3rd Canadian Division
The 3rd Canadian Division is a formation of the Canadian Army responsible for the command and mobilization of all army units in the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, as well as all units extending westwards from th ...
's
38 Canadian Brigade Group
38 Canadian Brigade Group (38 CBG) (french: links=no, 38e Groupe-brigade du Canada) is a formation of the Canadian Forces and Canadian Army's 3rd Canadian Division. The brigade group is composed of Primary Reserve units in Manitoba, Saskatchewan an ...
.
Lineage
The Royal Winnipeg Rifles
* Originated on 9 November, 1883, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, as the 90th Winnipeg Battalion of Rifles
* Redesignated on 8 May, 1900, as the 90th Regiment Winnipeg Rifles
* Redesignated on 12 March, 1920, as The Winnipeg Rifles
* Redesignated on 3 June, 1935, as The Royal Winnipeg Rifles
* Redesignated on 7 November, 1940, as the 2nd (Reserve) Battalion, The Royal Winnipeg Rifles
* Redesignated on 28 March, 1946, as The Royal Winnipeg Rifles
* Amalgamated on 30 June, 1955, with The Winnipeg Light Infantry Retaining its designation.
The Winnipeg Light Infantry
* Originated on 1 April 1912, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, as the 106th Regiment, Winnipeg Light Infantry.
* Redesignated on 12 March 1920, as The Winnipeg Light Infantry.
* Redesignated on 15 December 1936, as The Winnipeg Light Infantry (Machine Gun).
* Redesignated on 18 March 1942, as the 2nd (Reserve) Battalion, The Winnipeg Light Infantry (Machine Gun).
* Redesignated on 1 June 1945, as The Winnipeg Light Infantry (Machine Gun).
* Redesignated on 1 April 1946, as The Winnipeg Light Infantry.
* Amalgamated on 30 June 1955, with The Royal Winnipeg Rifles.
Lineage Chart of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles:
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Perpetuations
North-West Rebellion
* 91st "Winnipeg" Battalion of Light Infantry of 1885–1888
10th Battalion (Canadians), CEF
The 10th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force was a unit of the First World War Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF), specifically in the 1st Canadian Division from 1914 to 1919. The battalion participated in every major Canadian battle of the ...
*
27th Battalion (City of Winnipeg), CEF
The 27th Battalion (City of Winnipeg), CEF was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. The battalion was authorized on 7 November 1914 and embarked for Great Britain on 17 May 1915. It disembarked in ...
*
44th Battalion (Manitoba), CEF
The 44th Battalion (Manitoba), CEF, was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during World War I.
History
The 44th Battalion was authorized on 7 November 1914 and embarked for Great Britain on 23 October 1915. It disembarke ...
101st Battalion (Winnipeg Light Infantry), CEF
The 101st Battalion (Winnipeg Light Infantry), CEF, was an infantry battalion of the Great War Canadian Expeditionary Force. The 101st Battalion was authorized on 22 December 1915 and embarked for Great Britain on 29 June 1916, where, on 13 July 1 ...
*
144th Battalion (Winnipeg Rifles), CEF
The 144th (Winnipeg Rifles) Battalion, CEF was a unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. Based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the unit began recruiting in late 1915 in that city. After sailing to England in September 1916, ...
*
190th Battalion (Winnipeg Rifles), CEF
The 190th (Winnipeg Rifles) Battalion, CEF was a unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. Based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the unit began recruiting during the winter of 1915/16 in that city and surrounding district. Afte ...
222nd Battalion, CEF
The 222nd Battalion, CEF was a unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. Based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the unit began recruiting in early 1916 throughout the province. After sailing to England in November 1916 onboard th ...
*
226th Battalion (Men of the North), CEF
The 226th Battalion, CEF was a unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War.
History
Based in Dauphin, Manitoba, the unit began recruiting in March 1916 in the area of Dauphin and Minnedosa, Manitoba. After sailing to E ...
History
Early History
The 90th Winnipeg Battalion of Rifles were formed on 9 November 1883 under the command of Lieutenant Colonel
William Nassau Kennedy
William Nassau Kennedy (28 April 1839 – 3 May 1885) was the second Mayor of Winnipeg, Manitoba from 1875 – 1876. He was the first commander of The Royal Winnipeg Rifles.
Biography
Kennedy was born in Newcastle, Upper Canada (no ...
. Within two years of formation, the 90th battalion served in the 1885
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 ...
, fighting at Fish Creek and Batoche. The regimental Latin motto is , which means “named by the enemy in battle”. After the
Battle of Fish Creek
The Battle of Fish Creek (also known as the Battle of Tourond's Coulée ), fought April 24, 1885 at Fish Creek, Saskatchewan, was a major Métis victory over the Canadian forces attempting to quell Louis Riel's North-West Rebellion. Although th ...
, a captured
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 ...
asked, "The red coats we know, but who are those little black devils?" – infantry of the line wore red tunics, but the Winnipeg soldiers were clad in rifle green, a shade dark enough to be mistaken for black. From that point on, the 90th Rifles (and later Royal Winnipeg Rifles) became informally nicknamed the "Little Black Devils".
Some former members of the 90th Rifles served in South Africa during the Second Boer War as members of other Canadian units, resulting in the award of the South Africa 1899–1900 battle honour.
The First World War
The regiment raised several battalions for the
Canadian Expeditionary Force
The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was the expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed following Britain’s declaration of war on Germany on 15 August 1914, with an initial strength of one infantry division ...
1st Canadian Division
The 1st Canadian Division (French: ''1re Division du Canada'' ) is a joint operational command and control formation based at CFB Kingston, and falls under Canadian Joint Operations Command. It is a high-readiness unit, able to move on very short ...
. The battalion saw some of the heaviest fighting in World War I, distinguishing itself at battles such as Ypres, the Somme, Vimy, Passchendaele, Amiens, Arras and Cambrai.
Three members of the 8th battalion were awarded Canada's highest honour for gallantry in the face of the enemy, the Victoria Cross.
File:8th Battalion CEF.svg, The distinguishing patch of the 8th Battalion (90th Winnipeg Rifles), CEF.
1920s-1930s
In the 1920 reorganization of the Canadian Militia following the report of the Otter Committee, the regiment's former designation as 90th Regiment was dropped and became known as The Winnipeg Rifles. In 1935 the unit was awarded the prefix 'Royal' for its distinguished service to King George V, and the current designation of The Royal Winnipeg Rifles (R Wpg Rif) was adopted.
The Second World War
In World War II the regiment landed in England in September 1940. As part of the
7th Canadian Infantry Brigade
The 7th Canadian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the Canadian Army that fought during World War I and World War II. The brigade, along with the 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade and the 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade, formed the 3rd Can ...
,
3rd Canadian Infantry Division
The 3rd Canadian Division is a formation of the Canadian Army responsible for the command and mobilization of all army units in the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, as well as all units extending westwards from th ...
, the Rifles were in the first wave of landings on D Day, 6 June 1944. The Royal Winnipeg Rifles fought throughout the Normandy campaign, fighting in famous battles such as
Caen
Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,Falaise Gap. After helping liberate several of the Channel Ports, the regiment fought to clear the Scheldt Estuary to allow the re-opening of the Antwerp harbour. After helping to liberate the Netherlands, the regiment ended the war preparing to assault the northern German town of Aurich.
Three battalions of the regiment served during the Second World War. The 1st Battalion served in the
3rd Canadian Infantry Division
The 3rd Canadian Division is a formation of the Canadian Army responsible for the command and mobilization of all army units in the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, as well as all units extending westwards from th ...
, the 2nd Battalion was a reserve unit that remained on part-time duty in Winnipeg, and a 3rd Battalion served in the Canadian Army Occupation Force.
The 1st Battalion were among the first Allied troops to land on the Normandy beaches on
D-Day
The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...
. They served throughout the Northwest Europe campaign, including the Battle of the Scheldt, the Rhineland, and the final battles across the Rhine, before returning to Canada in 1945. The 3rd Battalion was raised in 1945 and remained in Germany until 1946.
File:Canadian landings at Juno Beach.jpg, LCA (Landing Craft Assault) containing Winnipeg Rifles head for the Normandy Juno beach - June 6, 1944. Most are wearing Mk III helmets.
File:Royal Winnipeg Rifles Spring 25-7-44.jpg, Royal Winnipeg Rifles, during Operation Spring, France, 25 July 1944.
File:Royal Winnipeg Rifles - Spring.jpg, Troops of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles near
Ifs, Calvados
Ifs () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France.
Population
Administration Mayors of Ifs
International relations
Ifs is twinned with:
* Ilfracombe, Devon, England
* Niederwerrn, Germany
Not ...
, France, 25 July 1944.
Post-WWII to the Present
In 1950 the regiment helped the civil authority during the Winnipeg flood during Operation Red Ramp. During 1951–53, they provided men to the 1st Canadian Rifle Battalion for NATO duty with
27th Canadian Infantry Brigade
The 27th Canadian Infantry Brigade (27CIBG) was an Active Force infantry brigade created on May 4, 1951, for service in West Germany. The brigade sailed to Rotterdam in November and December of that year. It was posted near Hanover and provided co ...
in Germany. Members of the regiment also served with other units during the Korean War. In 1955,
The Winnipeg Light Infantry
The Winnipeg Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the Non-Permanent Active Militia of the Canadian Militia (now the Canadian Army). In 1955, the regiment was amalgamated with The Royal Winnipeg Rifles.
Lineage
The Winnipeg Light Infan ...
amalgamated with The Royal Winnipeg Rifles bringing together the histories and traditions of two military units with no change in designation.
On 6 June 1964, a commemorative D-Day monument was erected on the beaches at Courseulles-sur-Mer. In 1978 Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales, became the Colonel-in-Chief of the regiment. Subsequently, a contingent of Rifles attended the wedding of Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer on 29 July 1981.
In 1983 The Royal Winnipeg Rifles, celebrated a one hundred years of military service to Canada with numerous events and an official postage stamp.
The regiment contributed numerous soldiers to overseas deployments in the Balkans and to Canadian operations in Afghanistan.
In 2009, the Royal Winnipeg Rifles and the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders (both stationed at Minto Armoury) merged into the Winnipeg Infantry Tactical Group (Wpg Inf Tac Grp, or WITG). Both infantry regiments retained a large majority of their traditions but had a mixed and fully cooperative chain of command with only one commanding officer (CO) for both units. In 2018, the units were disaggregated, now with two separate chains of command and with different roles. The new main role for the Royal Winnipeg Rifles is maintaining the Arctic Response Company Group.
Structure
*Leadership and appointments
**Colonel-in-Chief: Charles III
**Honorary Colonel:
Emőke Szathmáry
Emőke J.E. Szathmáry, (born January 25, 1944, in Hungary) is a physical anthropologist, specializing in the study of human genetics. Dr. Szathmáry served as the 10th President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manitoba, 1996–2008 ...
**Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel: Abdo El Tassi
**Commanding Officer: Lieutenant-Colonel Dennis G. Desrochers
**Regimental Sergeant Major: Chief Warrant Officer Joel Alo
**Band Sergeant Major: Master Warrant Officer Emily Kenny
*Battalion structure
**Alpha Company
**Regimental Band
**Ceremonial Detachment (The Skirmishers and The Pioneers)
**Sub-Units
The Royal Winnipeg Rifles Band
The Regimental Band is as old as the Regiment, dating back to 1883, making it the oldest concert band in Winnipeg. In 1885, members of the band accompanied the Regiment to the Northwest Rebellion. At first consisting only of buglers and drummers, the band has developed into a professional brass and reed concert band, capable of supporting vocals and a multitude of styles and genres in its repertoire, while maintaining its traditions with a bugle line. Bugles, by tradition and practical use, are closely associated with Rifle Regiments; in garrison and on the battlefield, orders were relayed by buglers. Today the Band continues to entertain the people of Manitoba and assist in the esprit de corps of the Regiment. Bands of the perpetuated regiments date back to when the 106th Winnipeg Light Infantry Band was organized. During the First World War, bandmaster Thomas William James took the band to England where it would merge with the 10th Battalion Band to become the first Canadian band to serve on French soil.
File:Winnipeg Rifles band.jpg, The Royal Winnipeg Rifles Band during a Remembrance Day ceremony at Minto Armoury, 11 November 2018.
File:144thBugleBand.jpg, Bugle Band of 144th Battalion, CEF
Traditions
The Royal Winnipeg Rifles follow the traditions of rifle regiments throughout the Commonwealth. Thus they do not have a stand of regimental colours, and they march at the traditional rate of 140 paces a minute instead of the CF standard 120. Rifles are usually carried "at the trail". Battle honours are borne on the cap badge and drums. The regimental badge depicts a devil carrying a trident and in imitation of a rifleman's role on the battlefield, he is depicted as running. As is also traditional in rifle regiments for reasons of concealment, buttons and badges are "blackened" or darkened and are not polished.
The rank designation of a trained private (one chevron) of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles is "Rifleman."
The regimental band's drums are emblazoned with the unit's battle honours. The regimental pioneers form the escort to the colours when on parade. The pioneers wear leather aprons and carry special tools and weapons: axes or hatchets, picks, and halberds. Along with the pioneers there are also skirmishers who wear the traditional uniform of a 90th Battalion rifleman circa 1885. The skirmishers often appear in ceremonies and memorials such as Remembrance Day and events.
The regimental march of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles is " Pork, Beans and Hard Tack (Old Solomon Levi)" and the double quick march is " The Keel Row."
In the list below, battle honours in small capitals were awarded for participation in large operations and campaigns, while those in lowercase indicate honours granted for more specific battles. The battle honours in bold type are emblazoned on the cap badge.
Recognition
On 10 November 1983 Canada Post issued 'The Royal Winnipeg Rifles, The Royal Canadian Dragoons
as part of the Canadian Forces, Regiments, 1883–1983 series. The stamps were designed by Ralph Tibbles, based on a painting by William Southern. The 32¢ stamps are perforated 13.5 x 13 and were printed by Canadian Bank Note Company, Limited.
William Nassau Kennedy
William Nassau Kennedy (28 April 1839 – 3 May 1885) was the second Mayor of Winnipeg, Manitoba from 1875 – 1876. He was the first commander of The Royal Winnipeg Rifles.
Biography
Kennedy was born in Newcastle, Upper Canada (no ...
Frank Fane
Major Frank John William Fane (February 23, 1897 – January 6, 1980) was a farmer, World War I era soldier, and served as a Canadian municipal and federal politician from 1958 to 1968.
Early life
Frank John William Fane was born February ...
* Captain
Frank Mackenzie Ross
Frank Mackenzie Ross (April 19, 1891 in Glasgow, Scotland – December 11, 1971 in Vancouver) was the 19th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia.
Ross was the son of Grace Archibald (McCrone) and David Ross. Ross’ first job was as a bank cle ...
* Lieutenant Colonel
Jeff Nicklin
Lieutenant Colonel Jevon Albert "Jeff" Nicklin OBE (December 10, 1914 − March 24, 1945) was a Canadian Army officer and football player. He fought during World War II and was one of the first Canadians to jump on D-Day, 6 June 1944, and led the ...
* Major
Clifford Chadderton
Hugh Clifford Chadderton, (9 May 1919 – 30 November 2013) was a Canadian World War II veteran and Chief Executive Officer of The War Amps.
Life and career
Born in Fort William, Ontario, he worked as a news editor for Canadian Press and a ...
Gordon A. Smith
Gordon Appelbe Smith (June 18, 1919 – January 18, 2020) was an English-born Canadian artist, known for expanding the dialogue between abstraction and representation, working with mediums such as painting, printmaking, and sculpting. Smith taug ...
Alexander Picton Brereton
Alexander Picton Brereton (13 November 1892 – 10 January 1976) was a Canadians, Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to United Kingdom, Briti ...
Andrew Mynarski
Andrew Charles Mynarski, VC (14 October 1916 – 13 June 1944) was a Canadian airman and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for bravery in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Mynarski w ...
The Royal Winnipeg Rifles Museum and Archives
The museum preserves the history of The Royal Winnipeg Rifles through the collection, conservation and display of artefacts and archives commencing with the Red River Expedition of 1870 to the present. It provides a source of training in the regiment's history for all members of the regiment and the public, fostering an interest, knowledge and sense of pride in the regiment's activities and accomplishments. It also maintains a current record of all regimental memorials and monuments in Canada and elsewhere.A-AD-266-000/AG-001 Canadian Forces Museums –Operations and Administration 2002-04-03 The Museum is affiliated with: CMA,
CHIN
The chin is the forward pointed part of the anterior mandible (List_of_human_anatomical_regions#Regions, mental region) below the lower lip. A fully developed human skull has a chin of between 0.7 cm and 1.1 cm.
Evolution
The presence of a we ...
* Named by the Enemy: A History of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles by Brian A. Reid (Jan 31 2010)
* Little Black Devils: A History of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles by Bruce; Wells, Eric Tascona (1983)