Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians)
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Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) (LdSH) is a regular armoured regiment of the Canadian Forces.
Based in Edmonton, Alberta, the regiment is normally part of Land Force Western Area's 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group. When deployed overseas however, the regiment is placed in ad hoc formations that report directly to National Defence Headquarters and not to 1 CMBG. Members of the regiment are called Strathconas or Straths for short.
The main vehicles operated by Lord Strathcona's Horse are the Leopard tank and the Coyote reconnaissance vehicle.
Volunteers from the regiment form the Mounted Troop, a ceremonial cavalry troop equipped with scarlet tunics, brass helments, lances, and sabres. The regiment has the honour of being the only unit other than the Household Cavalry, the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to mount the guard at Horse Guards in London.
The regimental motto is Perservierance.
History
The regiment was one of the last in the British Empire to be created and raised by a private individual. During the Boer War, Donald Alexander Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal, recruited and equipped the cavalry regiment at his own expense for service in South Africa. Many skilled horsemen (cowboys and North West Mounted Police members) enlisted, allowing for a short training period and rapid deployment to Africa. The 537 officers and men, as well as 599 horses, of the new regiment sailed from Halifax on 18 March 1900 and arrived in Cape Town on 10 April. Along with The Royal Canadian Dragoons, the regiment won renown for their scouting skills.
Supposedly General Kitchener was astonished at the size of the newly arrived Canadian soldiers. Their commander, Sam Steele, is said to have replied "My apologies, sir. I combed all of Canada and these are the smallest I could find."
After the war, the regiment boarded ship at Cape Town on 20 January 1901 and arrived in London on 14 February. Here they met Lord Strathcona for the first time and were presented their medals by King Edward VII personally. On its return to Canada on 9 March 1901, the Regiment was disbanded.
The regiment was recreated as regiment of the Permanent Force in 1909.
In the First World War, the regiment served dismounted during the long static portion of the war, but when the front lines began to move back and forth in 1918, it fought as cavalry again and was one of keys in halting Germany's Operation Michael in late March.
In the 1930s the regiment was converted from cavalry to armoured.
During the Second World War, it fought first in Italy, and then later in the Netherlands and Germany.
During the Cold War, the regiment was deployed on serveral rotations to West Germany, and some of the regiment's squadrons fought in the Korean War as part of the 1st Commonwealth Division.
Recent deployments include two six-month missions in Bosnia: 1994 with the United Nations and 1997 with NATO. In 2002 the Reconnaisance Squadron fought as part of the Canadian battle group during the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan. The squadron returned to Afghanistan for a six-month rotation in 2004 as part of Canada's ongoing commitment to the International Security Assistance Force.
Battle Honours
The Strathconas have the following battle honours embroidered on their guidon:
- South Africa, 1900–01
WW1:
- Festubert, 1915
- Somme, 1916, ’18;
- Cambrai, 1917, ’18
- St. Quentin
- Amiens
- Hindenburg Line
- St. Quentin Canal
- Beaurevoir
- Pursuit to Mons
- France and Flanders, 1915–18
WWII:
- Liri Valley
- Melfa Crossing
- Torrice Crossroads
- Gothic Line
- Pozzo Alto Ridge
- Italy, 1944–45
- IJsselmeer
- North-West Europe, 1945
- Korea, 1951–53