The Lorne Rifles (Scottish) was an infantry regiment of the Non-Permanent Active Militia of the Canadian Militia (now the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also respo ...

). First raised in the 1860s, the regiment was known for most of its existence as The Halton Rifles until 1931 when the regiment was renamed as The Lorne Rifles (Scottish). In 1936, the regiment was amalgamated with The Peel and Dufferin Regiment to form The Lorne Scots (Peel, Dufferin and Halton Regiment).

Lineage

The Lorne Rifles (Scottish)

* Originated on 28 September 1866, in

Milton, Ontario Milton (Canada 2016 Census, 2016 census population 110,128) is a town in Southern Ontario, Canada, and part of the Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton Region in the Greater Toronto Area. Between 2001 and 2011, Milton was the fastest growing mun ...

, as the ''20th Halton Battalion of Infantry''. * Redesignated on 12 January 1872, as the ''20th Halton Battalion of Rifles''. * Redesignated on 11 November 1881, as the ''20th Halton Battalion, Lorne Rifles'' * Redesignated on 8 May 1900, as the ''20th Halton Regiment Lorne Rifles''. * Redesignated on 1 December 1909, as the ''20th Regiment, Halton Rifles''. * Redesignated on 1 May 1920, as ''The Halton Rifles''. * Redesignated on 1 November 1931, as ''The Lorne Rifles (Scottish)''. * Amalgamated on 15 December 1936, with ''The Peel and Dufferin Regiment'' and redesignated as ''The Lorne Scots (Peel, Dufferin and Halton Regiment)''.

Perpetuations

37th Battalion (Northern Ontario), CEF The 37th Battalion (Northern Ontario), CEF, was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the Great War. History The battalion was authorized on 7 November 1914 and embarked for Great Britain on 27 November 1915. It provid ...

76th Battalion, CEF The 76th Battalion, CEF was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the Great War. The 76th Battalion was authorized on 10 July 1915 and embarked for Great Britain on 23 April 1916. It provided reinforcements to the Canadia ...

164th Battalion (Halton and Dufferin), CEF The 164th Battalion (Halton and Dufferin), CEF, was a unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. Based in Orangeville, Ontario, the unit began recruiting in late 1915 in Halton and Dufferin Counties. Prior to saili ...

History

Early history

With the passing of the

Militia Act of 1855 The ''Militia Act of 1855'' was an Act passed by the Parliament of the Province of Canada that permitted the formation of an "Active Militia", which was later subdivided into the Permanent Active Militia and the Non-Permanent Active Militia, and ...

, the first of a number of newly-raised independent militia companies were established in and around the

Halton County Halton County is a former county in the Canadian province of Ontario, with an area of . It is also one of the oldest counties in Canada. History Halton County is named after Major William Mathew Halton (1746-1823), a British Army officer, who w ...

region of Canada West (now the Province of Ontario). On 28 September 1866, the ''20th Halton Battalion of Infantry'' was authorized for service by the regimentation of seven of these previously authorized independent militia rifle and infantry companies. Its regimental headquarters was at

, and had companies at Oakville, Stewarttown, Georgetown, Norval, Nelson, Milton and

Acton Acton may refer to: Places Antarctica * Mount Acton Australia * Acton, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Acton, Tasmania, a suburb of Burnie * Acton Park, Tasmania, a suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, formerly known as Acton Canada ...

. On 11 November 1881, the battalion converted to the green-coated rifles organization instead of scarlet-clad line infantry, as the 20th Halton Battalion "Lorne Rifles". The name came from the

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but rather is used through custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some co ...

of the

governor general Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

, John Campbell, Marquess of Lorne.

The Great War

With the outbreak of the First World War, the 20th Halton Rifles as a unit was not mobilized but when 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 ...

was raised in September 1914, drafts from various units were called up and formed into numbered battalions. The 20th Halton Rifles in particular contributed drafts to help form the

4th Battalion (Central Ontario), CEF 4th (Central Ontario) Battalion, CEF was an infantry battalion raised as part of the Canadian Expeditionary Force for service during the First World War. Raised in Canada in September 1914, the battalion sailed to the United Kingdom within weeks ...

as part of the First Canadian Contingent (later the

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 ...

). On 7 November 1914, the ''37th Battalion (Northern Ontario), CEF'' was authorized for service and on 27 November 1915, the battalion embarked for Great Britain. After its arrival in the UK, the battalion provided reinforcements to the

Canadian Corps The Canadian Corps was a World War I corps formed from the Canadian Expeditionary Force in September 1915 after the arrival of the 2nd Canadian Division in France. The corps was expanded by the addition of the 3rd Canadian Division in December ...

in the field. On 9 July 1916, the battalion's personnel were absorbed by the

39th Battalion, CEF The 39th Battalion, CEF, was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the Great War. History The 39th Battalion was authorized on 7 November 1914 and embarked for Great Britain on 17 June 1915. It provided reinforcements ...

. On 21 May 1917, the 37th Battalion, CEF was disbanded. On 10 July 1915, the ''76th Battalion, CEF'' was authorized for service and on 23 April 1916, the battalion embarked for Great Britain. After its arrival in the UK, the battalion provided reinforcements to the Canadian Corps in the field. On 6 July 1916, the battalion's personnel were absorbed by the

36th Battalion, CEF The 36th Battalion, CEF, was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. History The battalion was authorized on 7 November 1914, and recruited in Hamilton, Ontario and the surrounding district. The 36th Battalion embarked for B ...

. On 17 July 1917, the 76th Battalion, CEF was disbanded. On 22 December 1915, the ''164th Battalion (Halton and Dufferin), CEF'' was authorized for service and on 11 April 1917, the battalion embarked for Great Britain. After its arrival in the UK, the battalion provided reinforcements to the Canadian Corps in the field. On 16 April 1918, the battalion's personnel were absorbed by the 8th Reserve Battalion, CEF. On 29 November 1918, the 164th Battalion, CEF was disbanded.

1920s–1930s

On 1 May 1920, as a result of the post-war militia reorganizations following the Otter Commission, the ''20th Regiment, Halton Rifles'' was redesignated as ''The Halton Rifles'' and was reorganized with 3 battalions (2 of them paper-only reserve battalions) to perpetuate the assigned war-raised battalions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. On 1 November 1931, the Scottish connection to the regiment was again restored when The Halton Rifles were reorganized as The Lorne Rifles (Scottish) and received permission from

Niall Campbell, 10th Duke of Argyll Niall Diarmid Campbell, 10th and 3rd Duke of Argyll (16 February 1872 – 20 August 1949) was a Scottish peer and historian, the 10th Duke of Argyll and 25th Chief of Clan Campbell. Background Campbell was the son of Captain Lord Archibald Ca ...

, the senior duke of Scotland, to use his personal crest, the boar's head and tartan trews of his personal tartan, the Ordinary Campbell. On 15 December 1936, as a result of the 1936 Canadian Militia reorganization, ''The Lorne Rifles (Scottish)'' were amalgamated with '' The Peel and Dufferin Regiment'' to form '' The Lorne Scots (Peel, Dufferin and Halton Regiment)''.

Organization

20th Halton Battalion of Infantry (28 September, 1866)

* Regimental Headquarters (

Milton Milton may refer to: Names * Milton (surname), a surname (and list of people with that surname) ** John Milton (1608–1674), English poet * Milton (given name) ** Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel laureate in Economics, author of '' Free t ...

) * No. 1 Company ( Oakville) (first raised on 13 December 1861 as the Oakville Rifle Company) * No. 2 Company ( Stewarttown) (first raised on 9 January 1863 as the Stewarttown Infantry Company; moved on 1 May 1906 to Norval) * No. 3 Company ( Georgetown) (first raised on 30 January 1863 as the Georgetown Infantry Company) * No. 4 Company ( Norval) (first raised on 6 February 1863 as the Norval Infantry Company; moved on 18 September 1885 to

Campbellville Campbellville is a compact rural community in the geographic township of Nassagaweya in the Town of Milton, Regional Municipality of Halton, Ontario, Canada. It is on the Niagara Escarpment and is a tourist destination for residents of the Gre ...

) * No. 5 Company ( Nelson) (first raised on 15 June 1866; moved on 1 March 1887 to Burlington) * No. 6 Company (Milton) (first raised on 15 June 1866; disbanded in 1869) * No. 7 Company (

) (first raised on 6 July 1866; redesignated on 25 November 1870 as No. 6 Company) * No. 8 Company (Nassagewaya) (first raised on 4 December 1866; redesignated on 25 November 1870 as No. 7 Company; moved on 1 September 1871 to Nelson)

20th Regiment, Halton Rifles (1 December, 1909)

* A Company (Oakville) * B Company (Norval) * C Company (Georgetown) * D Company (Campbellville) * E Company (Burlington) * F Company (Acton) * G Company (Milton) * H Company (

Hornby Hornby may refer to: Places In England * Hornby, Lancashire * Hornby, Hambleton, village in North Yorkshire * Hornby, Richmondshire, village in North Yorkshire Elsewhere * Hornby, Ontario, community in the town of Halton Hills, Ontario, Canad ...

; moved on 1 April 1914, to Esquesing)

The Halton Rifles (1 December, 1920)

* Regimental Headquarters (Georgetown) * 1st Battalion (perpetuating the 37th Battalion, CEF) ** A Company (Oakville) ** B Company (Milton) ** C Company (Burlington) ** D Company (Georgetown) * 2nd (Reserve) Battalion (perpetuating the 76th Battalion, CEF) * 3rd (Reserve) Battalion (perpetuating the 164th Battalion, CEF)

Alliances

–

The Royal Ulster Rifles The Royal Irish Rifles (became the Royal Ulster Rifles from 1 January 1921) was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army, first created in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 83rd (County of Dublin) Regiment of Foot and the 86th (Royal County D ...

(1920s–1936)

Battle Honours

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 ...

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 *

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 ...

Notable Members

* Captain

Frank C. Ford Frank C. Ford (March 4, 1873 – March 21, 1965) was a Canadians, Canadian lawyer. He served as Chancellor of the University of Alberta from 1942 to 1946. Biography Ford was born in Toronto in 1873. He attended the University of Toronto and ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lorne_Rifles_(Scottish) Lorne Scots (Peel, Dufferin and Halton Regiment) Rifle regiments of Canada Highland & Scottish regiments of Canada Military units and formations of Ontario Military units and formations disestablished in 1936