The Mississauga Horse was a

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 ...

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

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 ...

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 ...

). In 1936, they were amalgamated with

The Governor General's Body Guard The Governor General's Body Guard was royal guard regiment of the Canadian Army that formed part of the country's Household Division. The Body Guard was the senior regiment of the Canadian Army and the equivalent of the British Army's Life Guards ( ...

to form

The Governor General's Horse Guards The Governor General's Horse Guards is an armoured reconnaissance regiment in the Primary Reserve of the Canadian Army. The regiment is part of 4th Canadian Division's 32 Canadian Brigade Group and is based in Toronto, Ontario. It is the most se ...

Lineage

* 1 April 1901: Toronto Mounted Rifles formed from J and K Squadrons Canadian Mounted Rifles * 1 April 1903: 9th Toronto Light Horse * 1 May 1905: 9th Mississauga Horse * 15 Mar 1920: The Ontario Mounted Rifles * 1 April 1924: The Mississauga Horse * 15 December 1936: amalgamated with The Governor General's Body Guard, to form The Governor General's Horse Guards

Perpetuations

* 4th Regiment, Canadian Mounted Rifles *

7th Regiment, Canadian Mounted Rifles 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, s ...

216th Battalion (Bantams), CEF The 216th (Bantams) Battalion, CEF was a unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the unit began recruiting in early 1916 throughout Military District 2. After sailing to England in April 191 ...

History

It was originally formed as the Toronto Mounted Rifles at

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

on April 1, 1901, by combining J and K Squadrons of the

Canadian Mounted Rifles Canadian Mounted Rifles was part of the designation of several mounted infantry units in Canada in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Units of the Permanent Active Militia Units formed for the Second Boer War Independent squadrons of ...

with three newly raised companies.The 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles, 1914-1919
/ref> In 1903 the regiment was renamed to the 9th Toronto Light Horse and in 1907 it was renamed to the 9th Mississauga Horse. This was a reference to the First Nation that inhabited the area before the Europeans, the

Mississaugas The Mississauga are a subtribe of the Anishinaabe-speaking First Nations peoples located in southern Ontario, Canada. They are closely related to the Ojibwe. The name "Mississauga" comes from the Anishinaabe word ''Misi-zaagiing'', meaning "hose ...

. The 9th Mississauga Horse contributed many volunteers to 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

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, in particular to the 75th Battalion and the

170th (Mississauga Horse) Battalion, CEF The 170th (Mississauga Horse) Battalion, CEF, was an infantry unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the unit began recruiting during the winter of 1915/16 in that city. Many of the recruit ...

. In 1920 the regiment was renamed The Ontario Mounted Rifles and in 1924 it was renamed The Mississauga Horse. The regimental march was ''

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

''. On 15 December 1936, as part of the 1936 Canadian Militia Reorganization, the regiment was amalgamated with

to form

, an armoured militia (i.e., part-time reservist) regiment, which still exists today as part of

32 Canadian Brigade Group 32 Canadian Brigade Group (32CBG) of the Canadian Army is part of the 4th Canadian Division. It is centred on the Greater Toronto Area, as well as Niagara Region and Brantford. It is headquartered at LCol George Taylor Denison III Armoury in T ...

in Toronto.Canadian Forces Publication A-DH-267-003 Insignia and Lineages of the Canadian Forces. Volume 3: Combat Arms Regiments.

Organization

9th Toronto Light Horse (01 April, 1903)

* A Squadron (Toronto, Ontario) * B Squadron (Toronto, Ontario) * C Squadron (Toronto, Ontario) * D Squadron (Toronto, Ontario)

The Ontario Mounted Rifles (01 May, 1921)

* Regimental Headquarters (Toronto, Ontario) * A Squadron (Toronto, Ontario) * B Squadron (Toronto, Ontario) * C Squadron (Toronto, Ontario)

Battle honours

In 1929 the regiment was awarded battle honours for the Great 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 ...

* Flers-Courcelette *

Ancre Heights The Ancre (; ) is a river of Picardy, France. Rising at Miraumont, a hamlet near the town of Albert, it flows into the Somme at Corbie. It is long. For most of its length it flows through the department of Somme. For a short stretch near P ...

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 *

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 ...

* Scarpe, 1918 *

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 The Canal du Nord (, literally ''Canal of the North'') is a long canal in northern France. The canal connects the Canal latéral à l'Oise at Pont-l'Évêque to the Sensée Canal at Arleux. The French government, in partnership with coal-min ...

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 Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a s ...

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 ...

Notable members

Billy Bishop Air Marshal William Avery Bishop, (8 February 1894 – 11 September 1956) was a Canadian flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial com ...

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

*Brigadier

Leslie Booth Brigadier Eric Leslie Booth, (April 21, 1904 – August 14, 1944) was a Canadian Army officer. Biography Born in Lancaster, England, Leslie Booth was the son of John William Booth and Rose Elizabeth Booth. His father was a veteran of the Fir ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mississauga Horse Cavalry regiments of Canada Military units and formations established in 1901 Military units and formations disestablished in 1936 Military units and formations of Ontario