The Governor General's Body Guard was a
royal guard regiment of the
Canadian Militia
The Canadian Militia is a historical title for military units raised for the defence of Canada. The term has been used to describe sedentary militia units raised from local communities in Canada; as well as the regular army for the Province of Ca ...
that formed part of the country's
household troops
The Household Division forms a part of the British Army's London District and is made up of five regiments of foot guards and two Household Cavalry regiments. The division is responsible for performing public duties and state ceremonies in Londo ...
. The Body Guard was the senior regiment of the
Non-Permanent Active Militia
The Non-Permanent Active Militia (NPAM) was the military reserve force of Canada from 1855 to 1940. It was composed of several dozen infantry battalions (redesignated as regiments in 1900) and cavalry regiments. After the withdrawal of British ...
and the equivalent of the British Army's
Life Guards and
Royal Horse Guards
The Royal Regiment of Horse Guards, also known as the Blues, or abbreviated as RHG, was one of the cavalry regiments of the British Army and part of the Household Cavalry. In 1969, it was amalgamated with the 1st The Royal Dragoons to form the ...
. In 1936 the regiment amalgamated with the
Mississauga Horse to become the
Governor General's Horse Guards
The Governor General's Horse Guards is an armoured cavalry 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 senior re ...
.
Lineage
The Governor General's Body Guard
* Originated in 1810 as Button's Troop
* Formed on 16 August 1822 as the York Dragoons from the 1st West York Regiment of Volunteer Infantry
* Redesignated in 1837 as the Queen's Light Dragoons for duty during the 1837 rebellion
* Separated in 1839 as an independent unit from its parent infantry battalion
* Redesignated on 27 December 1855 as the 1st Toronto Troop of The Volunteer Militia Cavalry of the County of York
* Redesignated on 27 April 1866 as The Governor General's Body Guard for Upper Canada
* Redesignated on 1 July 1867 as The Governor General's Body Guard for Ontario
* Reorganized on 5 May 1876 as a two troop squadron
* Reorganized on 17 May 1889 as a full regiment
* Redesignated on 13 July 1895 as The Governor General's Body Guard
* Amalgamated on 15 December 1936 with The Mississauga Horse and redesignated as the Governor General's Horse Guards
History
Early history
The regiment dates as far back as 1822 in
York, Upper Canada
York was a town and the second capital of the colony of Upper Canada. It is the predecessor to the Old Toronto, old city of Toronto (1834–1998). It was established in 1793 by Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe as a "temporary" location fo ...
(now
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
). For the remainder of the 19th century this troop was recognized as the cavalry of the city of Toronto. It has links to the 1st York Light Dragoons formed in 1810 by
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
(later
Major
Major most commonly refers to:
* Major (rank), a military rank
* Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits
* People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames
* Major and minor in musi ...
)
John Button or Button's Troop (commanded until 1831). Also known as 'Denison's Troop', it began as the York Dragoons under the command of
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
George Taylor Denison I
Captain George Taylor Denison (29 December 1783 – 18 December 1853) was a British-born landowner, military officer and community leader in Upper Canada (later Canada West).
Life and career
He was born in England, the son of Captain John Deniso ...
. Under the Militia Act of 1793, service in the militia was mandatory for all healthy male citizens aged 16 to 60 years. Like most militia in Canada during this period, the Dragoons were raised and financed by wealthy gentry, in this case the Denison family, as volunteers were not part of a regular army. The Dragoons began as a local mounted infantry
company
A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...
linked to the parent West York Regiment of Militia. This peculiar organization was a practice that started during the American Revolution with the Loyalist militia regiment the "Queen's York Rangers". Light cavalry was needed to provide dispatch duty, scouting, flank protection and picketing for the infantry battalion. Full militia cavalry regiments were too expensive to operate and large scale cavalry operations were of little use in the dense forests of eastern North America. The cavalry troop was sufficient to serve the purpose and militia infantry were allowed to raise cavalry troops under the Militia Act of 1808. This unit, like many local military units, was made up of volunteers and formed to supplement the presence of
British Army
The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
units in
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the Province of Queb ...
. The company or troop broke from the parent infantry battalion and became an independent troop of cavalry in 1839.
The troop was one of only two fully uniformed militia units to rally to the flag with the threat of unrest and rebellion within the colony, in 1837. The troop was given new uniforms, fully armed and redesignated the "Queens Light Dragoons" (QLD). Operating alongside the local Markham Troop, forming a squadron, the QLD participated in a number of actions during the rebellion to include Gallows Hill, Navy Island and Town of Scotland. The Toronto troop was on active service for several months during this crisis.
In 1866, the troop was the only cavalry in Upper Canada to be placed on active duty, engaged and employed against the Fenian Irish Republican Army invasion from the United States. The troop lead Col Peacock's Column to meet the Fenian force along the Niagara Peninsula as scouts. The troop was the first unit to enter and relieve the town of Fort Erie - capturing several Fenians before they escaped across the Niagara River. The Fenian force was defeated and many of its members arrested by Canadian and American authorities.
By the mid-19th century,
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales
* The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...
began to pull its army out of Canada for the Crimea War and the need to establish a Canadian army became clear. With the enactment of the Militia Act of 1855, the Canadian Militia Department was established. Under the act, the Canadian Militia unit establishment was drafted by the new department. Local militia units for the first time were recognized as standing units to become a more critical part of the defence of Canada. In 1847 the unit was gazetted and became known as the 1st Toronto Independent Troop of Cavalry. It was renamed again in 1855 as the 1st Troop of Volunteer Militia Cavalry of the County of York and placed on the Militia list 27 Sept 1855. In 1866 it was renamed 1st York Troop The Governor General's Body Guard for Upper Canada and in 1867 became The Governor General's Body Guard for Ontario. After British forces completely left Canada in 1870 the Canadian Government raised a small regular force and began to look at reorganizing the Militia cavalry into full regiments. Most of the independent troops across the country were amalgamated into numbered regiments of dragoons or hussars during the 1870s. The GGBG was the only non-numbered corps and was expanded to squadron strength in 1876. With a final rationalization of the Canadian Cavalry Corps in 1889, the GGBG was brought to full regimental strength with the amalgamation of the local Markham and Oak Ridges Troops of the 2nd Regiment of Cavalry (later the
2nd Dragoons). The name was changed a final time in 1895 to The Governor General's Body Guard of Canada.
North-West Rebellion
The GGBG was mobilized as a full squadron and participated in putting down the
North-West Rebellion
The North-West Rebellion (), was an armed rebellion of Métis under Louis Riel and an associated uprising of Cree and Assiniboine mostly in the District of Saskatchewan, against the Government of Canada, Canadian government. Important events i ...
in 1885 as rear-area security for General
Frederick Dobson Middleton
Sir Frederick Dobson Middleton (4 November 1825 – 25 January 1898) was a British general noted for his service throughout the Empire and particularly in the North-West Rebellion in Canada.
Imperial military career
Middleton was born in Lo ...
's force. The squadron's task was to protect the main supply route for the force in place with routine patrols from the rail line to Batoche and to secure the only supply depot and telegraph station at
Humboldt. A fort was built, consisting of an earthen berm, around the telegraph station and named "Fort Denison" after the squadron's commander, Lieutenant-Colonel
George Taylor Denison III
Lieutenant-Colonel George Taylor Denison III, FRSC (31 August 1839 – 6 June 1925) was a Canadian lawyer, military officer and writer.
Life and career
He was born in Toronto to Colonel George Taylor Denison II, and educated at Upper C ...
. Middleton's force defeated the Métis at Batoche.
South African War
The GGBG, as a regiment, supplied some 50 men to augment the small Canadian Regular Army for service in South Africa in 1900. Lieutenant
Hampton Cockburn earned the Victoria Cross while serving as a volunteer with the Royal Canadian Dragoons during the war.
Great War
The GGBG, like all of the militia during the First World War, was not activated for duty, but rather assisted in raising numbered battalions for the Canadian Expeditionary Force and recruiting to fill the CEF ranks. Thousands of Toronto's citizens were recruited through the GGBG for service in the trenches. The GGBG supplied soldiers for the
3rd Bn,
2nd Bn, 4th
CMR,
216th Bn,
124th Bn to name a few.
1920s–1930s
In 1936 the regiment was amalgamated with
The Mississauga Horse to become the
Governor General's Horse Guards
The Governor General's Horse Guards is an armoured cavalry 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 senior re ...
.
Campaigns
*
Rebellions of 1837–1838
The Rebellions of 1837–1838 (), were two armed rebellion, uprisings that took place in Lower Canada, Lower and Upper Canada in 1837 and 1838. Both rebellions were motivated by frustrations with lack of political reform. A key shared goal was r ...
/
Upper Canada Rebellion
The Upper Canada Rebellion was an insurrection against the Oligarchy, oligarchic government of the British colony of Upper Canada (present-day Ontario) in December 1837. While public grievances had existed for years, it was the Lower Canada Rebe ...
*
Fenian Raids 1866
*
North-West Rebellion
The North-West Rebellion (), was an armed rebellion of Métis under Louis Riel and an associated uprising of Cree and Assiniboine mostly in the District of Saskatchewan, against the Government of Canada, Canadian government. Important events i ...
1885
*
Boer War
The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic an ...
(1899)
*
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
1914–1918
Organization
The Governor General's Body Guard for Ontario (17 May 1889)
* A Troop (
York, Ontario
York is a district and former city within Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located northwest of Old Toronto, southwest of North York
North York is a former township and city and is now one of the six administrative districts of Toronto, ...
)
* B Troop (York, Ontario)
* C Troop (
Oak Ridges, Ontario
Oak Ridges is an Unincorporated area#Canada, unincorporated community of Richmond Hill, Ontario, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, and has been part of the city since 1971. It forms the northern portion of the municipality's boundary, where it bord ...
) (redesignation of No. 2 Troop,
2nd Regiment of Cavalry)
* D Troop (
Markham, Ontario
Markham () is a city in Regional Municipality of York, York Region, Ontario, Canada. It is approximately northeast of Downtown Toronto. In the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 Census, Markham had a population of 338,503, which ranked it the largest in ...
) (redesignation of No. 3 Troop, 2nd Regiment of Cavalry)
The Governor General's Body Guard (01 March, 1921)
* Regimental Headquarters (
Toronto, Ontario
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
)
* A Squadron (Toronto, Ontario)
* B Squadron (Toronto, Ontario)
* C Squadron (Toronto, Ontario)
Battle honours
North-West Rebellion
*
North West Canada, 1885
South African War
*
South Africa, 1899–1900
Great War
*
Mount Sorrel
The Battle of Mont Sorrel (Battle of Mount Sorrel) was a local operation in World War I by three divisions of the German 4th Army and three divisions of the British Second Army in the Ypres Salient, near Ypres in Belgium, from 2 to 13 June ...
*
Somme, 1916
The Battle of the Somme (; ), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and the French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 Nove ...
*
Flers-Courcelette
*
Ancre Heights
*
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 We ...
,
'18
*
Vimy, 1917
*
Ypres, 1917
The Third Battle of Ypres (; ; ), also known as the Battle of Passchendaele ( ), was a campaign of the First World War, fought by the Allies against the German Empire. The battle took place on the Western Front, from July to November 1917, f ...
*
Hill 70
The Battle of Hill 70 took place in the First World War between the Canadian Corps and attached units against 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-Ca ...
*
Passchendaele
*
Amiens
Amiens (English: or ; ; , or ) is a city and Communes of France, commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme (department), Somme Departments of France, department in the region ...
*
Scarpe, 1918
*
Hindenburg Line
The Hindenburg Line (, Siegfried Position) was a German Defense line, defensive position built during the winter of 1916–1917 on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front in France during the First World War. The line ran from Arras to ...
*
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 in Pont-l'Évêque to the Sensée Canal in Arleux. The French government, in partnership with coal-min ...
*
Cambrai, 1918
*
Valenciennes
Valenciennes (, also , , ; ; or ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department, Hauts-de-France, France.
It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced ...
*
Sambre
The Sambre () 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 department. ...
*
France and Flanders, 1915–18
Notable members
* Major
Hampden Cockburn, :
Boer War
The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic an ...
, with the
Royal Canadian Dragoons
The Royal Canadian Dragoons (RCD) is the senior armoured regiment of the Canadian Army by precedence. It is one of three armoured regiments in the Regular Force and forms part of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps.
The colonel-in-chief of the ...
* Captain
George Taylor Denison
Captain George Taylor Denison (29 December 1783 – 18 December 1853) was a British-born landowner, military officer and community leader in Upper Canada (later Canada West).
Life and career
He was born in England, the son of Captain John Deniso ...
: first organized the preceding York Dragoons in 1822 and commanded the unit during the
Upper Canada Rebellion
The Upper Canada Rebellion was an insurrection against the Oligarchy, oligarchic government of the British colony of Upper Canada (present-day Ontario) in December 1837. While public grievances had existed for years, it was the Lower Canada Rebe ...
* Colonel
George Taylor Denison II: served in the Upper Canada Rebellion and later commanded the Toronto garrison during the 1866
Fenian Raids
* Lieutenant Colonel
George Taylor Denison III
Lieutenant-Colonel George Taylor Denison III, FRSC (31 August 1839 – 6 June 1925) was a Canadian lawyer, military officer and writer.
Life and career
He was born in Toronto to Colonel George Taylor Denison II, and educated at Upper C ...
, : commanded the regiment during against the
Fenian Raids and the
North-West Rebellion
The North-West Rebellion (), was an armed rebellion of Métis under Louis Riel and an associated uprising of Cree and Assiniboine mostly in the District of Saskatchewan, against the Government of Canada, Canadian government. Important events i ...
* Lieutenant Colonel
Frederick Charles Denison
Frederick Charles Denison Order of St Michael and St George, CMG, MP (November 22, 1846 – April 15, 1896) was a Canadians, Canadian militia officer, lawyer, and politician.
Biography
Born near Toronto, Ontario, Denison was educated Upper Ca ...
, : Commanded the
Canadian Voyageurs on the
1884 Nile Expedition
* Lieutenant Colonel
William Hamilton Merritt III: served in the North-West Rebellion and the Boer War
* Brigadier General
James H. Elmsley,
* Colonel
John Everett Lyle Streight,
See also
*
References
External links
Canadian Military Heritage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Governor General's Body Guard
Governor General's Horse Guards
Canadian ceremonial units
Canadian Militia units of The North-West Rebellion
Military units and formations disestablished in 1936
British colonial regiments
Military units and formations of Ontario