Hundreds of past and present members of Canada’s oldest regular force regiment are descending on London this weekend, likely for the last time, to mark an historic anniversary.
For the first time in 40 years, London, which once was the home of the Royal Canadian Regiment, will host events in honor of its 140th anniversary.
About 400 people are expected to attend events that includes a demonstration of current military equipment Saturday, as well as new exhibitions, including one on the Cold War at its museum at Wolseley Barracks.
A church service and semi-formal parade are slated for Sunday morning at the barracks.
“We haven’t been back to London for quite some time and we’re going back fundamentally because it will probably be the last time we hold it in London,” said Sandy McQuarrie, chair of the Royal Canadian Regiment Association. “We do it every five years and the last time we did it in London was the 100th in 1983.”
Today, London is home to about 200 members of the 4th Battalion militia unit, formed in 1954 with the merger of the Oxford Rifles and London’s Canadian Fusiliers, but the bulk of the regiment is in Petawawa and Gagetown, NB, McQuarrie said.
The Royal Canadian Regiment, the senior regular force infantry regiment in the Canadian Army, has about 700 members.
Its role “is to train and maintain in readiness” military forces for all kinds of conflict including supporting civil authorities in peacetime to high-intensity combat operations in time of war, MacQuarrie said.
Events take place at Fanshawe College and Wolseley Barracks.
“We have three principal reasons for the event: To renew or maintain comradeships over the years while serving (and) to allow people to visit the new museum and see the new layouts,” McQuarrie said. “The third reason is to remind people about our reserve unit, the 4th Battalion, and demonstrate their capability as an organization.”
Peter Devlin, president of Fanshawe College and retired chief commander of the Canadian Army, said the college is “deeply honoured” to be a host to the event.
“As a military-connected campus, hosting the regiment serves as a meaningful gesture to support and celebrate the brave people who serve and have served Canada,” he said.
ABOUT THE REGIMENT
- Formed in 1883
- 1st and 3rd Battalion based in Petawawa, Ont.
- 2n/a Battalion is based in Gagetown, NB
- 4th Battalion is based in London and Stratford
BATTLE HONOR
- North West Rebellion
- Boer War, South Africa
- First World War
- Second World War
- Korean War (United Nations Operations)
- The Gulf War
- Afghanistan