The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa ( Duke of Edinburgh ' s Own ) The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa ( Duke of Edinburgh ' s Own ) is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces . History . The 1st Volunteer Militia Rifle Company of Ottawa was formed on April 3 , 1856 . At that time , the bulk of Canada ' s militia existed as small , independent companies scattered throughout the provinces . In 1866 , the 43rd Battalion of Infantry ( otherwise known as the Carleton Blazers ) was formed in Bells Corners ( now part of Ottawa ) with companies in many of the surrounding communities and absorbed Ottawa ' s volunteer rifle company . This company is perpetuated to this day as " A " Company of The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa . The 43rd Battalion ' s first call to service came in 1870 when they were deployed to the Prescott area to defend Canada against Fenian raids . They saw no action there and quickly returned to Ottawa . Because they were so spread out , maintaining troop strength was difficult and in 1875 , the regiment was disbanded . In 1881 , the unit was stood up again but this time as the 43rd " Ottawa and Carleton " Battalion of Rifles with the Ottawa volunteer rifle company and a number of other companies located in communities on the Ontario and Quebec sides of the Ottawa River . No 2 Company , 43rd " Ottawa and Carleton " Battalion of Rifles , which was garrisoned in Hull is currently perpetuated by Le Régiment de Hull . Over the next 20 years , the 43rd ' s soldiers would see action in the North - West ( Riel ) Rebellion and in the Second Boer War . However , the battalion sent only volunteers to participate in these conflicts and never deployed formed units . During the Boer War , Private R . R . Thompson won a Queen ' s Scarf , a scarf knitted by Queen Victoria for bravery , for his actions saving wounded soldiers . In 1902 , the regiment so impressed the Duke of Cornwall ( later King George V ) that he became the Camerons ' first honorary colonel and allowed the regiment to bear his name . The regiment was then known 43rd Regiment , Duke of Cornwall ' s Own Rifles . In 1914 , when the First World War began , the unit was mobilized for action . However , once again , the unit did not go overseas as a formed unit . Instead , the unit was used to recruit and train soldiers mostly for the 2nd , 38th , and 207th battalions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force . The Camerons perpetuate the 38th and 207th battalions . The 38th saw action in France from 1916 to 1918 and received many battle honours . The members who served were also well decorated . The 207th left in June 1917 for France and were used as a reserve force for many units . During the interwar years , the 43rd Regiment was reorganized and renamed on several occasions . In March 1920 it was converted from regular infantry to a highland regiment and renamed The Ottawa Regiment ( The Duke of Cornwall ' s Own ) . The regiment was allocated two battalions , the 1st Battalion ( 38th Battalion , CEF ) and the 2nd Battalion ( 207th Battalion , CEF ) ( the 2nd Battalion existed only on paper ) , as a means of retaining the history and honours of the wartime Canadian Expeditionary Force battalions . In 1922 , the 43rd Regiment was renamed The Ottawa Highlanders and in 1933 , it was renamed The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa . " ( M . G . ) " ( for machine gun ) was added to the regimental title in 1936 . Since 1881 the unit has shared the Ottawa , Ontario motto " Advance " . In July 1940 , the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa left for garrison duty in Iceland , which ended in April 1941 when they sailed to England . On 6 June 1944 , the Camerons were the only Ottawa regiment to land on D - Day at Juno Beach . The 1st Battalion consisted of three machine gun companies and one mortar company . Following the landing on D - Day , the regiment fought in almost every battle in the northwestern Europe campaign . However , the battalion ' s soldiers were often attached as platoons and companies in support of other units , so the battalion never fought as an entire entity . During this time , the 2nd Battalion recruited and trained soldiers in Canada for overseas duty . The 3rd Battalion was formed in July 1945 as a part of the Canadian Army Occupation Force in Germany . Since the Second World War , the regiment has remained in Ottawa . It is now a light infantry regiment . Since 1985 , the regiments ' soldiers have served as deployed members on NATO and United Nations missions across the world members of Canadian Forces peacekeeping operations in Bosnia , Kosovo , The Congo , Cyprus , Israel , Somalia , and Syria , among other deployments . Since the deployment of a Canadian troops to Afghanistan , a number of Camerons have served as reserve augmentees to the regular force as part of the NATO ISAF force . Camerons have served in nearly every element of the task force with an infantry presence . They have been involved in a full spectrum of operations , from the intense close combat of Operation Medusa in September 2006 and mentoring and training the Afghan National Army , to less conventional infantry tasks including Civil - Military Cooperation , Psychological Operations , escort of logistical convoys , and force protection duties at ISAF installations . The regiment continues to actively encourage members to volunteer for operational deployments , resulting in more Camerons serving overseas in recent years than in any period since the Second World War . In 2005 , the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa were authorized , as part of the Canadian Forces Land Force Reserve Restructuring ( LFRR ) , to stand up a second rifle company , composed of about 100 soldiers . The Canadian Forces further directed this new rifle company train in the western Ottawa to be more readily accessible to a growing population base in that area . The regiment is composed of two line companies , A Company in the Cartier Square Drill Hall ; B Company in the Lynwood Mall on the south side of Robertson Road in Bells Corners , which is now responsible for all training in co - operation with the NCR Battle School ; and Administration Company , a combined Combat Service Support and Administrative Support company located in Cartier Square Drill Hall , along with the Regimental Headquarters . In August 2013 , the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa were granted the secondary title of Duke of Edinburgh ' s Own Regiment after its Colonel - in - Chief . The Regimental Identity . The regimental motto is " Advance " . The 43rd Ottawa and Carleton Battalion of Rifles was first permitted to adopt the motto " Advance " and to bear the same upon its appointments in accordance with General Order - 82 dated 13 January 1882 . This motto has been perpetuated by all successors to the 43rd , including the regiment today . It is also the motto of the City of Ottawa . The Camerons are proudly known as Ottawa ' s regiment , and they hold the Freedom of the City of Ottawa . The Regimental Badge or crest is laid out as follows : within a wreath of thistles and maple leaves , the figure of St Andrew with cross is shown standing on a mount charged with a plaque inscribed ADVANCE . On the lower bend of the wreath there are two rolls , the upper inscribed THE CAMERON HIGHLANDERS the lower OF OTTAWA ( M . G . ) . A new recruit to the regiment is given their Balmoral bonnet headdress and their Camerons cap badge upon completion of their Soldier Qualification course . Following the completion of their DP1 Infantry course , they are given the blue hackle that sits between the tartan patch and the cap badge , and extends out the top of the badge . The badging ceremony is the point at which the soldier can truly consider themselves a part of the regiment . During the change of command parade in Ottawa on 20 October 2007 , the outgoing Commanding Officer Lieutenant - Colonel " Bud " Walsh presented a new regimental pipe banner for the Pipe Major . In simple terms , a pipe banner is a heraldic flag flown from the large bass drone of the bagpipes . They are used by clan chiefs , chieftains , lairds and military officers of certain rank . Tradition has it that battalion commanders and other senior officers have a ' following ' of soldiers and are thus of the status of a ' laird ' . In a military context , the banner may show the badge of the regiment on one side and a personal device on the other side although the practice varies from regiment to regiment . When the Pipes & Drums are on parade with the Commanding Officer , the Pipe - Major usually carries the Commanding Officer ’ s banner . On more formal events , the Pipe - Major will carry his own banner that represents The Queen ’ s and Regimental Colours . As a Highland regiment , the dress uniform of the Camerons differs from most Canadian Forces regiments . The Camerons wear traditional Scottish Kilts in a tartan unique to the Cameron Highlanders of the Canadian and British forces . The Canadian Forces tunic is cut in a manner that the tunic curves outwards and downwards above where a belt buckle would rest . In addition to the kilt , the soldiers of the Camerons wear a leather sporran , and oxford shoes and lovat hose with red tabs in lieu of ankle boots . Higher orders of dress include white spats , a white sporran ( Hair Sporran for Officers and Senior NCOs ) , and a white belt . The regiment also possesses traditional scarlet uniforms and feather bonnets that are worn for ceremonial purpose such as guard formations and the annual Remembrance Day parade . Many of the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa also wear Regimental rings emblazoned with the Regimental Crest . While most are sterling silver , a few members have had gold rings made using the same pattern . A Regimental Coin was issued in 2007 by the outgoing Commanding Officer Lieutenant - Colonel " Bud " Walsh as a gift to the members and officers serving , and a remembrance of those Camerons who have fallen in the line of duty . The coin , designed by Regimental Sergeant Major ( Chief Warrant Officer ) Jim Seguin , is inscribed with the Regimental Crest on one side , and the Thistle topped by Crown on the reverse with a serial number . Training . The Camerons train regularly at Connaught Ranges in West Ottawa and at CFB Petawawa . Members of the unit can expect to train a minimum of one night a week and one weekend a month . Often , the pace of training requires soldiers to parade more often . Training consists of basic soldier skills , individual battle task standards , and more advanced training operations based on contemporary training doctrine , much of which has been developed in recent years in Afghanistan . In 2006 , the unit underwent a noticeable shift in training focus . New training was conducted in cordon and search operations , urban patrolling , and vehicle checkpoints . There has also been an increased emphasis on high intensity urban fighting . The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa museum . The museum serves as a training medium to teach Regimental history . It preserves Regimental history through the collection of documents , pictures , books , military artifacts , etc . , with particular emphasis on the histories of The Ottawa and Carleton Rifles , The Duke of Cornwall ’ s Own Rifles , the 38th Battalion , CEF , 207th Battalion , CEF , The Ottawa Regiment and The Ottawa Highlanders . The museum serves as a place of military interest for the public and Canadian Forces personnel . It provides research facilities for the study of Canadian military history dating from 1855 in so far as it affects The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa and the regiments it perpetuates . The museum displays and illustrates in an appropriate manner the dress , weapons and customs of the Regiment ’ s military heritage .