The
Royal Regiment
of
Canada
OUR
history
In November 1861, a diplomatic incident between the governments of the United Kingdom and the
United States of America led to fears of an American invasion into Canada. On 21 December 1861, Mr. F.W. Cumberland, held a meeting at the Mechanic’s Institute in Toronto to propose the formation of a regiment of volunteer militia from the mechanics and working men of the city. On 14 March 1862, The 10th Battalion, Volunteer Militia Rifles of Canada was formed. A request to transition from a rifle regiment to a line infantry regiment was granted, and on 21 November 1862, the unit would be renamed The 10th Battalion, Volunteer Militia (Infantry), of Canada. On 10 April 1863, the unit would again be renamed The Royal Regiment of Toronto Volunteers, and referred to as as “The 10th Royals”. Later in 1863, the unit would adopt the motto “Ready, Aye Ready”.
On 5 August 1881, the Battalion would be renamed The 10th Battalion, Royal Grenadiers. In 1882, the randomly selected dates for drill (training) would be done away with, and drill began to regularly be held on Thursday evenings. On 8 May 1900, the unit continued to expand and would be renamed The 10th Regiment, Royal Grenadiers. On Sunday 8 October 1882, the unit would hold its first Regimental Church Parade at the Cathedral Church of St. James in Toronto. On 27 Mar 1885, The 10th Regiment, Royal Grenadiers, were mobilized and took part in the North-West Campaign.
On 6 August 1914, the Minister of Militia issued orders for militia units to begin recruiting for deployment overseas. On 2 September 1914, The 10th Regiment, Royal Grenadiers would contribute soldiers to the newly formed 3rd Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force. The battalion would later adopt the title 3rd Battalion (Toronto Regiment), Canadian Expeditionary Force.
On 20 April 1915, The 58th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force would be formed and join the war efforts overseas. With the end of the Great War, The 58th Battalion was absorbed intoThe Royal Grenadiers on 15 September 1920.
On 15 December 1936, The Royal Grenadiers and The Toronto Regiment amalgamated to form The Royal
Grenadiers, to form The Royal Regiment of Toronto Grenadiers. On 11 February 1939, the unit
would be renamed to its current name, The Royal Regiment of Canada.
Today, The Royal Regiment of Canada continues to train on Thursday evenings, and pays homage to its perpetuated units in many other ways. During ceremonial parades, members of the unit continue to wear the same style of full dress scarlet tunics and bearskin headdress as The Royal Grenadiers. The retired Colours of the unit are hung up on display at the Cathedral Church of St. James. The Davidson Challenge, and the Inter-Regimental Stimson Marksmanship Competition, competitions in sports and military skills between other units, and started by former Commanding Officers of The Royal Grenadiers between these units. Grenadier Company, the main subunit, is named after The Royal Grenadiers. Toronto Company, the training subunit, is named after The Toronto Regiment. And 58th Company, the logistics, service, and support subunit, is named after The 58th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force.
The Royal Regiment of Canada, and the units that it perpetuates, would go on to participate, in whole or in part, in almost every major conflict and operation the Canadian Militia and Canadian Armed Forces has participated in, from the Fenian Raids of 1866, to the War in Afghanistan until 2014. Most recently, members of the unit have deployed on Operation IMPACT in Iraq and the Middle East, Operation REASSURANCE in Latvia, and Operation UNIFIER in support of Ukraine.
In addition, various history books have been written about The Royal Regiment of Canada and its perpetuated units, some by former members of the unit:
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History of the 10th Royals and of the Royal Grenadiers From the Formation of the Regiment until 1896 – Thomas Edward Champion (1896).
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The Royal Grenadiers: A Regimental History of the 10th Infantry Regiment of the Active Militia of Canada – Captain Ernest J. Chambers (1904).
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Battle Royal: A History of The Royal Regiment of Canada, 1862-1962 – Major D.J. Goodspeed (1962).
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Second to None: The Fighting 58th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force - Kevin R. Shackleton (2002).
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One-Two-Three: The Story of the 123rd Overseas Battalion, Royal Grenadiers, CEF – Dan Mowat (2015).
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Always Ready: A History of The Royal Regiment of Canada – Donald E. Graves (2017).
Contact the Regimental Association if you would like to purchase a copy of this book
The Museum of The Royal Regiment of Canada preserves the history of the regiment and chronicles its stories through the eyes of the soldiers who have served in it since 1862. Located in Fort York Armoury in Toronto, the museum is staffed and operated entirely by volunteers.
Tours are available by appointment only.
For further information, contact us at
