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. Its first commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel William Smith Durie.
During the Trent Affair of 1862, William Mulock asked John McCaul, the head of University College (part of the University of Toronto), to call a student meeting that led to the formation of the University Company of volunteers, later K Company of The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada.
The Queen's Own Rifles first saw combat during the Battle of Ridgeway in 1866, 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, none of the existing militia infantry 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 and Flanders. Later in the war, the Queen's Own Rifles recruited for additional Canadian Expeditionary Force 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 these 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.
The regiment was mobilized for the Second World War on 24 May 1940, and assigned to the defence of two strategic airfields at Botwood and Gander in Newfoundland. After a build-up and training period, the unit was posted to England in July 1941.
The first major combat operations were during the Invasion of Normandy. The Queen's Own Rifles landed on NAN sector of Juno Beach during D-day and captured the strategic seaside resort town of Bernières-sur-Mer. The QOR had the highest casualties amongst the Canadian regiments, with 143 killed, wounded or captured. Canadian casualties totaled 340 killed, 574 wounded, and 47 taken prisoner.
During the war, 463 riflemen were killed in action and almost 900 were wounded as they fought through Normandy, Northern France, and into Belgium and Holland, where they liberated the crucial channel ports. Sixty more members of the regiment were killed while serving with other units in Hong Kong, Italy and northwest Europe.
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.
As part of the Regular Force, the unit was involved in the Korean War. The Regular Force battalions were posted to NATO bases in Korea, Cyprus and Germany.
In 1970, with the downsizing of the Canadian Forces, the 1st Battalion of The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada was rebadged as the 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.
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.
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.
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