Crown in Saskatoon - Armed Forces

Armed Forces

Command of the Canadian Forces is vested in the Queen. Saskatonians trace their connections to its army division through the Saskatoon Light Infantry (SLI), formed after the reorganisation of the North Saskatchewan Regiment in 1924. In December 1936, the SLI was amalgamated with “C” Company, 12th Machine Gun Battalion, to form the Saskatoon Light Infantry (Machine Gun), which was mobilised in September 1939. The 1st Battalion of the regiment was sent to the United Kingdom in December 1939, as part of the 1st Canadian Division. Queen Elizabeth inspected the unit in April 1940, after which officers posed with her for a photograph. In April 1941, the Queen presented the unit with gifts of socks, mittens, caps, pullovers, scarves and helmets. In October 1941, the unit was presented its colours by the Queen.

I am very glad of this opportunity of being with you once again ... I know that to many of you these months of waiting have seemed very long, and that your thoughts must often have turned to your homes, and to your wives and families whom you have left in Canada. I know too how much your dear ones must be praying for you, and how they are thinking with pride of the part that you have been called upon to play in guarding these shores. — Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to the Saskatoon Light Infantry, 1941

In July 1943, the 1st Battalion, SLI (Machine Gun) landed in Sicily and fought in the Italian campaign until March 1945, when it was transferred to Holland. 1st Battalion, SLI (Machine Gun), returned to Canada in November 1945. Its battle honours include: Sicily, Ortona, Liri Valley, Hitler Line, Gothic Line, Lamore Crossing, Rimini Line, and Apeldoorn. The 2nd Battalion SLI (Machine Gun) remained in Canada as part of the Reserve Army. The Saskatoon Light Infantry was the only infantry unit from northern Saskatchewan to see active service overseas during World War II. It has since been amalgamated into the North Saskatchewan Regiment, and presented new colours by Governor General Jules Léger in 1975.

Canadian Forces Maritime Command also maintains connections with Saskatoon. Her Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) Unicorn is a land-based ship established in 1923, and its base is located in downtown Saskatoon. Its name derives from a long line of ships dating to medieval times. It operated as a recruitment centre during World War II, enlisting over 3,500 men and women into the Royal Canadian Navy. HMCS Unicorn organised a visit by Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh in 1951. The ship's company also participated in a Battle of the Atlantic parade with HMCS Saskatoon. On her first official visit in 2000, Governor General Adrienne Clarkson hosted a public levee at the facility. Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Saskatoon is built to accommodate a crew of up to forty-one individuals and currently patrols Canadian west coast waters. Lieutenant Governor Lynda Haverstock sailed on board from Esquimalt Harbour to Victoria Harbour in 2006, to visit her crew and observe how she manoeuvres. Haverstock, who was given a lesson on how to drive the ship, presented its Commanding Officer with the Commemorative Medal for the Centennial of Saskatchewan. In 2005, the ship's company were presented the key to the city at a parade in Saskatoon. The original HMCS Saskatoon was in service between 1940 and 1945, and the current ship was commissioned in 1998.