The Grey and Simcoe Foresters The Grey and Simcoe Foresters is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces . Within the Canadian Army , it is part of the 4th Canadian Division ' s ( formerly known as Land Force Central Area ) 31 Canadian Brigade Group . Due to the restructuring of the British Army , The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment was amalgamated into The Mercian Regiment , as its 2nd Battalion ( Worcesters and Foresters ) , leaving The Grey and Simcoe Foresters as the only remaining unit in the Commonwealth of Nations known to be distinctly designated as a regiment of " Foresters " . Origin and lineage . While many regiments of fusiliers , grenadiers and highlanders may be found in the armies of the Commonwealth , only one regiment of foresters exist – The Grey and Simcoe Foresters of the Canadian Army . The Canadian Foresters have had a unique history that has lived up to its rural versatility and spirit . The Foresters have enjoyed one of the most diverse roles in the Canadian Army , serving as infantry , armoured and artillery . Previously , The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters of the British Army also held this title , however due to restructuring into The Mercian Regiment , only one holder of this name now exists . Foresters are a very old form of infantry finding its antecedents in Robin Hood ’ s Sherwood Forest . The Grey and Simcoe Foresters were formed from the 1936 amalgamation of the 31st Grey Regiment and the 35th Simcoe Foresters both originally gazetted on September 14 , 1866 . Following the 1837 Rebellion , the Government of Upper Canada retained in January 1838 one troop of cavalry and three militia battalions on active service along the Niagara River and in Toronto . One of these battalions was a composite made up of soldiers from the two Simcoe County battalions of that era . This composite battalion , under the command of Lieutenant - Colonel Carthew , was known as the 1st Simcoe Incorporated Militia ( Royal Foresters ) . This is the earliest known reference to the Simcoe County militia as " Foresters . " History . Early history through World War I . The 31st Grey Battalion of Infantry was organized and formed from six independent and rifle companies located in Owen Sound , Meaford , Leith , Durham and Flesherton , and Gazetted on 14 September 1866 . These companies had been created in the 1850s . Lieutenant - Colonel W . D . Pollard was the first commanding officer of the 31st Greys . Concurrently in Simcoe County , the independent infantry and rifle companies in Barrie , Collingwood , Cookstown , Bradford , Oro and Orillia were organized into the 35th Battalion of Infantry ( Simcoe Foresters ) , which was also Gazetted on 14 September 1866 . Lieutenant - Colonel A . R . Stephen commanded this new battalion . Prior to their formal organization into this new battalion structure , these independent companies from Grey and Simcoe counties had deployed from 1864 – 66 to guard strategic points along the Canada - USA border in response to the Fenian Raids . In 1885 , Lieutenant - Colonel W . E . O ' Brien , 35th Simcoe Foresters , took command of the York - Simcoe Battalion , which was formed from four companies of the 35th Simcoe Foresters and four companies of the 12th York Rangers to counter the Riel Rebellion in western Canada . In recognition of this contribution 35th Simcoe Foresters received its first battle honour " North West Canada 1885 " . During the Second Boer War the regiments contributed men to the Canadian contingents sent to assist the British Army . While attached to the 2nd ( Special Service ) Battalion , The Royal Canadian Regiment at the Battle of Paardeburg , Private James Findlay from the 35 Simcoe Foresters , became one of the first Canadians and the first Forester to be killed - in - action . During the First World War , the 31st and 35th regiments recruited men for four battalions ( the 147th , 157th , 177th , and 248th ( Grey ) Battalion ) and supplied quotas for two more , the 4th and 15th Battalions , CEF . The Great War brought with it the creation of Camp Borden , where the Barrie , Ontario and Collingwood , Ontario companies of the 157th Simcoe Foresters were ordered to begin construction of the new camp in May 1916 . In June , another company from Barrie arrived to help speed - up the construction . As such the 157th , under the command of Lieutenant - Colonel D . H . MacLaren , became the founding battalion of Camp Borden , which it constructed to accommodate 40 infantry battalions in 10 brigades . Before the Camp was opened the remainder of the 157th and the entire 177th , under the command of Lieutenant - Colonel J . B . McPhee , arrived . By that summer , Camp Borden was home to 36 CEF battalions in 9 brigades before they embarked overseas , including the 147th , which had been training at Camp Niagara . One 157th Simcoe Forester would later become the Premier of Ontario for four terms of office , the Honourable Leslie Frost of Orillia . In 1917 , Private Thomas William Holmes of the 147th Grey Battalion became Canada ' s youngest winner of the Victoria Cross , while assigned to the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles . By war ' s end , the Grey and Simcoe counties had contributed over 6 , 000 soldiers , of whom several hundred were killed - in - action . The Grey ' s Roll of Honour alone lists 342 killed - in - action . World War II . During World War II , the 1st Battalion was mobilized on 1 June 1940 and arrived at Camp Borden on 28 June , with a strength of 24 officers and 936 other ranks . Lieutenant - Colonel T . J . ( Uncle Tom ) Rutherford commanded the 1st Battalion until succeeded by Lieutenant - Colonel V . R . Fell . By war ' s end Rutherford had been promoted to Brigadier was appointed as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire . The 1st Battalion left Camp Borden on 17 April 1941 and became an armoured unit overseas , while the 2nd Battalion remained in Canada as an infantry unit . On January 26 , 1942 , the 1st Battalion became the 26th Army Tank Battalion ( later Regiment ) , Royal Canadian Armoured Corps . They embarked for England on June 16 , 1943 , having served as local protection force in Ontario and Nova Scotia since mobilization . Unfortunately , the regiment had to swallow a bitter pill when on November 1 , 1943 the regiment was broken up for reinforcements . Consequently , Foresters found themselves represented in tank regiments in almost every theatre of conflict . Postwar to the present . Following the war the 2nd Battalion was converted to artillery becoming the 45th Anti - Tank Regiment on April 1 , 1946 , with the designation " ( Self - Propelled ) " being added on June 19 , 1947 . On October 1 , 1954 , the unit was amalgamated with the 55th Light Anti - Aircraft Regiment , RCA . The Foresters returned to the armoured corps on May 19 , 1958 , as the 28th Armoured Regiment . Reverting to its original infantry role in 1970 , the regiment was part of London District ( now 31 Canadian Brigade Group ) until transferring to 32 Canadian Brigade Group on June 19 , 1995 . In peacetime at home , the Foresters have responded to assistance to civil authority during 1954 Hurricane Hazel , the 1985 Barrie tornado outbreak , the 1997 Red River Flood and the Ontario Ice Storm ( 1998 ) , as well as to forest fires over the years . As well , many members have served as augmentation from the Korean War onwards , including the Middle East ( UNEF II ) , Golan Heights ( UNDOF ) , Cyprus ( UNFICYP ) , the Former Yugoslavia ( Croatia and Bosnia - Herzegovina ) ( UNPROFOR , IFOR , and SFOR ) and more recently Afghanistan ( ISAF ) and Sierra Leone ( IMATT ) . There are over 2000 soldiers currently serving in the 31st Canadian Brigade Group , 5 % being Regular Forces and 95 % being Reserve Forces . The Grey and Simcoe Foresters are conveniently stationed near the Land Force Central Area Training Centre ( LFCA TC ) . LFCA TC was designed in 1942 for the purpose of training soldier s in tank warfare and artillery gunnery . LFCA TC ' s current role not only includes being tasked to provide and maintain ranges , training areas , facilities and equipment for approximately 10 , 000 reserve soldiers in the Ontario area , but also plays host to a variety of other countries military units and non military agencies , for training exercises . Battle honours . North West Canada 1885 , Arras , 1917 , Hill 70 , Ypres 1917 , Amiens , Arras , 1918 , Hindenburg Line , Pursuit To Mons Garrison locations . " Regimental Headquarters and " B " Company The Armoury 37 Parkside Drive Barrie , Ontario L4N 1W8 " " A " Company The Tommy Holmes , VC , Memorial Armoury 858 - 10th Street East < br > " Owen Sound , Ontario N4K1T4 " Colours . The Lieutenant - Governor of Ontario , the Honourable Pauline McGibbon , presented new Colours to the regiment on 28 May 1978 . The Regiment had been without colours since the Colours of the Simcoe Foresters , presented in 1932 , were laid - up in St . Thomas Anglican Church at Shanty Bay , Ontario , near Barrie , on 17 November 1946 , when the Regiment was converted to Royal Canadian Artillery . In 1968 , a decade after reverting to armour as the 28th Armoured Regiment , Royal Canadian Armoured Corps , a guidon was approved but never produced . Two years later , The Grey and Simcoe Foresters reverted to infantry , Royal Canadian Infantry Corps . On 3 September 1983 , the Colours were trooped in the presence of His Excellency The Right Honourable Edward Schreyer . In 1986 , the Colours were paraded with the Guard of Honour for HRH The Princess Anne during her official opening of Queen ' s Quay , Toronto , Ontario . The first Colour of the 31st Grey Battalion was presented and consecrated 22 March 1867 at Annan , Ontario . It had first been produced following the Fenian Raids for the Leith Rifles , which became No . 3 Company , 31st Grey Battalion . This Colour was entrusted to the Telford family , which presented it to the Regiment in 1962 , which laid it up in the Owen Sound Officers ' Mess . The 147th Grey ( Overseas ) Battalion received its Colours on 22 August 1916 at Camp Borden . These were laid - up for safe keeping in St . Nicholas Cathedral , Newcastle - on - Tyne , England , on 26 May 1917 . They were reclaimed on 3 March 1919 and returned to Canada where they were deposited in the Owen Sound Public Library on 16 September . Eventually , they were encased in the Owen Sound Officers ' Mess . In a rather unorthodox approach , a duplicate stand of 147th Colours was produced in 1948 by the Grey Council Council and deposited in the old County Courthouse by the Association on 13 April 1949 . The 248th Grey ( Overseas ) Battalion did not receive Colours before embarking for England in 1916 and was later disbanded for reinforcements . The 35th Simcoe Foresters received its first stand of Colours on 25 May 1868 , one year after Canada ' s Confederation , during the reign of Queen Victoria . The second stand of Colours was presented on 8 July 1909 ( during the reign of King Edward VII ) and later laid - up in All Saints Anglican Church Collingwood , Ontario on 15 October 1932 , ( during the reign of King George V ) , following presentation of the third stand of Colours . On 17 September 2000 , the 1909 Colours were reclaimed by the Regiment and laid - up in the regimental museum at Barrie , Ontario . The 157th Overseas Battalion ( Simcoe Foresters ) of the Canadian Expeditionary Force received its Colours on 12 October 1916 at Camp Borden . Following the First World War this stand of Colours was laid - up in St . Andrews Presbyterian Church , Barrie , Ontario on 10 October 1919 and subsequently moved to the Simcoe County Archives on 21 July 1968 and then to the Simcoe County Museum in December 1979 . On 18 June 1982 , the Regiment reclaimed this stand of Colours and laid them up in its Barrie Officers ' Mess . The 177th Overeseas Battalion ( Simcoe Foresters ) did not receive a stand of Colours during its short existence . Some Grey and Simcoes of note . Major - General Sir Sam Steele , 35th Simcoe Foresters , 31st Grey , Lord Strathcona ' s Horse ( Royal Canadians ) , North - West Mounted Police , South African Constabularly , Lieutenant - Colonel W . E . O ' Brien , 35th Simcoe Foresters , Commanding Officer York - Simcoe Battalion , Riel Rebellion , Captain the Honourable Leslie Frost , 157th Battalion ( Simcoe Foresters ) , CEF , 20th Battalion CEF , Premier of Ontario , Major the Honourable Sir Daniel Hunter McMillan , 35th Simcoe Foresters , 95th Battalion , Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba , Private Thomas William Holmes , VC 147th ( Grey ) Battalion , CEF , 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles , Brigadier Thomas Rutherford , CBE , ED , 147th ( Grey ) Battalion , CEF , 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles , The Grey and Simcoe Foresters , Colonel the Honourable Mr . Justice Robert C . Rutherford , MBE , CD , The Grey and Simcoe Foresters , Governor General ' s Horse Guards Grey and Simcoe Foresters Regimental museum . The Grey and Simcoe Foresters Regimental Museum is located on Mulcaster Street , Barrie , Ontario . The museum perpetuates the history of the Grey & Simcoe Foresters as a means of instilling pride of Regiment & Country in new recruits and to enable the public at large to better appreciate the role of the military in the development of the area . The museum is affiliated with : CMA , CHIN , OMMC and Virtual Museum of Canada . The museum offers a variety of artifacts from the 19th century and from both world wars . Most of the artifacts in the museum have been donated by various Simcoe and Grey Regiment members . The museum is operated and maintained by Grey and Simcoe Foresters Regiment volunteers . Hours : May – November : Wednesday – Friday 11 – 4pm ; Saturday 10 – 3pm ; . . . December – April : By appointment . Armorial description . The Badge of The Grey and Simcoe Foresters is armorially described as , resting on a scroll Vert inscribed " FORESTERS " Argent Maltese Cross Argent charged with a pomme bearing a stag couchant upon a mount proper encircled wreath of autumnal maple leaves on the sinister arm of the Cross and extending to the wreath a demi scroll Vert inscribed " GREY & " Argent on the dexter arm of the Cross and extending to the wreath a demi scroll Vert inscribed " SIMCOE " Argent the ensigned with the Crown . The Badge was adopted upon the amalgamation of the Grey Regiment and the Simcoe Foresters in December 1936 , and is based upon the former badge of the allied regiment , the Sherwood Foresters , perpetuated by the present - day 2nd Battalion ( Worcesters and Foresters ) , Mercian Regiment The regimental camp flag is Lincoln green over hunting scarlet on the diagonal and bears the badge in silver and gold in the upper left . References . Chajkowsky , William E . " The History of Camp Borden , 1916 – 18 , Land of Sand , Sin and Sorrow . " Vineland : Station Press , 1983 . Fisher , Major J . R . and Captain E . J . Fuller . " The Grey and Simcoe Foresters , A Concise Regimental History . " Barrie : The Grey and Simcoe Foresters , 2008 ISBN 0 - 9683546 - 1 - 0 Frost , Honourable Leslie . " Fighting Men " Toronto : Clarke , Irwin , 1967 Rutherford , Brigadier Tom , ed . " An Unofficial History of The Grey and Simcoe Foresters Regiment 1866 to 1973 . " Owen Sound : The Grey and Simcoe Foresters , 1973 Telford , Major Murray M . " Scarlet to Green , the colours , uniforms and insignia of The Grey and Simcoe Foresters . " Erin : The Boston Mills Press , 1987 ISBN 0 - 919783 - 82 - 1 Retrieved from " http : / / en . wikipedia . org / wiki / 157th _ Battalion _ ( Simcoe _ Foresters ) , _ CEF "