The Queen's Rangers (1st American Regiment) was a light infantry 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 ...

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 ...

(now the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army () 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 across Canada, and is also re ...

). First organized in 1921 as The West Toronto Regiment, the regiment was reorganized in 1925 as The Queen's Rangers and again in 1927 as The Queen's Rangers (1st American Regiment), assuming the title, insignia and heritage of the

Queen's Rangers The Queen's Rangers, also known as the Queen's American Rangers, and later Simcoe's Rangers, were a Loyalists fighting in the American Revolution, Loyalist military unit of the American Revolutionary War that specialized in cavalry tactics, clo ...

from the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

and early days of

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 ...

. In 1936, the regiment was amalgamated with The York Rangers to form The Queen's York Rangers (1st American Regiment).

Lineage

The Queen's Rangers (1st American Regiment)

* Originated on 15 January 1921, in Toronto, Ontario, as The West Toronto Regiment. * Amalgamated on 1 August 1925, with the 2nd Battalion (35th Battalion, CEF), The York Rangers and redesignated as The Queen's Rangers. * Redesignated on 1 December 1927, as The Queen's Rangers (1st American Regiment). * Amalgamated on 15 December 1936, with The York Rangers and redesignated as The Queen's York Rangers (1st American Regiment) (MG).

History

Great War

On 7 November 1914, the 20th Battalion (Central Ontario), CEF, was authorized for service and on 15 May 1915, the battalion embarked for Great Britain. On 15 September 1915, the battalion disembarked in France where it fought as part of the

4th Canadian Infantry Brigade The 4th Canadian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the Canadian Army active during World War I and World War II. Raised in 1915, the brigade formed part of the 2nd Canadian Division and fought on the Western Front between 1916 and 19 ...

2nd Canadian Division The 2nd Canadian Division (2 Cdn Div; ) is a formation of the Canadian Army in the province of Quebec, Canada. The present command was created 2013 when Land Force Quebec Area was re-designated. The main unit housed in this division is the Roy ...

in France and Flanders until the end of the war. On 30 August 1920, the 20th Battalion was disbanded. On 7 November 1914, the 35th Battalion, CEF, was authorized for service. On 9 February 1915, the battalion was redesignated as the 35th Reserve Battalion, CEF, and on 16 October 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 19 ...

in the field. On 4 January 1917, the battalion’s personnel were absorbed by the 4th Reserve Battalion, CEF. On 8 December 1917, the 35th Battalion was disbanded.

The West Toronto Regiment

Following the end of the First World War, the

Otter Commission The Otter Commission, or Otter Committee, was established after the First World War to tackle a problem created by the chaotic mobilization of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. In 1919, units of the CEF, intended as a wartime expeditionary force, ...

was established to determine how the units of the wartime raised

Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF; French: ''Corps expéditionnaire canadien'') was the expeditionary warfare, expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed on August 15, 1914, following United Kingdom declarat ...

would be perpetuated in the peacetime

. As a result of the commission, a new regiment was formed in the Toronto area, known as ''The West Toronto Regiment''. The new regiment was granted the perpetuation of the 20th Battalion (Central Ontario), CEF, which had served on the Western Front with the 2nd Canadian Division.

The Queen's Rangers (1st American Regiment)

In 1925, new budget cuts and regulations from the Department of National Defence established that no infantry regiment of the militia was to have more than one active battalion. This directly affected another Toronto-based regiment, The York Rangers, which had two active battalions. As such, on 1 August 1925, the 2nd Battalion The York Rangers was amalgamated with The West Toronto Regiment and the newly formed unit was redesignated as ''The Queen’s Rangers'', reviving the heritage of the

commanded by

John Graves Simcoe Lieutenant-General (United Kingdom), Lieutenant-General John Graves Simcoe (25 February 1752 – 26 October 1806) was a British army officer, politician and colonial administrator who served as the lieutenant governor of Upper Canada from 1791 u ...

during the early days of

. This amalgamation also brought with it the additional perpetuation of the wartime 35th Battalion carried over to the new unit. On 1 December 1927,

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. George was born during the reign of his pa ...

formally redesigned the regiment as ''The Queen's Rangers (1st American Regiment)'', and further authorized the regiment to readopt the same badge used by Simcoe’s Rangers back in 1779. On 15 December 1936, as a result of the 1936 Canadian Militia reorganization, The Queen's Rangers (1st American Regiment) was amalgamated with The York Rangers to form The Queen's York Rangers (1st American Regiment) (MG).

Organization

The West Toronto Regiment (15 January 1921)

* Regimental Headquarters (

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 ...

) * 1st Battalion (Toronto) (perpetuating the 20th Battalion, CEF) * 2nd (Reserve) Battalion

The Queen's Rangers (01 August, 1925)

* Regimental Headquarters (Toronto) * 1st Battalion (Toronto) (redesignation of 1st Battalion, The West Toronto Regiment; perpetuating the 20th Battalion, CEF) * 2nd (Reserve) Battalion (redesignation of 2nd Battalion, The York Rangers; perpetuating the 35th Battalion, CEF)

Perpetuations

20th Battalion (Central Ontario), CEF The 20th Battalion (Central Ontario), CEF was a unit of the First World War Canadian Expeditionary Force. Service history The battalion was composed of volunteers from militia units in central Ontario. Much of the unit was drawn from the 12th R ...

35th Battalion, CEF The 35th Battalion, CEF was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the Great War. History The 35th Battalion was authorized on 7 November 1914 and embarked for Britain on 16 October 1915. The battalion was redesignated ...

Alliances

* The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) (until 1936) * 2nd Battalion (The City of Newcastle Regiment) (1934–1936)

Battle honours

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 ...

, '18 * Flers-Courcelette *

Thiepval Thiepval (; ) 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 War The ...

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 Puisi ...

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 *

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 ...

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 ...

* 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 The Battle of the Scarpe was a World War I battle that took place during the Hundred Days Offensive between 26 and 30 August 1918. 26 August The Canadian Corps advanced over 5 kilometres and captured the towns of Monchy-le-Preux and Wancourt. L ...

* Drocourt-Quéant *

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 *

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 ...

* France and Flanders, 1915–18

References

{{Reflist Queen's York Rangers (1st American Regiment) Ranger regiments of Canada Military units and formations of Ontario Military units and formations disestablished in 1936