The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada

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The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada
Active April 26 1860 - Present
Country Canada
Branch Army Reserves
Type Rifles
Role Infantry
Size One battalion
Part of Royal Canadian Infantry Corps
Garrison/HQ Toronto/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
Current
commander		 LCol Delaney
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

[edit] Regimental structure

The Reserve Battalion is made up of the following companies:

  • Battalion Headquarters
  • 60th Company
  • Buffs Company (Dalton Armoury)
  • Victoria Company (Combat Service Support)
  • Para Company

[edit] Role

The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada are the only militia regiment 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 LZ/DZ (landing zone/drop zone) controllers. Members of the QOR have also been sent on the arduous 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 Parachute Centre, recently incorporated into the new Canadian Forces Land Advanced Warfare Centre. 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. They also send many parachute instructors and jumpmasters to assist with parachuting courses. Most members of Para 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.

The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada has sent volunteers on overseas tours to UNTAG (United Nations Transition Assistance Group) Namibia 1989 -1990 , Cambodia , Cyprus, Somalia for Operation Deliverance 1992-1993 members were attached to the Canadian Airborne Regiment in 1 Cdo , 2 Cdo & 3 Commando, Sierra Leone, Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan.

[edit] 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. 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.

The regiment also saw combat in both World Wars and the Korean War, as well as during conflicts after these wars.

In 1970, the First Battalion of The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada was rebadged to reform the Third Battalion of the PPCLI.

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 securing the Victoria Cross of Corporal Frederick George Topham in 2005.

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. According to the unit's regimental history, during September 1910, the QOR went on a 13 mile route march with The Buffs (East Kent) Regiment. 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.

[edit] Battle Honours

The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada have earned 46 battle honours over its 146 year history. The battle honours in bold are approved to be emblazed on the Regimental Colours. Note that this is the name of the battle honour, and is not the name of the actual engagement.

[edit] Early Years

[edit] World War I

[edit] World War II

[edit] Important engagements

[edit] Victoria Cross recipients

[edit] Colonels-in-chief

[edit] Notable members

  • Ben Dunkelman - Promoted through the ranks from Private to Major during World War II
  • 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 is most famous for establishing and commanding Sector Sarajevo as part of the United Nations Protection Force or UNPROFOR in Yugoslavia in 1992.
  • 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.
  • 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

[edit] Regimental museum

The Regimental Museum of The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada is located on the third floor of the historic Casa Loma building. 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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, ofCanterbury Cathedral.

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

[edit] Alliances

[edit] Current Alliances

[edit] 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

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.qor.com/association.html
  2. ^ http://www.qor.com/band/band.html

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

[edit] External links

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