Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment explained

Unit Name:The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment
Dates:16 January 1863  - present
Branch:Canadian Army
Type:Line infantry
Role:Light Infantry
Size:Battalion
Command Structure:33 Canadian Brigade Group
Current Commander:LCol Angelo Manzara
Garrison:Belleville, Peterborough, Cobourg
Ceremonial Chief:The Duke of Edinburgh
Ceremonial Chief Label:Colonel-in-Chief
Identification Symbol 2 Label:Tartan
Motto:la|Paratus|prepared
March:Quick: "I'm 95"
Mascot:Chief Petawawa-Much
Battles:
Battle Honours:See
  1. Battle honours
Anniversaries:Pachino Day, 10 July 1943

The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. The regiment is part of 33 Canadian Brigade Group, one of four brigade groups of 4th Canadian Division. The regimental headquarters and one company (A Company, Assoro Company) are at 187 Pinnacle Street in Belleville and on Willmott Street in Cobourg, with another rifle company in Peterborough. The Peterborough Armoury houses what was traditionally B Company or Moro Company. Moro Company also serves as the headquarters for the regiment’s Assault Pioneer Platoon. Normally, the regiment deploys as a composite, Ortona Company, while the headquarters and administration form Somme Company.

In 2017, the Canadian Army assigned the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment the mission task to raise, train, and maintain the assault pioneer combat support capability within the 4th Canadian Division. Since taking on the task, the regiment has trained more assault pioneers than any other unit outside of the Canadian Army’s Combat Training Centre. Hasty P assault pioneers have deployed on training exercises with the 3rd Battalion, the Royal Canadian Regiment and overseas on Operation Unifier.

The commanding officer is Lieutenant-Colonel Angelo Manzara, who took over from Lieutenant-Colonel Marc Gallant on 11 May 2023. Commanding officers normally hold the position for a term of three years. The regimental sergeant major is Chief Warrant Officer Roderick McNeil. The colonel-in-chief is Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, who visited the regiment in June 2005 and received a guard of honour from the regiment during his visit to Old Fort Henry in Kingston in June 2008.

Lineage

9th Anti-Tank Regiment (Self-Propelled) (Argyll Light Infantry), RCA

See main article: article and The Argyll Light Infantry.

The 16th Battalion Volunteer Militia (Infantry) Canada

The 44th (Reserve) Field Regiment, RCA

The 34th Anti-Tank Battery (Self-Propelled), RCA

The 49th Regiment Hastings Rifles

The Midland Regiment

See main article: articles and The Midland Regiment.

Source:[5]

The Durham Regiment

See main article: articles and The Durham Regiment.

Lineage chart

Perpetuations

War of 1812

Prior to the War of 1812 Upper Canada passed the Militia Act of 1808 in anticipation of threats coming from the Americans.[7]

Great War

Operational history

Fenian Raids

The 15th Battalion Volunteer Militia (Infantry), Canada was called out on active service during the 1866 raids by the Fenian Brotherhood on 8 March 1866. The battalion was removed from active service on 27 March 1866 at the conclusion of the emergency.

North West Rebellion

The 15th Battalion Argyll Light Infantry, the 40th Northumberland Battalion of Infantry, the 46th East Durham Battalion of Infantry and The 49th Hastings Battalion of Rifles mobilized a company each for active service with The Midland Battalion on 10 April 1885. The Midland Battalion served in the Alberta Column of the North West Field Force until it was demobilized on 24 July 1885.

Great War

The 9th Brigade, Canadian Field Artillery, CEF, was authorized on 20 January 1916 and embarked for Great Britain on 15 February 1916. The Brigade arrived in France on 14 July 1916, where it fought as part of the 3rd Canadian Divisional Artillery in France and Flanders until the end of the war. The brigade was disbanded on 1 November 1920.

The 39th Battalion, CEF, was authorized on 7 November 1914 and embarked for Great Britain on 17 June 1915. It provided reinforcements to Canadian units in the field until 4 January 1917, when its personnel were absorbed by the 6th Reserve Battalion, CEF.

The 80th Battalion, CEF, was authorized on 10 July 1915 and embarked for Great Britain on 20 May 1916. It provided reinforcements to Canadian units in the field until 30 September 1916, when its personnel were absorbed by units of the 4th Canadian Division.

The 155th (Quinte) Battalion, CEF, was authorized on 22 December 1915 and embarked for Great Britain on 17 October 1916, where it provided reinforcements to Canadian units in the field until 8 December 1916, when its personnel were absorbed by the 154th (Stormont-Dundas-Glengarry) Battalion, CEF. The 39th, 80th and 155th Battalions were all disbanded on 17 July 1917.

The 136th (Durham) Battalion, CEF authorized on 22 December 1915 and embarked for Great Britain on 25 September 1916, where its personnel were absorbed by the 39th Reserve Battalion, CEF on 6 October 1916 to provide reinforcements to Canadian units in the field. The 136th Battalion was disbanded on 22 May 1917.

The 139th (Northumberland) Battalion, CEF, was authorized on 22 December 1915 and embarked for Great Britain on 27 September 1916 where its personnel were absorbed by the 36th Reserve Battalion, CEF on 6 October 1916 to provide reinforcements to Canadian units in the field. The battalion was disbanded on 21 May 1917.

The 254th Battalion (Quinte's Own), CEF, was authorized on 1 May 1917 and embarked for Great Britain on 2 June 1917, where its personnel were absorbed by the 6th Reserve Battalion, CEF, on 10 June 1917 to provide reinforcements to Canadian units in the field. The battalion was disbanded on 15 September 1917.

On 12 March 1920 the 16th Battalion Volunteer Militia (Infantry) Canada was amalgamated with the 49th Regiment Hastings Rifles to form The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment.

Second World War

The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment, CASF, mobilized for active service on 1 September 1939 and was redesignated the 1st Battalion, The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment, CASF, on 7 November 1940. The unit embarked for Great Britain on 22 December 1939, and on 13 June 1940 it went to France as part of the Second British Expeditionary Force, reaching a point beyond Laval before being ordered back to the United Kingdom. It landed in Sicily on 10 July 1943, and in Italy on 3 September 1943, as part of the 1st Canadian Infantry Brigade,1st Canadian Infantry Division. On 10 March 1945, the battalion moved with the I Canadian Corps to northwest Europe, where it fought until the end of the war. The overseas battalion was disbanded on 15 October 1945. On 1 June 1945, a second Battalion of the regiment was mobilized for service in the Pacific theatre of operations as the 2nd Canadian Infantry Battalion (The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment), CASF. The 2nd Battalion was disbanded on 1 November 1945.

Details from The Midland Regiment were called out on service on 26 August 1939 and then placed on active service on 1 September 1939, for local protection duties under the designation The Midland Regiment (Northumberland and Durham), CASF (Details). These details were disbanded on 31 December 1940. The regiment then mobilized The Midland Regiment (Northumberland and Durham), CASF, for active service on 24 May 1940 and was redesignated the 1st Battalion, The Midland Regiment (Northumberland and Durham), CASF, on 7 November 1940. The 1st Battalion served in Canada in a home defence role as part of the Prince Rupert Defences, 8th Canadian Infantry Division. The Battalion embarked for Great Britain on 10 January 1945, where it was disbanded on 18 January 1945 to provide reinforcements to the Canadian Army in the field.

The 34th Field Battery, RCA, and the 32nd (Kingston) Field Battery, RCA, mobilized the 32nd/34th Field Battery, RCA, CASF, for active service on 24 May 1940. This unit was subsequently reorganized as two separate batteries on 1 January 1941, designated as the 32nd (Kingston) Field Battery, RCA, CASF, and the 34th Field Battery, RCA, CASF. On D-Day, 6 June 1944, it landed in Normandy, France, as part of the 14th Field Regiment, RCA, CASF, which fought as a unit of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division in North-West Europe until the end of the war. The overseas battery was disbanded on 2 November 1945. The battery later mobilized the 2nd/34th Field Battery, RCA, CAOF, on 1 June 1945 for service with the Canadian Army Occupation Force in Germany. This battery was disbanded on 28 March 1946.

Cold War

On 4 May 1951, the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment mobilized two temporary Active Force companies designated "E" and "F". "E" Company was reduced to nil strength upon its personnel being incorporated into the 1st Canadian Infantry Battalion for service in Germany with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It was disbanded on 29 July 1953. "F" Company was initially used as a reinforcement pool for "E" Company. On 15 May 1952, it was reduced to nil strength, upon its personnel being absorbed by the newly formed 2nd Canadian Infantry Battalion for service in Korea with the United Nations. "F" Company was disbanded on 29 July 1953.

In 1953 the 2nd Canadian Infantry Battalion became the 4th Battalion, The Canadian Guards.

War in Afghanistan

The regiment contributed personnel to the various Task Forces which served in Afghanistan between 2002 and 2014.[8] The regiment did not contribute sufficient forces to meet the minimum level of 20 per cent of effective strength to qualify for the theatre honour “Afghanistan".[9]

Alliances

Battle honours

In the list below, battle honours in capitals were awarded for participation in large operations and campaigns, while those in lowercase indicate honours granted for more specific battles. Those battle honours followed by a "+" are emblazoned on the regimental guidon.

War of 1812

Honorary distinction:

South African War

Great War

Second World War

Customs and traditions

Fallen members of the regiment are said to have transferred to the White Battalion.

The regiment's mascot is a wooden Indian named Chief Petawawa-Much, who was taken on strength to replace Little Chief, a massive pewter Indian taken from the roof of a canning factory in Picton prior to the regiment's departure for England in 1939. Little Chief was lost during the Battle of France while the regiment evacuated. An unknown individual, in the interest of securing Chief Petawawa-Much's future, got him a social insurance number.

The regiment celebrates Pachino Day on 10 July every year with a spaghetti dinner, traditionally served with the cheapest red wine available. This is to commemorate the unit's participation in the landings in Sicily on 10 July 1943 as part of Operation HUSKY.

In the Warrant Officers' & Sergeants' Mess in Belleville, the footprints of commanding officers can be found on the ceiling of the games room. After a change of command, a pyramid is formed with junior officers on the bottom to hoist the new CO up to the ceiling to make his mark.

The former regimental colour was stolen from its case in the Belleville Armouries in 1960. The staff for it was laid up with the queen's colour at Saint Mary Magdalene Anglican Church in Picton on 4 October 1964. The CO at the time, Lieutenant-Colonel Angus Duffy, refused to wear his cap badge after the theft up until his death, as the colours were his personal responsibility. The former regimental colour has never been located. The current colours were granted to the regiment in 1970.[12]

Notable soldiers

the only soldier of the Canadian Army to be executed for a service offence during the Second World War and was also the last Canadian soldier to be executed. He was executed by firing squad.

Armouries

SiteDate(s)DesignatedLocationProvinceDescription Image
Belleville Armoury, 187 Pinnacle Street1907-8Canada's Register of Historic Places;1992 Recognized – Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings BellevilleOntario
  • Houses The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment, Regimental Headquarters and one company (A Coy/Assoro Coy)
  • This centrally located, low-pitched gambrel-roofed, stone and brick building features a pair of tall towers.
Peterborough Drill Hall
220 Murray Street
1907-8 (completed) David Ewart1989 National Historic Sites of Canada; 1990 Classified on the Register of the Government of Canada Heritage BuildingsPeterborough
44.3087°N -78.3223°W
Ontario"Riding a wave of national price and military enthusiasm following the South African War (1899–1902), the Canadian government embarked on a major reform of the nation's defence system. The new program included an expanded and upgraded militia and the construction of new armouries across the country. Recalling a Baronial style fortress in its turrets, arched troop doors and crenellated roof line, this is one of the largest and best designed examples from this period. It is home to the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment of the Canadian Armed Forces (Reserve)."[15]
Cobourg Armoury, 210 Willmott StreetCobourgOntarioHouses the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment "C Company" or "Cassino Company", in an industrial mall unit.

Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment Museum

Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment Museum
Location:Belleville Armoury, 187 Pinnacle Street in Belleville, Ontario, Canada
Type:Regimental Museum

The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment Museum is located in the Belleville Armoury in Belleville. The museum preserves the history of the militia, specifically theHastings and Prince Edward Regiment, through the collection and preservation of military artifacts and documents of historical significance to the Regiment and its antecedent units.The museum displays and illustrates in an appropriate manner the dress, weapons, and military equipment, and customs of the Regiment's heritage. It serves as a training medium to teach regimental history and to provide a scholarly basis for those studying the history of the militia, the Regiment and its antecedent units, and their historical significance in the Midland District of Ontario. The museum fosters in the local community an interest and sense of pride in the Regiment and its accomplishments.[16]

The museum focuses on the history of the regiment, its activities in different wars, and the effect on area counties. Exhibits include uniforms, weapons, medals, equipment, photographs, and other military and regimental memorabilia. The museum is open several days a week.

The museum is affiliated with: CMA, CHIN, OMMC and Virtual Museum of Canada.

See also

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Luscombe. Stephen. The British Empire, Imperialism, Colonialism, Colonies. 2021-12-26. www.britishempire.co.uk.
  2. Web site: www.canadiansoldiers.com . 2021-11-25 . www.canadiansoldiers.com.
  3. Web site: www.canadiansoldiers.com . 2021-11-25 . www.canadiansoldiers.com.
  4. Canadian Forces Publication A-DH-267-003 Insignia and Lineages of the Canadian Forces. Volume 3: Combat Arms Regiments.
  5. Web site: www.canadiansoldiers.com. 2021-11-25. www.canadiansoldiers.com.
  6. Web site: www.canadiansoldiers.com. 2021-11-25. www.canadiansoldiers.com.
  7. http://www.cobourgmuseum.ca › 2...PDFUPPER CANADA IN 1800 - Cobourg Museum Foundation
  8. Web site: South-West Asia Theatre Honours | Prime Minister of Canada . 2014-05-11 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140512231549/http://pm.gc.ca/eng/news/2014/05/09/south-west-asia-theatre-honours . 12 May 2014 .
  9. Accessed 14 June 2022, https://www.canada.ca/en/news/archive/2014/05/south-west-asia-theatre-honours.html
  10. Canadian Forces General Message 089/23, 23 May 2023: "The theatre honour 'South Africa, 1900' is awarded to the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment"
  11. http://www.canadiansoldiers.com CanadianSoldiers.com accessed 12 August 2014
  12. Web site: Heroic History of the Hastings & Prince Edward Regiment. 20 October 2021.
  13. http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=7231 Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online: BOWELL, Sir MACKENZIE
  14. https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/theglobeandmail/obituary.aspx%3fn=geoffrey-s-cornish&pid=189956738
  15. http://www.ontarioplaques.com/Plaques_PQR/Plaque_Peterborough22.html Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada
  16. A-AD-266-000/AG-001 Canadian Forces Museums –Operations and Administration 2002-04-03