The Pictou Highlanders was an infantry regiment of the Canadian Army from 1871 until it was amalgamated into the

Nova Scotia Highlanders , identification_symbol = MacDonald, Clan Donald , identification_symbol_label = Tartan , nickname = North Novies, North Novas , battles = Second Boer WarFirst World WarSecond World WarWar i ...

in 1954.

Lineage

Founded in 1871 as the ''Colchester and Hants Provisional Battalion of Infantry'' it went through several name changes including, in 1871, the ''78th Colchester and Hants'', or ''Highlanders Battalion of Infantry''; in 1879 the ''78th Colchester, Hants and Pictou Battalion of Infantry'', "Highlanders"; in 1900 the ''78th Colchester, Hants and Pictou Regiment'', "Highlanders"; in 1910 the ''78th Pictou Regiment'' "Highlanders"; in 1921 ''The Pictou Highlanders''; and in 1946 - ''The Pictou Highlanders (Motor)''.

History

With the outbreak of the First World War, the 78th Pictou Regiment (Highlanders) raised volunteers for the overseas battalions of 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 ...

. During the Second World War, The Pictou Highlanders were active in a defensive role but were never engaged in battle. Details of the regiment were raised for local protective duty on September 1, 1939, and full mobilization occurred on January 1, 1941. The first move that the regiment made was to Newfoundland for coastal defense duty from March until August 1943. In September of the year, one company was dispatched to Nassau, Bahamas where it performed garrison duty until March 1946. A second company entitled Special Infantry Company (Pictou Highlanders) was mobilized on September 10, 1942, for service in Bermuda from November 12, 1942, to April 1, 1946. Their duties performed, both the active battalion and the Special Infantry Company were disbanded on April 30, 1946. During the life of the active units, a 2nd Battalion also served in Canada in the Reserve Army. In 1954, as a result of the

Kennedy Report on the Reserve Army The Kennedy Report on the Reserve Army was a report released in 1954 that reorganized the reserve forces of the Canadian Army. The report was issued by a three-person board, invoked by Chief of the General Staff Guy Simonds, and chaired by Major Gen ...

, this regiment was amalgamated with The North Nova Scotia Highlanders to form the 1st Battalion of

The Nova Scotia Highlanders , identification_symbol = MacDonald, Clan Donald , identification_symbol_label = Tartan , nickname = North Novies, North Novas , battles = Second Boer WarFirst World WarSecond World WarWar i ...

with

The Cape Breton Highlanders , colors = Facing colour yellow , colors_label = Colours , march = Quick – "Highland Laddie" , mascot = , battles = First World ...

forming the 2nd Battalion. The Pictou Highlanders before amalgamation held its final Order of Precedence as 33.

Alliances and Uniform

The Pictou Highlanders were allied to The Seaforth Highlanders (Rossshire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's) and were kitted as Seaforth's except for regimental badges and the Bugle cords were Royal.

Perpetuations

The regiment perpetuated the following units

The Great War

17th Battalion (Nova Scotia Highlanders), CEF The 17th Battalion, CEF was a battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the Great War. History The 17th Battalion, CEF was authorized on 19 September 1914 and embarked for Great Britain on 29 September 1914 where it was redesignate ...

* 246th (Nova Scotia Highlanders) Battalion, CEF

Battle honours

Ypres, 1915 During the First World War, the Second Battle of Ypres was fought from for control of the tactically important high ground to the east and south of the Flemish town of Ypres in western Belgium. The First Battle of Ypres had been fought the ...

* Festubert, 1915 *

Mount Sorrel The Battle of Mont Sorrel (''Battle of Mount Sorrel'', ''Battle of Hill 62'') was a local operation in World War I by three divisions of the British Second Army and three divisions of the German 4th Army in the Ypres Salient, near Ypres, Bel ...

* Somme, 1916 *Battle of Amiens (1918), Amiens

References

*Barnes, RM, ''The Uniforms and History of the Scottish Regiments'', London, Sphere Books Limited, 1972.

External links

* http://nshighlanders.fav.cc/history.html - Nova Scotia Highlanders Regimental Museum Nova Scotia Highlanders Highland & Scottish regiments of Canada Highland regiments Military units and formations established in 1920 New Glasgow, Nova Scotia Infantry regiments of Canada in World War II Military units and formations in Bermuda in World War II Military regiments raised in Nova Scotia Military units and formations disestablished in 1954 {{Canada-mil-hist-stub