The Algonquin Regiment
The Algonquin Regiment was officially named what after Dec 1965?
The Algonquin Regiment The Algonquin Regiment ( Northern Pioneers ) is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army comprising two companies . A Company is located in North Bay , Ontario , and B Company is located in Timmins , Ontario . The regiment falls under the command of the 4th Canadian Divisions 33 Canadian Brigade Group . Lineage . The Algonquin Regiment . - Originated 1 July 1900 in Sault Ste . Marie , Ontario as the 97th Regiment of Rifles . Sub-units were located in Thessalon , Sudbury and Sturgeon Falls . - Redesignated 1 June 1903 as the 97th Regiment Algonquin Rifles - Redesignated 1 May 1920 as The Algonquin Rifles - Redesignated 15 February 1929 as The Algonquin Regiment - 15 December 1936 , B , C and D Companies amalgamated with The Northern Pioneers , retaining the same regimental designation - Redesignated 7 November 1940 as the 2nd ( Reserve ) Battalion , The Algonquin Regiment - Redesignated 15 February 1946 as The Algonquin Regiment - 1 October 1954 converted to armour and redesignated as The Algonquin Regiment ( 26th Armoured Regiment ) - Redesignated 19 May 1958 as The Algonquin Regiment ( RCAC ) - 19 March 1965 , converted to infantry and redesignated The Algonquin Regiment The Northern Pioneers . - Originated 1 September 1903 in Parry Sound , Ontario as the 23rd Regiment The Northern Fusiliers - Redesignated 1 January 1904 as the 23rd Regiment The Northern Pioneers - Redesignated 1 May 1920 as The Northern Pioneers - Amalgamated 15 December 1936 with The Algonquin Regiment Perpetuations . The Great War . - 122nd Battalion ( Muskoka ) ,CEF - 159th Battalion ( 1st Algonquins ) , CEF - 162nd Battalion ( Parry Sound ) , CEF - 228th Battalion ( Northern Fusiliers ) , CEF - 256th Battalion , CEF Operational history . The Great War . Details of the 23rd Regiment The Northern Pioneers were called out on active service on 6 August 1914 for local protection duties . The 122nd Battalion ( Muskoka ) , CEF was authorized on 22 December 1915 and embarked for Great Britain on 2 June 1917 . There , its personnel were absorbed by the Canadian Forestry Depot , CEF on 10 June 1917 to provide reinforcements . The battalion disbanded on 1 September 1917 . The 159th Battalion ( 1st Algonquins ) , CEF was authorized on 22 December 1915 and embarked for Great Britain on 31 October 1916 . There , its personnel were absorbed by the 8th Reserve Battalion , CEF on 20 January 1917 to provide reinforcements for the Canadian Corps in the field . The battalion disbanded on 27 July 1917 . The 162nd Battalion ( Parry Sound ) , CEF was authorized on 22 December 1915 and embarked for Great Britain on 31 October 1916 . There , its personnel were absorbed by the 3rd Reserve Battalion , CEF and the 4th Reserve Battalion , CEF on 4 January 1917 to provide reinforcements for the Canadian Corps in the field . The battalion disbanded on 15 September 1920 . The 228th Battalion ( Northern Fusiliers ) , CEF was authorized on 15 July 1916 and embarked for Great Britain on 16 February 1917 . There , it was redesignated as the 6th Battalion , Canadian Railway Troops , CEF on 8 March 1917 . The battalion landed in France on 3 April 1917 , where it provided railway construction support on the British sector of the Western Front until the end of the war . The battalion disbanded on 23 October 1920 . The 256th Battalion , CEF was authorized on 1 May 1917 as the 256th Overseas Railway Construction Battalion , CEF , and embarked for Great Britain on 28 March 1917 . There , it was redesignated as the 10th Battalion , Canadian Railway Troops , CEF on 30 May 1917 . It disembarked in France 19 June 1917 , where it provided railway construction support on the British sector of the Western Front until the end of the war . The battalion disbanded on 23 October 1920 . The Second World War . The regiment mobilized as The Algonquin Regiment , CASF for active service on 24 May 1940 . It was redesignated as the 1st Battalion , The Algonquin Regiment , CASF on 7 November 1940 . The battalion initially served in Canada in a home defence role as part of the 20th Infantry Brigade , 7th Canadian Division and in Newfoundland from 7 February 1942 to 6 February 1943 . It embarked for Great Britain on 11 June 1943 and landed in France on 25 July 1944 , as part of the 10th Infantry Brigade , 4th Canadian Armoured Division , and continued to fight in North-West Europe until the end of the war . The overseas battalion disbanded on 15 February 1946 . Post-War : NATO and Korea . On 4 May 1951 , the regiment mobilized two temporary Active Force companies , designated E and F Companies . E Company was reduced to nil strength when its personnel were absorbed into the 1st Canadian Infantry Battalion ( later the 3rd Battalion , The Canadian Guards ) for service in Germany with NATO . It 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 when its personnel were absorbed by the newly formed 2nd Canadian Infantry Battalion ( later the 4th Battalion , The Canadian Guards ) for service in Korea with the United Nations . F Company disbanded on 29 July 1953 . War In Afghanistan . The regiment contributed an aggregate of more than 20% of its authorized strength to the various Task Forces which served in Afghanistan between 2002 and 2014 . History . The Great War . The 97th Regiment ( Algonquin Rifles ) recruited to its full active strength and supplied 12 officers and 251 other ranks to the 15th Battalion , Canadian Expeditionary Force . Captain E.F . Armstrong began recruiting in Nipissing and Sudbury in late 1915 resulting in the formation of the 159th ( First Algonquins ) Battalion . The battalion was mobilized on 5 July 1916 , trained at Camp Borden in Angus , Ontario , during that summer and fall of 1916 , and embarked for England on 1 November 1916 , with a strength of 1,004 men . The battalion remained intact until 20 January 1917 , when it was absorbed into the 8th Reserve Battalion and used to reinforce units already in France and Flanders . As a result of not having enough men at any particular battle , the unit received only the general Great War 1916–1917 battle honour . Following the end of the war the 159th ( First Algonquins ) , 228th ( Northern Fusiliers ) and 256th ( Toronto ) were perpetuated in the Algonquin Rifles . In 1929 , the unit was renamed The Algonquin Regiment . The regiment decided to keep the bull moose symbol of the 97th Regiment ( Algonquin Rifles ) on a redesigned cap badge . In 1936 , A Company in Sudbury was removed from the regiment and amalgamated with the Sault Ste . Marie Regiment to become the Sault Ste . Marie and Sudbury Regiment ( MG ) , and the Northern Pioneers were amalgamated into The Algonquin Regiment . Second World War . When war broke out the Algonquin Regiment was only 250 men strong . Recruitment and training soon became their primary concern . The regiment recruited from an area extending from Bracebridge and Parry Sound to the south and Timmins and Cochrane to the north . It was not until 22 July 1940 , that the regiment went into active service . On 4 September 1940 , the first battalion loaded up , the Algonquin Regiment ( Active Force ) , and arrived at Camp Borden three days later . There was not enough space , however , for training exercises and they were moved to Current River Camp in Port Arthur , Ontario and again to Camp Shilo in Manitoba on 4 June 1941 . The regiment was transferred to Niagara-on-the-Lake and assigned guard duty on the Niagara and Welland canals in November 1941 , before finally being asked for their first draft for overseas enforcements on 14 January 1942 . In February 1942 , the regiment was transferred to Newfoundland and assigned protection duties at Torbay airport and Cape Spear . In January 1943 , the regiment was chosen for operations overseas , was moved to Debert Camp in Nova Scotia and , for administration purposes , was assigned to the 20th Brigade of the Seventh Canadian Infantry Division . The regiment embarked on the RMS Empress of Scotland in Halifax on 10 June 1943 , and sailed the following day for England with a complement of 4,500 troops . Upon arriving in Liverpool the regiment proceeded to Heathfield and was made part of the 10th Canadian Infantry Brigade of the Fourth Canadian ( Armoured ) Division . On 16 July 1944 , an advance party left for Normandy , France , with the regiment as a whole arriving a couple of days later . The morning of July 25 , 1944 , all four companies of the Algonquin Regiment landed on Juno Beach where , in the following days , learnt of their ensuing mission to support the 4th Canadian ( Armoured ) Division in closing the Falaise Gap . August 9 , 1944 , the regiment , supporting BCR ( British Columbia Regiment ) , jointly forming Worthington Force were tasked with taking Hill 195 , taking an unfortunate wrong turn at 02:00 hours they ended up four miles east of Hill 195 , closer to Hill 140 , deep in German territory . The regiment suffered heavy losses with total casualties of 128 men and 47 tanks . The leader of the force , BCR commander Lt . Col Don Worthington , was killed and the Algonquins commander , Lt . Col . Art Hay , was seriously wounded . R.S.M . A . J . Primeau was killed by the same mortar bomb that seriously wounded Hay . Leading up to August 31 , 1944 , the Algonquin Regiment , moving within the Fourth CAD , were tasked with filling the gap to the south at Hill 240 , fighting alongside the Polish Armoured Division . The period from August 31 to September 8 was a period of rapid movement into Belgium , halted on the eighth at the Ghent - Brugge Canal . Fighting , all day and suffering multiple setbacks resulting in numerous casualties across all the regiments , ended September 10 with the Allies across the Ghent - Brugge Canal after holding back the German counterattacks . A few days later the attempt of the regiment to cross the Leopold Canal was successfully repelled at Moerkerke by the German 245 Infantry Division . The Canadians pulled back after a tremendous covering artillery barrage . The regiment continued with the Fourth Division north out of Belgium into the Netherlands in a progression of battles for the north shore of the Sheldt area eventually leading to the liberation of Welberg and Steenbergen . The operation to liberate Welberg was initiated on October 31 , 1944 , however with D Coy resting , all A , B and C coys fell short of their objectives facing massive German counterattacks . Fighting continued on until November 1 when the regiment retreated back to a few km outside of Welberg . On November 2 they launched their second attack , this time along the right side of the town , fighting continued throughout the night . By the end of November 3 all four coys had reached their target objectives and succeeded in the liberation of Welberg . From November 5 to 8 the Algonquin Regiment rested in the Steenbergen area , the period proceeding became known as the winter war ( November 1944-February 1945 ) . Leading into Operation Blockbuster , this dislodgment of the German hinge in Hochwald on February 27 , fighting to close the Hochwald gap began by midday of March 3 , 1945 , the allies had completed their objectives . Over the next couple of months , the Algonquin Regiment continued to fight , as they had been the entire war , under the Cnd Fourth Division crossing the Rhine with the last round-up ( April 16-May 4 ) and cease-fire called just past Rastede Germany . As of January 1946 , the Algonquin Regiments final death toll was 65 officers and 1235 other soldiers . On 23 June 2016 , the regiments name was changed to The Algonquin Regiment ( Northern Pioneers ) . 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 in bold type are emblazoned on the regimental colour . Alliances . - - The Rifles Recognition . The Freedom of the City was exercised by The Algonquin Regiment in Timmins , Ontario on Sept 22 , 2012 , and on Sept 22 , 1977 . Media . - I’ve Had Good Innings by Paul A Mayer , OBE , GM , CD . Renfrew,ON:General House Publishing ( autobiography of Paul Mayer who served in The Algonquin Regiment during World War Two ) . - Sons of the Pioneers : Memories of Veterans of the Algonquin Regiment by John Macfie . Parry Sound , ON : The Hay Press , 2001 - Warpath : The Story of the Algonquin Regiment 1939-1945 by G . L . Cassidy , Cobalt ON : Highway Book Shop ( 1990 ) Music . Molly by Honorary Chaplain Edward H . Capp , published in Ottawa by Orme & Son , circa 1906 was dedicated to the 97th Regiment , Canada ( Algonquin rifles ) . First line : Hear the tramp of soldiers marching Chorus : One kiss , Molly eer I go External links . - The Algonquin Regiment History