The Royal Canadian Hussars (Montreal) (abbreviated as RCH) is an

armoured reconnaissance Armoured reconnaissance is the combination of terrestrial reconnaissance with armoured warfare by soldiers using tanks and wheeled or tracked armoured reconnaissance vehicles. While the mission of reconnaissance is to gather intelligence about ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

of the

Primary Reserve The Primary Reserve of the Canadian Armed Forces (french: links=no, Première réserve des Forces canadiennes) is the first and largest of the four sub-components of the Canadian Armed Forces reserves, followed by the Supplementary Reserve, the ...

in the

Canadian Armed Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

. It is one of the oldest cavalry regiments in North America, tracing a direct history to the Montreal Volunteer Cavalry formed in the late eighteenth century. Its Colonel-in-Chief is Her Royal Highness, the Princess Royal, and its allied regiment is the

Queen's Royal Hussars The Queen's Royal Hussars (The Queen's Own and Royal Irish) (QRH) is a British armoured regiment. It was formed on 1 September 1993 from the amalgamation of the Queen's Own Hussars and the Queen's Royal Irish Hussars. The regiment and its anteced ...

. Its mission consists of supporting the

Regular Force In the Canadian Armed Forces, a Regular Force unit or person is part of the full-time military, as opposed to being part of the Primary Reserve which has more flexibility. There are many bases and wings across Canada, and factors like trade, career ...

in operational deployments, peacetime tasks, and supporting the civilian authorities.

Lineage

The Royal Canadian

Hussars A hussar ( , ; hu, huszár, pl, husarz, sh, husar / ) was a member of a class of light cavalry, originating in Central Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely ...

(Montreal) derives from the Montreal Volunteer Cavalry (formed in the late eighteenth century). The present regiment perpetuates five

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

units and one armoured unit: the Royal Montreal Cavalry, the 5th Dragoons, the 6th Duke of Connaught's Royal Canadian Hussars (6th DCRCH), the 11th Argenteuil Rangers, the

17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars The 17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars was a light cavalry regiment of the Non-Permanent Active Militia of the Canadian Militia (now the Canadian Army). First organized in 1879 as "A" Squadron of the 6th Duke of Connaught's Royal Can ...

(17th DYRCH), and the

1st Motor Machine Gun Brigade The 26th Armoured Brigade was part of the British Army during the Second World War. History This brigade was converted from the British 1st Motor Machine Gun Brigade on 12 October 1940. It served with British 6th Armoured Division during the No ...

The Royal Canadian Hussars (Montreal)

* Originated on 14 November, 1879, in

Montréal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pea ...

, as the 6th Provisional Regiment of Cavalry. * Redesignated on 18 September, 1885, as the 6th Regiment of Cavalry. * Redesignated on 20 June, 1890, as the 6th Regiment of Cavalry “Duke of Connaught's Royal Canadian Hussars”. * Redesignated on 1 January, 1893, as the 6th “Duke of Connaught's Royal Canadian Hussars”. * Amalgamated on 1 June, 1901, with the 5th Dragoons and Redesignated as the 6th Duke of Connaught's Royal Canadian Hussars. * Amalgamated on 15 December, 1936, with the 1st Armoured Car Regiment and Redesignated as the 6th Duke of Connaught's Royal Canadian Hussars (Armoured Car). * Redesignated on 27 February, 1941, as the 2nd (Reserve) Regiment, 6th Duke of Connaught's Royal Canadian Hussars (Armoured Car). * Redesignated on 1 April, 1941, as the 15th (Reserve) Armoured Regiment, (6th Duke of Connaught's Royal Canadian Hussars). * Redesignated on 4 February, 1949, as the 6th Duke of Connaught's Royal Canadian Hussars (15th Armoured Regiment). * Redesignated on 19 May, 1958, as the 6th Duke of Connaught's Royal Canadian Hussars. * Amalgamated on 16 September, 1958, with the

and Redesignated as The Royal Canadian Hussars (Montreal).

5th Dragoons

* Originated on 30 November 1877, in Cookshire, Quebec, as the 5th Provisional Regiment of Cavalry. * Redesignated on 21 May 1886, as the 5th Regiment of Cavalry. * Redesignated on 1 January 1893, as the 5th Dragoons. * Amalgamated on 1 June 1901, with the 6th "Duke of Connaught's Royal Canadian Hussars" and Redesignated as the 6th Duke of Connaught's Royal Canadian Hussars.

1st Armoured Car Regiment

* Originated on 1 June, 1919, in

, as the 1st Motor Machine Gun Brigade, CMGC. * Redesignated on 1 October, 1936, as the 1st Armoured Car Regiment. * Amalgamated on 15 December, 1936, with the 6th Duke of Connaught's Royal Canadian Hussars and Redesignated as the 6th Duke of Connaught's Royal Canadian Hussars (Armoured Car).

17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars

* Originated on 1 March 1907, in Montréal, Quebec, as The 17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars. * Redesignated on 15 July 1912, as The 17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars "Argenteuil Rangers". * Redesignated on 15 March 1920, as the 17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars. * Redesignated on 11 February 1941, as the 2nd (Reserve) Regiment, 17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars. * Redesignated on 1 April 1941, as the 7th (Reserve) Reconnaissance Battalion, (17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars). * Redesignated on 8 June 1942, as the 7th (Reserve) Reconnaissance Regiment (17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars), CAC. * Redesignated on 2 August 1945, as the 7th (Reserve) Reconnaissance Regiment (17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars), RCAC. * Redesignated on 4 February 1949, as the 17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars (7th Reconnaissance Regiment). * Redesignated on 19 May 1958, as the 17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars. * Amalgamated on 16 September 1958, with the 6th Duke of Connaught's Royal Canadian Hussars and Redesignated as The Royal Canadian Hussars (Montreal).

11th Regiment Argenteuil Rangers

* Originated on 14 June 1862, in

Gore, Quebec Gore is a township municipality in the Canadian province of Quebec, located within the Argenteuil Regional County Municipality. Its main community is Lakefield. Geography Located in the Laurentian Mountains, the township consists of rugged Canad ...

, as the 11th Battalion Volunteer Militia Infantry of Canada or Argenteuil Rangers. * Later Redesignated in the same year as the 11th Battalion of Infantry Argenteuil Rangers. * Redesignated on 8 May, 1900, as the 11th Regiment Argenteuil Rangers. * Disbanded on 15 April, 1912, and Personnel Absorbed by The 17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars and Redesignated as The 17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars "Argenteuil Rangers".

Lineage Chart

Perpetuations

War of 1812

* Canadian Light Dragoons * Company of Guides * Royal Montreal Troop of Volunteer Cavalry * Argenteuil and Vaudreuil Divisions (1812-15)

Pre-Confederation

* No. 1 Troop, Montreal Cavalry (1855)

The Great War

* 1st Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigade, CEF

History

Since the amalgamation, the regiment itself has not been involved in any hostilities but has constantly provided individuals to augment the Regular Force in both

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

and

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

peacekeeping Peacekeeping comprises activities intended to create conditions that favour lasting peace. Research generally finds that peacekeeping reduces civilian and battlefield deaths, as well as reduces the risk of renewed warfare. Within the United N ...

duties as well as domestic operations such as Operation Recuperation during the

Ice Storm of 1998 The North American Ice Storm of 1998 (also known as Great Ice Storm of 1998) was a massive combination of five smaller successive ice storms in January 1998 that struck a relatively narrow swath of land from eastern Ontario to southern Quebec, N ...

. The regiment received its second guidon on December 3, 1974, the 100th anniversary of regimental status and its 135th year as a Canadian cavalry unit. From 1986 to 1990, the regiment won the

Royal Canadian Armoured Corps The Royal Canadian Armoured Corps (RCAC; french: links=no, Corps blindé royal canadien) is the armoured corps within the Canadian Army, including 3 Regular and 18 Reserve Force regimentsThe Regiments and Corps of the Canadian Army (Queen's Printe ...

Buchanan Trophy (the best armour unit in the Eastern and Atlantic Areas) a total of five times and the

Worthington Trophy The Worthington Trophy is a Canadian military award. It was awarded annually to the best reserve armoured unit in the Canadian Land Forces. It is named after Major-General F. F. Worthington, known as ''Fighting Frank'' – "The Father of the Roy ...

(the best armour unit in Canada) a total of three times. In August 1990, the regiment commanded and formed the headquarters and one complete squadron for the first-of-its-kind Militia brigade-level exercise. Exercise En Guard was held at

Canadian Forces Base Gagetown 5th Canadian Division Support Base (5 CDSB) Gagetown, formerly known as and commonly referred to as CFB Gagetown, is a large Canadian Forces Base covering an area over , located in southwestern New Brunswick. Construction of the base At the ...

and included the four armoured units of Secteur de l'Est (RBSE). Shortly afterwards, in September 1990, the regiment sent a 21-man contingent to

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

augmenting the 12^e Régiment blindé du Canada on its United Nations peacekeeping tour of duty. Since 1990 the regiment has deployed troops on UN missions in both

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

and

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...

, as well as providing personnel during the

Oka crisis The Oka Crisis (french: links=no, Crise d'Oka), also known as the Kanehsatà:ke Resistance (), was a land rights, land dispute between a group of Mohawk people and the town of Oka, Quebec, Canada, which began on July 11, 1990, and lasted 78 day ...

and the

ice storm of 1998 The North American Ice Storm of 1998 (also known as Great Ice Storm of 1998) was a massive combination of five smaller successive ice storms in January 1998 that struck a relatively narrow swath of land from eastern Ontario to southern Quebec, N ...

. The unit has also continued to participate in the Noble Lion exercises as part of

Land Force Quebec Area Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of the planet Earth that is not submerged by the ocean or other bodies of water. It makes up 29% of Earth's surface and includes the continents and various islan ...

. On April 1, 1997, The Royal Canadian Hussars (Montreal) became the establishment armoured regiment (tank) for the newly formed 34th Canadian Brigade Group (34 CBG). E organization falls under the command of 34 CBG. In late 2003, the mission of the RCH was changed to fit the restructuring plan of the

Canadian Forces Land Force Command The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases acr ...

. The

troop A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Troop Ro ...

s were converted back to a role of armoured

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

. The regiment comprises two squadrons: B Squadron (combat troops) and C&S Squadron (command and support). On May 1, 2005, the RCH received its third guidon.The Royal Canadian Hussars Change of Guidon and Change of Command May 1st, 2005
/ref> In 2007 seven membersSolidarity with soldiers in Afghanistan, The Maple Leaf – Vol. 10, No. 30, National Defence and the Canadian Forces
of the RCH were deployed to

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

as part of Joint Task Force Afghanistan (JTF AFG) Rotation 4, which included approximately 2330 Canadian Forces members from the Quebec region.Composition of Joint Task Force Afghanistan (JTF AFG) Rotation 4
/ref> From November 2010 to July 2011, six members or the RCH were again deployed in the Kandahar region of Afghanistan as part of the Joint Task Force Afghanistan Rotation 10.

Alliances

* -

The Queen's Royal Hussars The Queen's Royal Hussars (The Queen's Own and Royal Irish) (QRH) is a British Cavalry regiments of the British Army, armoured regiment. It was formed on 1 September 1993 from the amalgamation of the Queen's Own Hussars and the Queen's Royal Irish ...

* -

The Light Dragoons The Light Dragoons (LD) is a cavalry regiment in the British Army. The regiment has a light cavalry role and specialises in mounted and dismounted reconnaissance. The Light Dragoons recruit mainly in Northern England, from the counties of Northu ...

Battle Honours

The War of 1812

* Defence of Canada – 1812–1815 – ''Défense du Canada'' * The non-emblazonable honorary distinction ''Defence of Canada – 1812–1815 – Défense du Canada''

South African War

* South Africa, 1900

The First World War

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 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 ...

, '18 * Flers–Courcelette *

Thiepval Thiepval (; pcd, Tièbvo) is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Thiepval is located north of Albert at the crossroads of the D73 and D151 and approximately northeast of Amiens. Population First World ...

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 *

Vimy, 1917 The Battle of Vimy Ridge was part of the Battle of Arras, in the Pas-de-Calais department of France, during the First World War. The main combatants were the four divisions of the Canadian Corps in the First Army, against three divisions of ...

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 ...

* Passchendaele *

Bapaume, 1918 Bapaume 1918 was a battle honour awarded to units of the British and Imperial Armies that took part in one or more of the following engagements in the Great War:T.F. MillFrance and Flanders(archive of Regiments.org page) *First Battle of Bapaume, 24 ...

* Rosières *

Avre Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers (AVRE), also known as Assault Vehicle Royal Engineers is the title given to a series of armoured military engineering vehicles operated by the Royal Engineers (RE) for the purpose of protecting engineers during ...

* Amiens * Scarpe, 1918 * Drocourt–Quéant *

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 ...

* Canal du Nord *

Cambrai, 1918 The Battle of Cambrai, 1918 (also known as the Second Battle of Cambrai) was a battle between troops of the British First, Third and Fourth Armies and German Empire forces during the Hundred Days Offensive of the First World War. The battle too ...

* Valenciennes *

Sambre The Sambre (; nl, Samber, ) is a river in northern France and in Wallonia, Belgium. It is a left-bank tributary of the Meuse, which it joins in the Wallonian capital Namur. The source of the Sambre is near Le Nouvion-en-Thiérache, in the Aisne ...

France and Flanders 1915–18 The Western Front was one of the main theatres of war during the First World War. Following the outbreak of war in August 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of import ...

The Second World War

* Caen * Falaise *

The Laison ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

* The Scheldt * Breskens Pocket * The Rhineland * The Rhine * Emmerich–Hoch Elten *

Zutphen Zutphen () is a city and municipality located in the province of Gelderland, Netherlands. It lies some 30 km northeast of Arnhem, on the eastern bank of the river Ijssel at the point where it is joined by the Berkel. First mentioned in the 1 ...

Deventer Deventer (; Sallands: ) is a city and municipality in the Salland historical region of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands. In 2020, Deventer had a population of 100,913. The city is largely situated on the east bank of the river IJssel, bu ...

* North-West Europe 1944–1945

War in Afghanistan

* Afghanistan

Notable members

* James Angus Ogilvy, retail store magnate. Donor of the Ogilvy sword, a trophy given yearly to the officer of the year. *

James Ross (Canadian businessman) James Leveson Ross (1848 – 20 September 1913), of Montreal, was a Scottish-born Canadian civil engineer, businessman and philanthropist. He established his fortune predominantly through railway construction, notably for the Canadian Pacific Ra ...

, notable for his role in the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway; appointed Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel of the 17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars in 1900; was also a governor of McGill University and president of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. * Ben Weider, businessman, bodybuilder and Napoleonic historian. * LGen ELM "Tommy" Burns, served in the regiment. He was Canada's military representative at the UN on disarmament for many years. *Lieutenant-Colonel (Retd) Roman Jarymowycz, O.M.M., C.D., Dean and Director of the Militia Command and Staff Course, serving as an instructor for 15 years.Governor General of Canada, Press Release: "''Governor General announces 89 new Appointments to the Order of Military Merit''" on June 27, 2001, and Canada Gazette, Vol. 135, No 35 — September 1, 2001 *

Eric Barry Colonel Eric Lawrence Barry CD GCStJ (1927–2015) was a Canadian Army officer, who served as Lord Prior of the Venerable Order of St John from 2002 until 2008. Honour Ribbon of the Order of St John: * : Venerable Order of St John (GCStJ) * ...

Order of precedence

References

External links

The Royal Canadian Hussars Association Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Royal Canadian Hussars (Montreal) Royal Canadian Hussars Armoured regiments of Canada Hussar regiments of Canada Military units and formations of Quebec Armoured regiments & units of Canada in World War II Military units and formations established in 1877 1877 establishments in Canada