The Prince Albert Volunteers (PAV) is the name of two historical infantry units headquartered in

Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Prince Albert is the third-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada, after Saskatoon and Regina. It is situated near the centre of the province on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. The city is known as the "Gateway to the North" because ...

. The unit was first raised in 1885 during the North-West Rebellion and disbanded after hostilities ceased. In the 20th century, the unit was operational from 1913 to 1936 and 1941 to 1946. The PAV is now incorporated by amalgamation in the North Saskatchewan Regiment (N Sask R).

Lineage

The Prince Albert Volunteers

* Originated on 2 January, 1913, in

, as the ''52nd Regiment Prince Albert Volunteers''. * Amalgamated on 1 October, 1920, with the 105th Regiment Saskatoon Fusiliers to form ''

The North Saskatchewan Regiment , garrison = Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and Prince Albert, Saskatchewan , battles = North-West RebellionFirst World WarSecond World WarWar in Afghanistan , battle_honours = See #Battle h ...

''. * Reorganized on 15 May, 1924, as one of four separate regiments:

The Yorkton Regiment The Yorkton Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Non-Permanent Active Militia of the Canadian Militia (now the Canadian Army). It was formed in 1924, when The North Saskatchewan Regiment (1920–1924) was reorganized into four separate regime ...

(now 64th Field Battery,

10th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA The 10th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA is an artillery regiment of the Canadian Army Primary Reserve. Based in Regina, Saskatchewan, the regiment forms part of the 38 Canadian Brigade Group of the 3rd Canadian Division. Allocated batteries * 1 ...

), The Saskatoon Light Infantry, The Battleford Light Infantry, and ''The Prince Albert Volunteers''. * Amalgamated on 15 December, 1936, with The Battleford Light Infantry and redesignated as ''The Prince Albert and Battleford Volunteers''. * Redesignated on 1 May, 1941, as The Prince Albert Volunteers. * Redesignated on 5 March, 1942, as the ''2nd (Reserve) Battalion, The Prince Albert Volunteers''. * Amalgamated on 1 April, 1946, with ''The Battleford Light Infantry (16th/22nd Saskatchewan Horse) (Reserve)'' and again redesignated as ''The Prince Albert and Battleford Volunteers''. *Amalgamated on 1 September, 1954, with the 50th Field Squadron, RCE, and Redesignated as ''The Prince Albert and Battleford Volunteers (Machine Gun)''. *Amalgamated on 17 February, 1955, with The Saskatoon Light Infantry (Machine Gun) and redesignated as ''The North Saskatchewan Regiment (Machine Gun)''. *Redesignated on 11 April, 1958, as ''1st Battalion, The North Saskatchewan Regiment (The Prince Albert and Battleford Volunteers)''.

Perpetuations

* 53rd Battalion (Northern Saskatchewan), CEF

History

North-West Rebellion

The Prince Albert Volunteers or Prince Albert Rifles were organized in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, North-West Territories, for service in the Canadian Militia during the

North-West Rebellion The North-West Rebellion (french: Rébellion du Nord-Ouest), also known as the North-West Resistance, was a resistance by the Métis people under Louis Riel and an associated uprising by First Nations Cree and Assiniboine of the District of S ...

. "Gentleman" Joe McKay, an

Anglo-Métis A 19th century community of the Métis people of Canada, the Anglo-Métis, more commonly known as Countryborn, were children of fur traders; they typically had Scots ( Orcadian, mainland Scottish), or English fathers and Aboriginal mothers. ...

scout of the

North-West Mounted Police The North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) was a Canadian para-military police force, established in 1873, to maintain order in the new Canadian North-West Territories (NWT) following the 1870 transfer of Rupert’s Land and North-Western Territory ...

was sent to Prince Albert from

Fort Carlton Fort Carlton was a Hudson's Bay Company fur trading post from 1795 until 1885. It was located along the North Saskatchewan River not far from Duck Lake. It is in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and was rebuilt by the government of Saska ...

to enlist about 20 men as volunteers on 20 March 1885. On the 21st, 22 men were sworn in before Lieutenant-Colonel Alexander Sproat. The volunteers were commanded by Captain Moore, who had retired from the Canadian Militia. On the 23rd they arrived at Fort Carlton and were armed with Snider-Enfield rifles. They saw their only action fighting alongside the police against Gabriel Dumont's

Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derives ...

forces at the

Battle of Duck Lake The Battle of Duck Lake (26 March 1885) was an infantry skirmish outside Duck Lake, Saskatchewan, between North-West Mounted Police forces of the Government of Canada, and the Métis militia of Louis Riel's newly established Provisional Govern ...

on March 26, 1885, where they suffered the heaviest casualties of combatants involved: of the 41 Volunteers sent, nine were killed. Most of those who died are buried at St. Mary's

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

Church cemetery just west of Prince Albert. Nine of them were killed at Duck Lake, their bodies left on the field until emissaries from

Louis Riel Louis Riel (; ; 22 October 1844 – 16 November 1885) was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political leader of the Métis people. He led two resistance movements against the Government of Canada and its first ...

arranged for their safe retrieval by citizens of Prince Albert. For the remainder of the rebellion the Volunteers stayed penned up in the stockade at Prince Albert, safeguarding the community until relieved by General

Frederick Middleton General Sir Frederick Dobson Middleton (4 November 1825 – 25 January 1898) was a British general noted for his service throughout the Empire and particularly in the North-West Rebellion in Canada. Imperial Military career Educated at Mai ...

and his

Northwest Field Force General Sir Frederick Dobson Middleton (4 November 1825 – 25 January 1898) was a British general noted for his service throughout the Empire and particularly in the North-West Rebellion in Canada. Imperial Military career Educated at Ma ...

after the

Battle of Batoche The Battle of Batoche was the decisive battle of the North-West Rebellion, which pitted the Canadian authorities against a force of First Nations and Métis people. Fought from May 9 to 12, 1885, at the ad hoc Provisional Government of Saskatche ...

. All the Volunteers who served during the rebellion received the

North West Canada Medal The North West Canada Medal is a British campaign medal issued to the soldiers, volunteers, and North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) personnel who participated in putting down the North-West Rebellion in 1885. Eligibility The medal was established ...

and a grant of of land, or

scrip A scrip (or ''chit'' in India) is any substitute for legal tender. It is often a form of credit. Scrips have been created and used for a variety of reasons, including exploitive payment of employees under truck systems; or for use in local comme ...

of $80 in lieu.

Members killed at Duck Lake

* Private Joseph Anderson * Constable James Bakie * Constable Skeffington C. Elliott * Constable Alexander Fisher * Constable Daniel McKenzie * Constable Daniel McPhail * Constable Robert Middleton * Captain John Morton * Corporal William Napier

20th century

A infantry unit was again created in Prince Albert on January 2, 1913, named the ''52nd Regiment Prince Albert Volunteers''. The 52nd Regiment was allied with the

Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry was a light infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until 1958, serving in the Second Boer War, World War I and World War II. The regiment was formed as a consequence of th ...

in England. Like most other

Non-Permanent Active Militia The Non-Permanent Active Militia (NPAM) was the name of Canada's part-time volunteer military force from 1855 to 1940. The NPAM (also called "the Militia" though that term could also encompass the full-time standing army known as the Permanent A ...

(NPAM) units, the 52nd Regiment was not mobilized as a unit in the First World War, but many from the regiment signed up with the 53rd Battalion, CEF. In the post-war reorganization of the NPAM, the 52nd Regiment was merged with 105th Regiment (Saskatoon Fusiliers) in 1920 and became the 2nd Battalion (Prince Albert Volunteers), the North Saskatchewan Regiment. In 1922 the battalion was granted the perpetuation of the 53rd Battalion. In 1924 the battalion again became a distinct regiment as the Prince Albert Volunteers. In the 1936 Canadian Militia reorganization, the PAV were merged with The Battleford Light Infantry as the Prince Albert and Battleford Volunteers (PABV). The PABV's work in the early months of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

was recognized in 2015 when the PABV's successor, N Sask R, was granted an honorary distinction to be emblazoned on its

regimental colour In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours (or colors), standards, flags, or guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt som ...

: the wartime badge of the

Regina Rifle Regiment Regina (Latin for "queen") may refer to: Places Canada * Regina, Saskatchewan, the capital city of the province ** Regina (electoral district) ** Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Regina France * Régina, French Guiana, a commune United States * R ...

(RRR) with the year dates "1944–45" in recognition of the role played by the PABV in the mobilization of the

Canadian Active Service Force Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

unit of the RRR. In 1941, the cavalry unit based in

the Battlefords The Battlefords is the collective name given to the adjacent communities of the City of North Battleford and the Town of Battleford in west-central Saskatchewan, Canada. As of the 2011 census, the two communities have a combined population of 18, ...

, 16th/22nd Saskatchewan Horse (Reserve), was converted to infantry under the name 2nd (Reserve) Battalion, the Battleford Light Infantry (16th/22nd Saskatchewan Horse). The Battlefords personnel from the PABV were transferred to this unit, and the remainder of the PABV in Prince Albert were renamed to the Prince Albert Volunteers once again. On March 5, 1942, the active service 1st Battalion PAV was formed. This battalion was stationed in

Vernon, British Columbia Vernon is a city in the Okanagan region of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. It is northeast of Vancouver. Named after Forbes George Vernon, a former MLA of British Columbia who helped establish the Coldstream Ranch in nearby ...

, as part of the 19th Infantry Brigade until October 1943, when it was transferred to the 15th Infantry Brigade Group in northern British Columbia. The 15th Brigade was involved in the Terrace mutiny in November 1944. The 1st Battalion PAV was disbanded on November 30, 1945, and the regiment reverted to being a solely militia organization. After the Second World War, 1946, the infantry in the Battlefords and Prince Albert were merged for the second time as the Prince Albert and Battleford Volunteers. After further amalgamations, Prince Albert's infantry subunit is now part of the N Sask R. The mess at the garrison in Prince Albert was renamed in 2014 to the "Prince Albert Volunteers Mess" (under leadership of Captain Luchia as president of the mess committee) to honour the sacrifices made by those serving the Prince Albert Volunteers.

Regimental badge

The regimental badge was the head of an

American bison The American bison (''Bison bison'') is a species of bison native to North America. Sometimes colloquially referred to as American buffalo or simply buffalo (a different clade of bovine), it is one of two extant species of bison, alongside the ...

, in quarter-profile facing the viewer's right, above a scroll with the regiment's name.

Alliances

In 1927, the PAV became allied to the

Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment was the final title of a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was originally formed in 1688. After centuries of service in many conflicts and wars, including both the First and Second World W ...

in England.

Battle honours

Nine battle honours from the Great War were granted to the PAV in 1930, in recognition of the service of soldiers recruited by the regiment. Bold type indicates honours authorized to be emblazoned on the regimental colour.

North West Rebellion

North West Canada, 1885 The North-West Rebellion (french: Rébellion du Nord-Ouest), also known as the North-West Resistance, was a resistance by the Métis people under Louis Riel and an associated uprising by First Nations Cree and Assiniboine of the District of S ...

The Great War

* Mount Sorrel *

Somme, 1916 The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...

Arras, 1917 The Battle of Arras (also known as the Second Battle of Arras) was a British offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, British troops attacked German defences near the French city of Arras on the W ...

, ' 18 *

Hill 70 The Battle of Hill 70 took place in the First World War between the Canadian Corps and five divisions of the German 6th Army. The battle took place along the Western Front on the outskirts of Lens in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France b ...

Ypres, 1917 The Third Battle of Ypres (german: link=no, Dritte Flandernschlacht; french: link=no, Troisième Bataille des Flandres; nl, Derde Slag om Ieper), also known as the Battle of Passchendaele (), was a campaign of the First World War, fought by t ...

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

Hindenburg Line The Hindenburg Line (German: , Siegfried Position) was a German defensive position built during the winter of 1916–1917 on the Western Front during the First World War. The line ran from Arras to Laffaux, near Soissons on the Aisne. In 191 ...

Pursuit to Mons Pursuit may refer to: Arts and entertainment Films * ''Pursuit'' (1935 film), a 1935 American action film * ''Pursuit'' (1972 American film), a made-for-TV film directed by Michael Crichton * ''Pursuit'' (1972 Hong Kong film), a Shaw Brot ...

Notes and references

Other source: * {{cite book, last=Light, first=Douglas W., title=Footprints in the Dust, year=1987, publisher=Turner-Warwick Prineters Inc., location=North Battleford Prince Albert Volunteers North Saskatchewan Regiment Former infantry regiments of Canada Military units and formations of Saskatchewan North-West Rebellion

Canadian Militia units of The North-West Rebellion Rebellions in Canada Royal Canadian Mounted Police 1885 in Canada Conflicts in Canada Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Military units and formations established in 1885 Military units and formations disestablished in 1946