Governor General's Horse Guards

The Governor General's Horse Guards is an armoured cavalry regiment in the Primary Reserve of the Canadian Army. The regiment is part of 4th Canadian Division's 32 Canadian Brigade Group and is based in Toronto, Ontario. It is the most senior reserve regiment in Canada, and the only household cavalry regiment of Canada's three household units.

Structure

The regiment maintains a traditional structure, with squadrons and units for deployment and active duty, training, ceremony, cadets, and administration.

Regimental Headquarters

Regimental Headquarters (RHQ) consists of the command team to include the commanding officer, the regimental sergeant major, the second in command, the padre, adjutant and drill sergeant. RHQ also consists of the Operations and Training Cell, which includes an operations officer, warrant officer, training officer and sergeant. The Training Cell oversees the recruits and their progress and interacts with the Battle School with instructor cadre. The regiment recruits approximately 25 to 30 soldiers every year.

A Squadron

A Squadron (Sabre Squadron) is the operational squadron and is manned by fully trained officers and soldiers. Its primary role is to maintain the reconnaissance skills of the soldiers through individual training and collective training in the field. It has a particular focus on junior leadership development of both officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs). It runs leadership-specific training preparing soldiers for leadership courses as Squadron Headquarters staff, troop leaders, crew commanders and instructors. It provides soldiers for Canadian Forces missions outside of Canada, and is expected to mobilize in national emergencies in aid to the civil power. This field squadron maintains no fewer than two 8-car armoured reconnaissance troops. The soldiers are trained on the military variant of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class Wagon or LUVW Command and Reconnaissance platform equipped with a 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun (GPMG). It is managed by a functional Squadron Headquarters and Administrative Echelon. The squadron numbers 90 to 120 soldiers.

B Squadron

B Squadron (TAPV Squadron) is the Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle (TAPV) sub unit. It is commanded by a small Squadron Headquarters and consists of two TAPVs. It holds crewman numbering about 10 soldiers. This squadron is organized to train crews on the new vehicle platform introduced in 2018 and will in future train collectively crews for deployment in direct support of the Regular Force. The platform is the same as used by the Royal Canadian Dragoons in 2 Brigade. The TAPV is equipped with a remote weapons system (RWS) armed with a 7.62 mm GPMG and C16 grenade launcher. The RWS has superior optics for gunnery and is ideal for observation night and day.

Headquarters Squadron

Headquarters Squadron provides essential administrative and support functions to include orderly room, recruiting, quartermaster stores and transport for the regiment. This squadron ensures the unit lines and facilities are in good order and repair. It is this squadron that works closely with the brigade staff to administer personnel, finances, supply and vehicles for the regiment and in turn provides these services to the squadrons. It consists of a small Regular Force support staff and a full-time cadre of reservists numbering about 10 soldiers under a small Squadron Headquarters. The squadron also holds a light troop of soldiers that have not completed their training and are not fully qualified armoured reconnaissance soldiers. These soldiers perform general duties for the quartermaster and practise their basic soldiering skills while waiting for training courses.

Band

thumb|A member of the GGHG Band.

The full brass-and-reed military band provides concerts and music for regimental functions, other military events, and civilian engagements. The band includes three specialized musical sub-units: the Fanfare Trumpeters, the Brass Quintet, and the Woodwind Quintet. The band numbers between 30 and 35 members and performs at many regimental and brigade events. It is often called on to provide music for civilian and local government events including the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Opening of Parliament at Queen's Park and The annual Queen's Plate. The band is managed by a director of music and a band sergeant major. It is a dismounted band, but dresses as dragoon guards. The band performed The Garb of Old Gaul in the 2000 X-Men film.

Cavalry Troop

thumb|right|A mounted trooper of the Cavalry Troop in ceremonial dress.

The GGHG Cavalry Troop provides a horse-mounted ceremonial presence at public and regimental events, to perpetuate Canadian cavalry traditions. Although it is under the command and control of the regimental commanding officer, it is privately funded by the Governor General's Horse Guards Cavalry and Historical Society Inc, a charitable organization incorporated and registered in 2012 explicitly for the purposes of supporting and promoting the traditions of the regiment. It has been in service since 1956 and has had the honour of providing escorts to the Royal Family and the Governor General of Canada. It also attends numerous public events and is counted as a critical tool to showcase the regiment's history and traditions to the public. The troop is commanded by a serving officer who acts as the unit public affairs representative, and they wear the full dragoon guard uniform with its accoutrements on horseback. The horses are privately owned and the military horse tack and furniture is supplied by the regiment.

Cadets

The 748 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps and 2402 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps are affiliated and sponsored by the regiment, and provides Canadian youth from 12 to 19 years of age with leadership training in a military setting. These young people are not subject to national service, but benefit from their association to the regiment with its example of service and its long and proud history. The cadets of these two squadrons are allowed to wear the regiment's insignia and certain accoutrements as a privilege of sponsorship.

Regimental Association

The Governor General's Horse Guards Association is open to all active and former members of the regiment. The association exists to keep former members informed and in touch with each other and the regiment. Throughout the year, the association hosts a number of social events which are aimed at promoting camaraderie among all members of the regimental family, past and present, serving members in all five parts of the regimental family. The association organizes social events and provides key support to memorial ceremonies. Its members dress in blazer, tie and beret for ceremonial events.

Uniform

thumb|A member in [[full dress uniform during the funeral procession of Lincoln Alexander, 2012]]

On ceremonial occasions, the full dress uniform is worn. The original uniform was adopted from the 13th Light Dragoons by one of their tailors who immigrated to Canada in 1822. The uniform was modified over time but remained consistent in its general colour and form with blue cloth and white facings, with silver buttons and fittings, and a shako for headgear. In 1871 the troop was designated a dragoon guard unit and it adopted the dragoon tunic from the 6th Dragoon Guards: blue tunic with white facings, retaining the silver buttons and fittings, but in a different configuration. The new uniform included a metal 1876 Albert Pattern helmet with a white plume, and was granted the privilege to wear aiguillettes by all ranks in that same year. This uniform was later modified with the amalgamation of 1936. The regiment retained the 1871 uniform pattern, but changed the facing colours to red to match that of their namesake and allied unit in Britain, The Royal Horse Guards. The helmet remains in service with a red plume, but a forage cap was also adopted in the unit colours with guards peaks. The mess dress worn by officers and senior non-commissioned members of the regiment includes a blue jacket with scarlet vest. The regimental sergeant major and commanding officer along with other appointments can wear patrols (a uniform that is between full dress and service dress in formality) as well. DEU or service dress uniform is worn with unit insignia and the regimental forage cap. The officers were authorized in 1941 to wear guard stars for rank by King George VI.

Lineage

The Governor General's Body Guard

thumb|[[The Governor General's Body Guard Band at a regimental camp in Toronto, 1909.]]

1810 Formation of Button's Troop By Capt J. Button.
16 August 1822 the York Dragoons was formed by Calt GT Denison for the 1st West York Regiment of Volunteer Infantry to provide scouting and dispatch duties for the battalion;
1837 designated the Queen's Light Dragoons for duty during the 1837 rebellion and becomes independent from it parent infantry battalion in 1839;
1853 Oak Ridges Troop formed by Capt McLeod in Richmond Hill for the newly raised York Cavalry;
27 December 1855 designated as the 1st Toronto Troops of The Volunteer Militia Cavalry of the County of York under the Militia Act of that year;
1st Troop redesignated 27 April 1866 as The Governor General's Body Guard for Upper Canada;
Redesignated 1 July 1867 as The Governor General's Body Guard for Ontario;
Reorganized 5 May 1876 as a two troop squadron;
1st Troop (Oak Ridges) and 2nd Troop (Markham) of the 2nd Regiment of Cavalry amalgamated 17 May 1889 with the Body Guard to form the full regiment;
Redesignated 13 July 1895 as The Governor General's Body Guard;
Amalgamated 15 December 1936 with The Mississauga Horse and redesignated as The Governor General's Horse Guards;
Converted 11 February 1941 to armour and redesignated as the 2nd (Reserve) Regiment, The Governor General's Horse Guards;
Redesignated 1 April 1941 as the 3rd (Reserve) Armoured Regiment (The Governor General's Horse Guards);
Redesignated 4 February 1949 as The Governor General's Horse Guards (3rd Armoured Regiment);
Redesignated 19 May 1958 as The Governor General's Horse Guards

The Mississauga Horse

Originated 1 April 1903 in Toronto, Ontario as the Toronto Light Horse
Redesignated 22 December 1903 as the 9th Toronto Light Horse
Redesignated 1 May 1907 as the 9th Mississauga Horse
Redesignated 15 March 1920 as The Ontario Mounted Rifles
Redesignated 1 April 1924 as The Mississauga Horse
Amalgamated 15 December 1936 with The Governor General's Body Guard

Perpetuations

Militia Units

The Markham Troop
The Oak Ridges Troop
The Governor General's Body Guard
The Mississauga Horse

The Great War

4th Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles CEF
7th Canadian Mounted Rifles, CEF
216th Battalion (Bantams), CEF

Affiliations

– The Royal Canadian Dragoons

Battle honours

thumb|300px|The regimental [[Colours, standards and guidons#Colours in the cavalry regiments|standard]]

In the list below, the battle honours in small capitals were awarded for participation in large operations and campaigns, while those in lowercase indicate honours granted for more specific battles. Twenty-two battle honours are emblazoned on the regimental standard.

Colin Rowe, drum major of the band until 2002.

Armoury

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|Denison Armoury 1 Yukon Lane

|Canada's Register of Historic Places

| Toronto, Ontario

large centrally located building with a low-pitched gable roof houses 32 Canadian Brigade Group Headquarters; The Governor General's Horse Guards; 2 Intelligence Company; 32 Combat Engineer Regiment; 32 Service Battalion; 32 Military Police Platoon; 2 Area Support Group Signal Squadron Charlie Troop; ASU Toronto

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References

External links

The Governor General's Horse Guards Association
GGHG Cavalry and Historical Society