Bridgade attached to the 2nd Indian Cavalry Division, which in November of 1916 became the 5th Cavalry Division of the British 4th Army. In March 1917, the Regiment saw action as cavalry during the defence of the Somme front. It was during this fighting that Lieutenant Frederick Harvey won the Victoria Cross for rushing a German machine gun post and capturing the gun position. By 1918, the Regiment and the Canadian Cavalry Brigade as a whole was now attached to Sir Arthur Currie's Canadian Corps. During the last great German offensive, called by the Germans Operation Michael, when the Imperial and French armies were on the verge of being split, the Regiment earned its third Victoria Cross. On 31 March 1918 at Moreuil Wood, Lieutenant Flowerdew lead his 100 man squadron on a charge that defeated a superior German force of 300 strong who were supported by machine gun fire.

One of the many dramatic changes World War 1 introduced into military organization and technology was the introduction of the tank, and in the 1930s the regiment followed suit with the rest of the world's modern militaries and was converted from cavalry to armoured.

Image:Ldshformationpatch.gif

Distinguishing patch

During the Second World War, the regiment mobilized an armoured regiment for overseas service, which joined the First Canadian Armoured Division (renamed the 5th Canadian Armoured Division). During an inspection in England, King George VI noticed that the divisional patches on the sleeves of the troopers bore the legend "LSH". He remarked to a Strathcona's officer that he had always thought the proper abbreviation of "Lord" was "Ld". The regiment promptly changed its formation patches and have used the correct designation ever since.

In July 1940, LdSH(RC) along with the Royal Canadian Dragoons, were mobilised as the 1st Canadian Motorcycle Regiment. Later that year, the Strathcona's became 2nd Armoured Regiment, Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians). The Regiment trained in England for two years with Canadian build Ram tanks and saw its first action in an armoured role in Italy. One of the Regiment's most noteworthy battles in Italy was a Melfa River Crossing. During this desperate battle the Strathcona RHQ reconnaissance troop established a bridgehead on the Melfa River and held it against determined German tank and infantry attacks until reinforcements could arrive. The advance up the boot of Italy bloodied the regiment but also forged their identity as a Canadian tank unit, second to none. The Regiment left Italy in February 1945, and fought in the North West Europe campaign to liberate Holland and the Lowlands. In 1946, the Regiment returned to Canada and except for two operational tours in Germany, called Calgary its home garrison.

During the Cold War, the regiment was deployed on several rotations to West Germany, and three squadrons fought in rotation in the Korean War as part of the 1st Commonwealth Division. Originally intended to be equipped with M-10 tank destroyers, the Strathconas in Korea went into action with M4A2E8 Sherman tanks.

Recent deployments include two six-month missions in Bosnia: 1994 with the United Nations and 1997 with NATO. In 2002 the Reconnaissance Squadron fought as part of the Canadian battle group during the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan. The squadron returned to Afghanistan for a six-month rotation in 2004 as part of Canada's ongoing commitment to the International Security Assistance Force.

[edit] Battle honours

Image:Ontario Regiment.jpg

Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) monument in Arnhem

The Strathconas have been awarded the following battle honours:

South Africa 1900–01
First World War: Festubert 1915, Somme 1916, ’18, Cambrai 1917, ’18, St. Quentin, Amiens, Hindenburg Line, St. Quentin Canal, Beaurevoir, Pursuit to Mons, France and Flanders 1915–18
Second World War: Liri Valley, Melfa Crossing, Torrice Crossroads, Gothic Line, Pozzo Alto Ridge, Italy 1944–45, Ĳsselmeer, North-West Europe, 1945
Korea, 1951–53

[edit] Victoria Crosses

[edit] Heraldry & Dress

Badges: Armorial Description: Lord Strathcona's Coat of Arms, without supporters, being a shield surmounted by a maple tree inclined to the left, and cut through by a beaver working at the base; in the chief a demi-lion rampant; in the centre a railroad spike and hammer crossed; in the base a canoe bearing a flag inscribed NW and containing four men; the whole surrounded by a riband which is encircled by a wreath of roses, thistles, shamrocks and maple leaves, and inscribed LORD STRATHCONA'S HORSE, ROYAL CANADIANS, surmounted by a scroll bearing the motto PERSEVERANCE, and the whole surmounted by the Crown.

This crest commemorates Lord Strathcona's role in the fur trade and in the settlement of North West Canada (as the province of Alberta was called prior to 1905) by its representation of a Hudson's Bay Company trade canoe, the flag 'NW' (for "North West"), and the representation of the railway construction tools. The latter mark Lord Strathcona's direct role in the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway.

Full Dress Uniform (#1 Dress): scarlet: facings: myrtle green; headdress: dragoon helmet with red and white plume; tartan: ? (pipers' trews, later kilts)

Service Dress (#2 Dress): Canadian Forces Pattern service dress, with collar badges (or "dogs") of the Strathcona Coat of Arms.