Royal Winnipeg Rifles The Royal Winnipeg Rifles ( R Wpg Rif ) are a Primary Reserve one - battalion infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces . Nicknamed the " Little Black Devils " , they are based at Minto Armouries in Winnipeg , Manitoba . The Royal Winnipeg Rifles are part of 3rd Canadian Division ' s 38 Canadian Brigade Group . History . The 90th Winnipeg Battalion of Rifles were formed on 9 November 1883 under the command of Lieutenant Colonel William Nassau Kennedy . Within two years of formation , the 90th battalion served in the 1885 North - West Rebellion , fighting at Fish Creek and Batoche . The regimental Latin motto is " Hosti Acie Nominati " , which means “ named by the enemy in battle ” . After the Battle of Fish Creek during the North - West Rebellion of 1885 , a captured Métis asked , " The red coats we know , but who are those little black devils ? " , a reference to the fact that while infantry of the line wore red coats , the Winnipeg soldiers were clad in traditional rifle green . From that point on , the 90th Rifles ( and later Royal Winnipeg Rifles ) became informally nicknamed the " Little Black Devils " . Some former members of the 90th Rifles served in South Africa during the Boer War as members of other Canadian units , resulting in the award of the South Africa 1899 - 1900 battle honour . The regiment raised several battalions for the Canadian Expeditionary Force in the Great War , the most notable being the 8th ( 90th Rifles ) Battalion , Canadian Expeditionary Force , which served in the 2nd Infantry Brigade , 1st Canadian Division . The Battalion saw some of the heaviest fighting in World War I , distinguishing itself at battles such as Ypres , the Somme , Vimy , Passchendaele , Amiens , Arras and Cambrai . Three members of the 8th battalion were awarded Canada ' s highest honour for gallantry in the face of the enemy , the Victoria Cross . In the 1920 reorganization of the Canadian Militia following the report of the Otter Committee , the regiment ' s former designation as 90th Regiment was dropped and became known as The Winnipeg Rifles . In 1935 the unit was awarded the prefix ' Royal ' for its distinguished service to Her Majesty , and the current designation of The Royal Winnipeg Rifles ( R Wpg Rif ) was adopted . In World War II the regiment landed in England in September 1940 . As part of the 7th Infantry Brigade , 3rd Canadian Division , the Rifles were in the first wave of landings on D Day , 6 June 1944 . The Royal Winnipeg Rifles fought throughout the Normandy campaign , fighting in famous battles such as Caen and the Falaise Gap . After helping liberate several of the Channel Ports , the Regiment fought to clear the Scheldt Estuary to allow the re - opening of the Antwerp harbour . After helping to liberate the Netherlands , the Regiment ended the war preparing to assault the northern German town of Aurich . Three battalions of the regiment served during the Second World War . The 1st Battalion served in the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division , the 2nd Battalion was a reserve unit that remained on part - time duty in Winnipeg , and a 3rd Battalion served in the Canadian Army Occupation Force . The 1st Battalion were among the first Allied troops to land on the Normandy beaches on D - Day . They served throughout the Northwest Europe campaign , including the Battle of the Scheldt , the Rhineland , and the final battles across the Rhine , before returning to Canada in 1945 . The 3rd Battalion was raised in 1945 and remained in Germany until 1946 . In 1950 the regiment helped the civil authority during the Winnipeg flood during Operation RED RAMP . During 1951 - 53 , they provided men to the 1st Canadian Rifle Battalion for NATO duty with 27th Brigade Group in Germany . Members of the Regiment also served with other units during the Korean conflict . In 1955 the Winnipeg Light Infantry amalgamated with The Royal Winnipeg Rifles bringing together the histories and traditions of two military units with no change in designation . On 6 June 1964 , a commemorative D Day monument was erected on the beaches at Courcelles - sur - Mer . In 1978 Prince Charles , The Prince of Wales , became the Colonel - in - Chief of the regiment . Subsequently , a contingent of Rifles attended the wedding of HRH Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer on 29 July 1983 . In 1983 The Royal Winnipeg Rifles , celebrated a one hundred years of military service to Canada with numerous events and an official postage stamp . The regiment has recently contributed numerous soldiers to overseas deployments in the Balkans and to Canadian operations in Afghanistan . As of 2009 , the Royal Winnipeg Rifles and the Queen ' s Own Cameron Highlanders ( both stationed at Minto Armoury ) have been merged into the Winnipeg Infantry Tactical Group ( Wpg Inf Tac Grp , or WITG ) . Both infantry regiments still retain a large majority of their traditions but now have a mixed and fully cooperative chain of command with only one commanding officer ( CO ) for both units . The Royal Winnipeg Rifles perpetuate the 91st " Winnipeg " Battalion of Light Infantry of 1885 - 1888 and the 8th , 10th , 27th , 44th , 61st , 90th , 101st , 144th , 190th , 203rd , 222nd and 226th Battalion ( s ) , Canadian Expeditionary Force . Lineage . Lineage of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles : Traditions . The Royal Winnipeg Rifles follow the traditions of rifle regiments throughout Great Britain and the Commonwealth . Thus they do not have a stand of regimental colours and march " at the double " : the traditional rate of 140 paces a minute . Rifles are usually carried " at the trail " . Battle honour s are borne on the cap badge and drums . The Royal Winnipeg Rifles badge depicts a devil carrying a trident and in imitation of a rifleman ' s role on the battlefield , he is depicted as running . As is also traditional in rifle regiments for reasons of concealment , buttons and badges are " blackened " or darkened and are not polished . The formal rank designation of a trained Private ( one chevron ) of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles is " Rifleman " . The regimental band ' s drums are emblazoned with the unit ' s battle honours . The regimental Pioneers form the escort to the colours when on parade . The Pioneers wear leather aprons and carry special tools and weapons : axes or hatchets , picks , and halberds . Along with the Pioneers there are also Skirmishers who wear the traditional uniform of a 90th Battalion rifleman circa 1885 . The Skirmishers often appear in ceremonies and memorials such as Remembrance Day and events . The regimental march of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles is " Pork , Beans and Hard Tack ( Old Solomon Levi ) " and the double quick march is " The Keel Row " . Recognition . On 10 November 1983 Canada Post issued ' The Royal Winnipeg Rifles , The Royal Canadian Dragoons as part of the Canadian Forces , Regiments , 1883 - 1983 series . The stamps were designed by Ralph Tibbles , based on a painting by William Southern . The 32¢ stamps are perforated 13 . 5 x 13 and were printed by Canadian Bank Note Company , Limited . Battle honours . Battle honours in CAPITALS are displayed on the cap badge Royal Canadian Army Cadets . The RWR has an army cadet corps of the same name , Royal Winnipeg Rifles Cadet Corps , formed in 1947 . The cadet corps is based at Minto Armoury in Winnipeg . ( Winnipeg Light Infantry ) Royal Winnipeg Rifles Regimental Museum . The museum preserves the history of the Regiment through the collection , preservation and display of military artifacts , pictures , books , documents etc . , which pertain to the Regiment and commencing with the Red River Expedition of 1870 to the present . The museum provides the Battalion with a training facility for teaching Regimental history . The museum stimulates and fosters within the general public , an interest and sense of pride in the Regiment , its activities and accomplishments . The museum is affiliated with : CMA , CHIN , OMMC and Virtual Museum of Canada .