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|image=
|image=
|caption= Cap Badge of the Brockville Rifles
|caption= Cap Badge of the Brockville Rifles
|dates= 1796-present
|dates= 1866-present
|country= [[Canada]]
|country= [[Canada]]
|branch= [[Primary Reserve]]
|branch= [[Primary Reserve]]
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}}
}}


'''The Brockville Rifles''' is a [[Primary Reserve]] [[infantry]] [[regiment]] of the [[Canadian Forces]]. It is fifteenth in the order of precedence of Canadian Army Infantry Regiments. The Brockville Rifles are part of [[33 Canadian Brigade Group]], [[Land Forces Central Area]].
'''The Brockville Rifles''' is a [[Primary Reserve]] [[infantry]] [[regiment]] of the [[Canadian Forces]]. It is fifteenth in the order of precedence of Canadian Army Infantry Regiments. The Brockville Rifles are part of [[33 Canadian Brigade Group]], [[4th Canadian Division]].<ref> 1000-1 Organization Message - Canadian Army 181202Z JUL 13</ref>




The motto of the regiment is ''Semper Paratus'' meaning 'Always Ready'.
The motto of the regiment is ''Semper Paratus'' meaning 'Always Ready'.
Line 39: Line 41:


On April 1, 1946, the Brocks were converted and re-designated the 60th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Brockville Rifles) RCA. On 1 September 1954, following another amalgamation, the Brocks were yet again converted, this time to the 32nd Locating Battery (Brockville Rifles) RCA. In December 1959, the regiment once again returned to the Colours and adopted its current designation as The Brockville Rifles, readopting the role of Infantry.
On April 1, 1946, the Brocks were converted and re-designated the 60th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Brockville Rifles) RCA. On 1 September 1954, following another amalgamation, the Brocks were yet again converted, this time to the 32nd Locating Battery (Brockville Rifles) RCA. In December 1959, the regiment once again returned to the Colours and adopted its current designation as The Brockville Rifles, readopting the role of Infantry.

==Perpetuations==
The Brockville Rifles perpetuate the Battalion of Incorporated Militia of Upper Canada, the 1st and 2nd Regiments of Leeds Militia (1812-15), the 156th Battalion, CEF; and 32nd Battery, Canadian Field Artilley, CEF.


==Battle honours==<ref>[http://regimentalrogue.tripod.com/battlehonours/bathnrinf/17-brockr.htm Honours]</ref>
==Battle honours==<ref>[http://regimentalrogue.tripod.com/battlehonours/bathnrinf/17-brockr.htm Honours]</ref>
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* Defence of Canada – 1812–1815
* Defence of Canada – 1812–1815


'''World War I'''
'''The Great War'''

* Amiens, 1918
* Amiens, 1918
* Arras, 1918
* Arras, 1918
Line 54: Line 60:


'''World War II'''
'''World War II'''

* Honorary distinction: the badge of the [[Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders]] on the drums
* Honorary distinction: the badge of the [[Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders]] on the drums

==OPERATIONAL HISTORY==

'''The Fenian Raids'''

The 41st Brockville Battalion of Rifles was called out on active service from 24 May 1870 to 1 June 1870 and served on the St. Lawrence River frontier.

'''The Great War'''

The 156th Battalion CEF was authorized on 22 December 1915 and embarked for Britain on 19 October 1916, where the battalion's personnel were absorbed by the 109th, 119th, 120th, 123rd, and 124th Battalions, CEF on 1 November 1916. On 27 December 1916, the battalion was reformed to provide reinforcements to the Canadian Corps in the field until absorbed by the 6th Reserve Battalion, CEF on 15 February 1918. The battalion was disbanded on 29 November 1918.

The 32nd Battery, CFA, CEF, was authorized on 15 August 1915 and embarked for Britain on 5 February 1916, disemabrking in France on 14 July 1916, where it fought as part of the 9th Brigade, CFA, CEF from 15 July 1916 to 1 July 1917, and subsequently with the 8th Army Brigade, CFA from 5 July 1917, in France and Flanders until the end of the war. The battery was disbanded on 23 October 1920.

'''The Second World War'''

The regiment mobilized the 1st Battalion, The Brockville Rifles, CASF on 18 March 1942. It served in Canada in a home defence role as part of the 13th Infantry Brigade, [[6th Canadian Division]], and in Jamaica on garrison duty from 5 August 1944 to 27 March 1946. The battalion was disbanded on 30 April 1946.

The regiment provided No. 2 Company of The [[Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders]], CASF for active service on 24 May 1940.

The 32nd (Kingston) Field Battery, RCA in conjunction with the 34th Field Battery, RCA, mobilized the 32nd/34th Field Battery, RCA, CASF on 24 May 1940. This unit was reorganized as two separate batteries on 1 January 1941, designated the 32nd (Kingston) Field Battery, RCA, CASF and the 34th Field Battery, RCA, CASF (which was redesignated the 32nd (Kingston) Light Anti-Aircraft Battery, RCA, CASF on the same day). It provided light anti-aircraft artillery support as part of the 4th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RCA, CASF in North-West Europe until the end of the war. The overseas battery was disbanded on 13 November 1945. The battery subsequently mobilized the 2nd 32nd Light Anti-Aircraft Battery, RCA, Canadian Army Occupation Force on 1 June 1945 for active service with the Canadian Army Occupation Force in Germany. The battery was disbanded on 4 April 1946.<ref>Insignia and Lineages of the Canadian Forces A-DH-267-003/AF-002 -- Part Two: Infantry Regiments</ref>


==Appointments==
==Appointments==
Line 107: Line 134:
== References ==
== References ==
<references/>
<references/>



==External links==
==External links==

Revision as of 15:11, 10 October 2013

The Brockville Rifles
Active1866-present
CountryCanada
BranchPrimary Reserve
TypeRifles
RoleLight Infantry
SizeOne Battalion
Part ofRoyal Canadian Infantry Corps
Garrison/HQBrockville
Motto(s)Semper Paratus
MarchThe Bonnie Dundee
AnniversariesRegimental birthday - 5 October 1866

The Brockville Rifles is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces. It is fifteenth in the order of precedence of Canadian Army Infantry Regiments. The Brockville Rifles are part of 33 Canadian Brigade Group, 4th Canadian Division.[1]


The motto of the regiment is Semper Paratus meaning 'Always Ready'.

History

The history of the regiment dates back to 1796[2] with the formation of the 1st Battalion Leeds Militia at Elizabethtown. At its peak Leeds county had raised a total of nine battalions to combat enemy forces. With the appointment of Maj. General Sir Isaac Brock, the ranking British General at the time, as the temporary administrator of the province of Upper Canada during the War of 1812 that citizens of Elizabethtown proposed the name of Brockville, which was later accepted as the official name by the provincial bureaucrats. During the War of 1812 the regiment was involved with the capturing of Ogdensburg and as well the Battle of Chrysler's Farm. In 1856 the regiment's name became even closer to that of its current one as it became the Brockville Volunteer Rifle Company.

In the year 1861, a major development also occurred when which a second unit, The Brockville Infantry Company, came into existence. Despite being similar in some respects the Rifles wore the traditional dark green of a rifle company and the infantry wore the scarlet red, common of all line infantry. Five years later the units were reorganized into the 41st Brockville Battalion of Rifles. This battalion had six companies spread across immediate area. The organization was as follows: 1 Coy was in Brockville, 2 Coy was in Gananoque, 3 Coy was in Perth, 4 Coy was in Merrickville, 5 Coy was in Carleton Place, and finally 6 Coy was in Pakenham. At the same time the 42nd Battalion of Infantry came into existence, however they became the Lanark and Renfrew Scottish Regiment. Later during the Fenian Raids, the regiment was successful in combating and fending off the Fenian Brotherhood in the raids of 1866 and 1870. The regiment also contributed troops to the Boer War in 1899.

During the First World War, in December 1915, the unit was reorganized to become the 156th Leeds & Grenville Battalion. The unit moved to England as part of the proposed 5th Division, however pressing needs for troops and reinforcements on the front caused the disbanding of the unit and the men were transferred to other units including the 2nd, the 21st, the 38th, and Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. The men of the unit served valiantly with the other units, and many awards and decorations were given to men including one Victoria Cross to Major Thain MacDowell, whose picture currently hangs in the units' Officers' Mess. A total of 10 officers and 95 men were killed or died of wounds during the First World War.

Following World War I, the unit was reorganized into The Brockville Rifles. In April 1926, the Colonel Commandant of the King's Royal Rifle Corps invited the unit to ally with them. Today the King's Royal Rifle Corps, the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry and the Rifle Brigade have been amalgamated to form the Royal Green Jackets, this is the unit with which The Brockville Rifles has an alliance.

During the Second World War, the unit mobilized to form B Coy of the Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry Highlanders. Another unit that became part of the SD&G was the Princess of Wales' Own Regiment. This all came together to help create the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders that was deployed overseas to fight as a part of the 9th Highland Brigade, 3rd Canadian Division. As a part of the SD&G, soldiers from the regiment landed on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, and were the first Allied force to enter Caen. The "Brocks" as part of the SD&G reached the center of the city by 1300, 9 July 1944.

On April 1, 1946, the Brocks were converted and re-designated the 60th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Brockville Rifles) RCA. On 1 September 1954, following another amalgamation, the Brocks were yet again converted, this time to the 32nd Locating Battery (Brockville Rifles) RCA. In December 1959, the regiment once again returned to the Colours and adopted its current designation as The Brockville Rifles, readopting the role of Infantry.

Perpetuations

The Brockville Rifles perpetuate the Battalion of Incorporated Militia of Upper Canada, the 1st and 2nd Regiments of Leeds Militia (1812-15), the 156th Battalion, CEF; and 32nd Battery, Canadian Field Artilley, CEF.

==Battle honours==[3]

War of 1812

  • Niagara
  • Defence of Canada – 1812–1815

The Great War

  • Amiens, 1918
  • Arras, 1918
  • Hindenburg Line, 1918
  • Pursuit to Mons, 1918

World War II

OPERATIONAL HISTORY

The Fenian Raids

The 41st Brockville Battalion of Rifles was called out on active service from 24 May 1870 to 1 June 1870 and served on the St. Lawrence River frontier.

The Great War

The 156th Battalion CEF was authorized on 22 December 1915 and embarked for Britain on 19 October 1916, where the battalion's personnel were absorbed by the 109th, 119th, 120th, 123rd, and 124th Battalions, CEF on 1 November 1916. On 27 December 1916, the battalion was reformed to provide reinforcements to the Canadian Corps in the field until absorbed by the 6th Reserve Battalion, CEF on 15 February 1918. The battalion was disbanded on 29 November 1918.

The 32nd Battery, CFA, CEF, was authorized on 15 August 1915 and embarked for Britain on 5 February 1916, disemabrking in France on 14 July 1916, where it fought as part of the 9th Brigade, CFA, CEF from 15 July 1916 to 1 July 1917, and subsequently with the 8th Army Brigade, CFA from 5 July 1917, in France and Flanders until the end of the war. The battery was disbanded on 23 October 1920.

The Second World War

The regiment mobilized the 1st Battalion, The Brockville Rifles, CASF on 18 March 1942. It served in Canada in a home defence role as part of the 13th Infantry Brigade, 6th Canadian Division, and in Jamaica on garrison duty from 5 August 1944 to 27 March 1946. The battalion was disbanded on 30 April 1946.

The regiment provided No. 2 Company of The Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders, CASF for active service on 24 May 1940.

The 32nd (Kingston) Field Battery, RCA in conjunction with the 34th Field Battery, RCA, mobilized the 32nd/34th Field Battery, RCA, CASF on 24 May 1940. This unit was reorganized as two separate batteries on 1 January 1941, designated the 32nd (Kingston) Field Battery, RCA, CASF and the 34th Field Battery, RCA, CASF (which was redesignated the 32nd (Kingston) Light Anti-Aircraft Battery, RCA, CASF on the same day). It provided light anti-aircraft artillery support as part of the 4th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RCA, CASF in North-West Europe until the end of the war. The overseas battery was disbanded on 13 November 1945. The battery subsequently mobilized the 2nd 32nd Light Anti-Aircraft Battery, RCA, Canadian Army Occupation Force on 1 June 1945 for active service with the Canadian Army Occupation Force in Germany. The battery was disbanded on 4 April 1946.[4]

Appointments

Honorary Colonel
Honorary Colonel J.A. English, CD

Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel
Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel B.W. Tekamp, CD

Commanding Officer
Lieutenant Colonel M.S. Herron, CD

Regimental Sergeant Major
Chief Warrant Officer A.J. McKenzie, CD

Training

The Brocks train regularly at Canadian Forces ranges and training areas such as CFB Petawawa and CFB Kingston, as well as within Brockville, Prescott, and other local communities. Members of the unit are expected to train a minimum of one night a week and participate in one weekend exercise a month. Training consists of basic infantry soldier skills, individual battle task standards, and more advanced training such as urban operations, and live fire field exercises. The unit often trains with its sister unit, The Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders, as well as participating in Brigade level training exercises with 33 Canadian Brigade Group as part of the 33 Territorial Battalion Group formation, encompassing units from across 33 CBG.

Operations

Members of the Brockville Rifles have served on operations in Afghanistan, Bosnia, The Former Republic of Georgia, among other deployments. The unit prepares soldiers to be effective and employable as individual augmentees to Canadian Forces operations and deployments.

Recruiting

The unit recruits Infantry Soldiers and Officers from Brockville and surrounding communities, traditionally west to Kingston and north to Kemptville and Ottawa. Basic Training for the Primary Reserve is typically conducted every second weekend over a period of 6 months, during the Fall & Winter. Infantry Soldiers must complete an 8 week qualification course at CFB Meaford. Infantry Officers must make a significant commitment, as they must complete Basic Training as well as two additional qualification courses at the Infantry School in CFB Gagetown which will require a further 10 and 12 week commitment. As the training schedule closely mirrors academic calendars, the Army Reserve is well suited to High School, College, and University students.

Armoury

Site Date(s) Designated Location Description Image
Brockville Armoury 1-9 East Avenue facing King Street 1900-1 1990 Recognized - Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings Housing The Brockville Rifles, this centrally located, large, low-massed, stone structure in the Romanesque style features a low-pitched gable roof.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brockville Rifles.

References

  1. ^ 1000-1 Organization Message - Canadian Army 181202Z JUL 13
  2. ^ Unit History
  3. ^ Honours
  4. ^ Insignia and Lineages of the Canadian Forces A-DH-267-003/AF-002 -- Part Two: Infantry Regiments


Alliances

Order of precedence

Preceded by The Brockville Rifles Succeeded by
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