The Princess of Wales ' Own Regiment The Princess of Wales ' Own Regiment ( PWOR ) is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces . History . The regiment was created on 16 January 1863 as the 14th Battalion Volunteer Militia Rifles of Canada from the amalgamation of Kingston , Ontario ’ s seven independent rifle companies . Shortly after the wedding of the Prince of Wales ( later Edward VII ) to Princess Alexandra of Denmark , the regiment asked for and was given permission to become The Princess Of Wales ’ Own Regiment . During the Fenian Raid of 1866 , when the Irish extremists attempted to bring Britain to her knees by attacking Canada , the regiment was called to active duty , both to Niagara and later to Cornwall . The band mace presented to the regiment by its officers " In Remembrance of Cornwall " is in the museum . In 1885 , during the Riel Rebellion the PWOR was again activated , but not for field service in the West , as it had hoped . It was destined for garrison duties at Tete - du - Pont Barracks ( now Fort Frontenac ) and Fort Henry . The Boer War , in South Africa , in 1899 , again brought members of the 14th to the Colours . A number of members served in various units and because of the 14th ’ s contribution , “ South Africa 1900 ” became the first battle honour . As a matter of interest , a PWOR officer by the name of Major Wallace Bruce Matthews Carruthers , made his own way to South Africa , after being turned down for South Africa service , in Canada . He was " signed - on " as a Lieutenant and distinguished himself sufficiently that he was asked to join the regular force . When he returned to Canada , he was asked to set up the Canadian Signal Corps . The outbreak of World War I in 1914 resulted in a response by members of the regiment that was quite remarkable . Very quickly a contingent of 80 men was formed under Captain George T . Richardson , ( for whom George Richardson Stadium in Kingston is named — he became the PWOR ’ s first officer fatality ) and sent to the 2nd ( Eastern Ontario Regiment ) Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force ( CEF ) , of the 1st Canadian Division , which was part of Canada ’ s First Contingent . At the same time , the 21st Battalion , CEF was formed in Kingston , under the Commanding Officer of the PWOR , Lieutenant - Colonel St Pierre Hughes . The PWOR also contributed officers and men to the 59th , 146th , and 253rd Battalions , CEF . The history of the 21st Battalion , which the PWOR perpetuates , is far too long to relate here , however , it should be mentioned that the unit earned eighteen Battle Honours were won in three years of frontline service . A great deal of the 21st Battalion history , including its Colours , is found in the regimental museum . There is also a photo tribute to the 21st Battalion . The mascot of the Princess of Wales ' Own Regiment during the Great War , a white goat named ` Nan ` , retired to the Royal Military College of Canada stables from 1918 until her death on September 22 , 1924 at 12 years of age . She was buried in the Cataraqui Cemetery In 1920 , in the post war re - organization of the Militia , the 14th Battalion Rifles was re - designated as a line infantry regiment so that it could carry the Battle Honours and Colours of the 21st Battalion , CEF ( A rifle regiment carries its Battle Honours on its drums ) . The Princess of Wales ’ Own Regiment , became allied on 15 July 1926 with the South Lancashire Regiment ( Prince of Wales ’ Volunteers ) who count among their Battle Honours Louisburg and Niagara . In the mid - 1960s , the South Lancashire Regiment was amalgamated with other Lancashire regiments to form the present allied regiment - The Queen ' s Lancashire Regiment . In the Second World War , the decision was made not to mobilize the regiment , because of the heavy losses suffered in the First World War . Instead , it provided one complete company to the Stormont , Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders ( Glens ) , which went under canvas at the Kingston fairgrounds . The Glens went ashore on D - Day under a PWOR officer , Lieutenant - Colonel GH Christiansen , as part of the 9th ( Highland ) Brigade , commanded by another PWOR officer , Brigadier - General Douglas Gordon Cunningham . In June 1942 , the 1st battalion PWOR was formed under Lieutenant - Colonel E Cockburn and it served in Sherbrooke , Quebec and Debert , Nova Scotia , where it was deployed for east coast defence . All told , the regiment supplied 1500 men for active service including one Brigadier , four Colonels and eight Lieutenant - Colonels . In 1963 , the PWOR celebrated its Centennial , and was granted freedom of the City of Kingston . It was presented with the new Colours by the Lieutenant Governor , the Honorable Earl Rowe . On the Colours was emblazoned the badge of the Stormont , Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders , 1939 – 1945 , commemorating the service of PWOR members in that regiment . The PWOR went through a decline during the 1970s and 1980s , where a measure of a unit ’ s success was simply the ability to remain active and keep off the increasing list of once proud units now relegated to the supplementary order of battle . The regiment was reduced to a minor unit , with only one authorized company for most of the Seventies , until finally in 1978 , it was again elevated to major unit status . The regiment has always acquitted itself well in competition over the years , whether in sports , shooting or skill at arms . In 1895 the Regimental Quarter Master represented Canada at Bisley . His rifle and some of his winnings are on display in the museum . More recently a member of the unit was part of the 1990 Canadian Forces Bisley Team and a member of the unit ' s Cadet Corps distinguished herself on the same ranges . Today , the regiment is composed of men and women from all walks of life including students , policemen and farmers . Members of the regiment have distinguished themselves on recent peacekeeping tours in Cyprus and the former republics of Yugoslavia . Members of the regiment have also served on combat missions in Afghanistan during Operation Medusa . The Freedom of the City was exercised by the Princess of Wales ' Own Regiment in Kingston May 4 , 2013 1963 . Today , the Princess of Wales ’ Own Regiment continues to maintain itself as an effective component of the ‘ Total Force ’ army , preparing to fulfill its role , if called upon , as a first rate infantry unit . Nunquam Cede ( Never Yield ) Operational history . The Fenian Raids . The battalion was called out on active service on 8 March 1866 , remaining on active service until on 31 March 1866 . South African War . The regiment did not fight in the Boer War in South Africa , but contributed volunteers for the various Canadian Contingents . The Great War . Details of the regiment were placed on active service on 6 August 1914 for local protection duties . The 21st Battalion ( Eastern Ontario ) , CEF , was authorized on 7 November 1914 and embarked for Britain on 6 May 1915 , disembarking in France on 15 September 1915 , where it fought as part of the 4th Infantry Brigade , 2nd Canadian Division in France and Flanders until the end of the war . The battalion was disbanded on 30 August 1920 . The 59th Battalion ( Ontario ) , CEF , was authorized on 20 April 1915 and embarked for Britain on 1 April 1916 , where it provided reinforcements for the Canadian Corps in the field until 6 July 1916 , when its personnel were absorbed by the 39th Battalion , CEF . The battalion was disbanded on 21 May 1917 . The 253rd ( Queen ' s University ) Highland Battalion , CEF , was authorized on 1 May 1917 and embarked for Britain on 29 April 1917 . On 18 May 1917 , its personnel were absorbed by the 5th Reserve Battalion , CEF , to provide reinforcements for the Canadian Corps in the field . The battalion was disbanded on 8 December 1917 . The Second World War . Details from the regiment were called out on service on 26 August 1939 and then placed on active service on 1 September 1939 , as The Princess of Wales ' Own Regiment ( Machine Gun ) , CASF ( Details ) , for local protection duties . These details were disbanded on 31 December 1940 . The regiment provided No . 1 Company of The Stormont , Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders , CASF , for active service on 24 May 1940 . The regiment subsequently mobilized the 1st Battalion , The Princess of Wales ' Own Regiment ( Machine Gun ) , CASF , on 12 May 1942 . It was redesignated the 1st Battalion , The Princess of Wales ' Own Regiment , CIC , CASF , on 19 July 1943 . It served in Canada in a home defence role as part of Military District No . 4 . The battalion was disbanded on 15 October 1943 . Perpetuations . War of 1812 : The Princess of Wales Own Regiment perpetuates the Battalion of Incorporated Militia of Upper Canada . First World War : The Princess of Wales Own Regiment perpetuates the 21st Battalion ( Eastern Ontario ) , CEF , the 59th Battalion ( Ontario ) , CEF and 253rd Battalion ( Queen ' s University Highland ) , CEF Battle honours and honorary distinctions . Those battle honours in bold type are emblazoned on the Regimental Colour . The Boer War . SOUTH AFRICA , 1900 The Great War . The Second World War Honorary Distinction - The badge of the Stormont , Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders ( SD & G Highrs ) , with the dates 1944 - 1945 , for jointly mobilizing the unit for service in Europe . Memorials . In May 1917 , the Officers of the 21st Battalion had a cross built to commemorate their comrades lost in the hard fighting for Vimy Ridge . Private George Williams , a carpenter salvaged wood from the battlefield to make the cross , ten feet high and three feet across , which was painted white and bore a metal plaque , " In Memory of Officers , NCPs and Men ; 21st Canadian Infantry Battalion Killed in Action April 9th 1917 " . The cross was originally erected near Thelus , France . The cross erected in Sanctuary Wood on the grounds of the Royal Military College of Canada in the 1930s . In 1994 the cross was refurbished and moved into the north wall , Regimental Armouries , 100 Montreal Street with the 21st Battalion cap badge at its feet and surrounded by the Regiment ' s 19 current Battle Honours . During services are held by the Regiment and Association every April , the name of every 21st Battalion soldier killed at Vimy is read aloud . The Princess of Wales ' Own Regiment Military Museum . The museum collects and conserves military artifacts pertaining to the regiment , its antecedents and other militia or military organizations whose roots are found in Kingston . The museum displays artifacts appropriately to members of the military and community in order to foster a better understanding of the military heritage of Kingston ’ s citizen soldiers in peace and war . The museum serves as a resource for the teaching of military history both to the members of the Regiment and to the public . The Kingston Armouries is a classified Federal Heritage building 1989 on the Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings .