History
The 90th Winnipeg Battalion of Rifles were formed on 9 November 1883 under the command of Lieutenant Colonel William Nassau Kennedy. Within two years of formation, the 90th battalion served in the 1885 North-West Rebellion, fighting at Fish Creek and Batoche. The regimental Latin motto is Hosti Acie Nominati, which means “named by the enemy in battle”. After the Battle of Fish Creek during the North-West Rebellion of 1885, a captured Métis asked, "The red coats we know, but who are those little black devils?", a reference to the fact that while infantry of the line wore red coats, the Winnipeg soldiers were clad in traditional rifle green. From that point on, the 90th Rifles (and later Royal Winnipeg Rifles) became informally nicknamed the "Little Black Devils".
Some former members of the 90th Rifles served in South Africa during the Boer War as members of other Canadian units, resulting in the award of the South Africa 1899-1900 battle honour.
The regiment raised several battalions for the Canadian Expeditionary Force in the Great War, the most notable being the 8th (90th Rifles) Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, which served in the 2nd Infantry Brigade, 1st Canadian Division. The Battalion saw some of the heaviest fighting in World War I, distinguishing itself at battles such as Ypres, the Somme, Vimy, Passchendaele, Amiens, Arras and Cambrai.
Three members of the 8th battalion were awarded Canada's highest honour for gallantry in the face of the enemy, the Victoria Cross.
In the 1920 reorganization of the Canadian Militia following the report of the Otter Committee, the regiment's former designation as 90th Regiment was dropped and became known as The Winnipeg Rifles. In 1935 the unit was awarded the prefix 'Royal' for its distinguished service to Her Majesty, and the current designation of The Royal Winnipeg Rifles (R Wpg Rif) was adopted.
In World War II the regiment landed in England in September 1940. As part of the 7th Infantry Brigade, 3rd Canadian Division, the Rifles were in the first wave of landings on D Day, 6 June 1944. The Royal Winnipeg Rifles fought throughout the Normandy campaign, fighting in famous battles such as Caen and the Falaise Gap. After helping liberate several of the Channel Ports, the Regiment fought to clear the Scheldt Estuary to allow the re-opening of the Antwerp harbour. After helping to liberate the Netherlands, the Regiment ended the war preparing to assault the northern German town of Aurich.
Three battalions of the regiment served during the Second World War. The 1st Battalion served in the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, the 2nd Battalion was a reserve unit that remained on part-time duty in Winnipeg, and a 3rd Battalion served in the Canadian Army Occupation Force.
The 1st Battalion were among the first Allied troops to land on the Normandy beaches on D-Day. They served throughout the Northwest Europe campaign, including the Battle of the Scheldt, the Rhineland, and the final battles across the Rhine, before returning to Canada in 1945. The 3rd Battalion was raised in 1945 and remained in Germany until 1946.
In 1950 the regiment helped the civil authority during the Winnipeg flood during Operation RED RAMP. During 1951-53, they provided men to the 1st Canadian Rifle Battalion for NATO duty with 27th Brigade Group in Germany. Members of the Regiment also served with other units during the Korean conflict. In 1955 the Winnipeg Light Infantry amalgamated with The Royal Winnipeg Rifles bringing together the histories and traditions of two military units with no change in designation.
On 6 June 1964, a commemorative D Day monument was erected on the beaches at Courcelles-sur-Mer. In 1978 Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales, became the Colonel-in-Chief of the regiment. Subsequently, a contingent of Rifles attended the wedding of HRH Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer on 29 July 1983.
In 1983 The Royal Winnipeg Rifles, celebrated a one hundred years of military service to Canada with numerous events and an official postage stamp.
The regiment has recently contributed numerous soldiers to overseas deployments in the Balkans and to Canadian operations in Afghanistan.
As of 2009, the Royal Winnipeg Rifles and the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders (both stationed at Minto Armoury) have been merged into the Winnipeg Infantry Tactical Group (Wpg Inf Tac Grp, or WITG). Both infantry regiments still retain a large majority of their traditions but now have a mixed and fully cooperative chain of command with only one commanding officer (CO) for both units.
The Royal Winnipeg Rifles perpetuate the 91st "Winnipeg" Battalion of Light Infantry of 1885-1888 and the 8th, 10th, 27th, 44th, 61st, 90th, 101st, 144th, 190th, 203rd, 222nd and 226th Battalion(s), Canadian Expeditionary Force.
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