Regiments Main Page


Cavalry/Armoured Regiments
1900-13 | 1914-39 | 1940-63 | 1964-99


Infantry Regiments
1900-20 | 1921-36 | 1937-50 | 1951-99

Cavalry Regiments 1900-1919
1st Hussars
1st British Columbia Horse
2nd Dragoons
3rd Prince of Wales' Cdn Dragoons

4th Hussars
5th Dragoons
5th Princess Louise Drag. Gds
6th Duke of Connaught's R.C.H.
7th Hussars
8th Princess Louise's NB Hussars
9th Toronto Light Horse
9th Mississauga Horse

10th Brant Dragoons
10th Queen's Own Cdn Hussars
11th Hussars

12th Manitoba Dragoons
13th Scottish Light Dragoons
14th King's Canadian Hussars
15th Light Horse
16th Light Horse
17th Duke of York's Royal Can. H.
17th PEI Recce
18th Mounted Rifles
19th Alberta Dragoons
19th The Alberta Mounted Rifles
20th Border Horse

21st Alberta Hussars
22nd Saskatchewan Horse
22nd Saskatchewan Light Horse
23rd Alberta Rangers
24th Grey's Horse
25th Brant Dragoons
26th Canadian Dragoons
27th Light Horse
28th New Brunswick Dragoons
29th Light Horse
30th Regiment (BC Horse)

31st Regiment (BC Horse)
32nd Light Horse

32nd Manitoba Horse
33rd Vaudreuil & Soulanges Huss.
34th Fort Garry Horse
35th Central Alberta Horse
36th PEI Light Horse
Toronto Mounted Rifles
Cavalry/Armoured Regiments
1920-2000

1st Hussars
1st APC Regiment
British Columbia Dragoons
2nd Dragoons
2nd/10th Dragoons
3rd Prince of Wales' Cdn Dragoons
4th Hussars of Canada
IV PLDG
6th Duke of Connaught's R.C.H.
7th/11th Hussars
8th Cdn Hussars (Princess Louise's)
9th (Grey's) Horse
10th Queen's Own Cdn Hussars
11th Hussars
Manitoba Dragoons

12e Régiment Blindé du Canada
13th Scottish Light Dragoons
14th Canadian Light Horse
14th Canadian Hussars
15th Light Horse
16th Light Horse
17th Duke of York's Royal Can. H.
17th PEI Recce
18th Mounted Rifles
19th Alberta Dragoons
19th The Alberta Mounted Rifles
Border Horse
21st Alberta Hussars
22nd Saskatchewan Horse
22nd Saskatchewan Light Horse
23rd Alberta Rangers
24th Grey's Horse
26th Canadian Dragoons
27th Light Horse
28th New Brunswick Dragoons
29th Light Horse
Algonquin Regiment
Argyll Light Infantry (Tank)
British Columbia Dragoons
British Columbia Mounted Rifles
British Columbia Regiment
Border Horse
Calgary Regiment (Tank)
Canadian Mounted Rifles
Duke of York's Royal Cdn Hussars
Elgin Regiment
Fort Garry Horse
Grey & Simcoe Foresters
Governor General's Body Guard
Governor General's Horse Guards
Halifax Rifles
King's Canadian Hussars
King's Own Calgary Regt.
Lord Strathcona's Horse
Manitoba Dragoons
Manitoba Horse
Mississauga Horse
Ontario Mounted Rifles
Princess Louise Dragoon Guards
Queen's Own Canadian Hussars
Queen's York Rangers (1st Am. R.)
Régt de Hull
Régt de Trois-Riviéres
Royal Canadian Dragoons
Royal Canadian Mounted Rifles
Saskatchewan Dragoons
Sherbrooke Regiment
South Alberta Horse
South Alberta Light Horse
Strathcona's Horse
Windsor Regiment

Infantry Regiments 1900-1919
Dawson Rifles
GGFG
Kootenay Rifles
PPCLI
Royal Canadian Regiment
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CEF Battalions 1914-1920

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Infantry Regiments 1920-2000
1st British Columbia Regiment
1st BC Regt (D. of Conn.'s Own)
Algonquin Regiment
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
Argyll Light Infantry
Black Watch (RHR) of Canada
BC Regt (D. of Conn's Own Rifles)
Calgary Highlanders
Calgary Regiment
Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa
Canadian Airborne Regiment
Canadian Scottish Regiment
 Canadian Fusiliers (C of L Regt)
Canadian Guards
Canadian Grenadier Guards
Cape Breton Highlanders
Carleton and York Regiment
Durham Regiment
Elgin Regiment
Essex Scottish
Essex & Kent Scottish
 Fusiliers de Sherbrooke
Fusiliers Mont Royal
Fusiliers du St. Laurent
48th Highlanders of Canada
Gov Gen Foot Guards
Grey & Simcoe Foresters
Halifax Rifles
Hastings and Prince Edward Regt
Highland Fusiliers of Canada
Highland Light Infantry of Canada
Irish Fusiliers
Irish Fusiliers of Can (Vancouver R.)
Irish Regiment
Irish Regiment of Canada
Kent Regiment
King's Own Rifles of Canada
Lake Superior Regiment
Lincoln and Welland Regiment
Loyal Edmonton Regiment
Lorne Scots
Midland Regiment
Mississauga Regiment
New Brunswick Rangers
New Brunswick Scottish
North Nova Scotia Highlanders
North Shore (New Brunswick) Regt
North Waterloo Regiment
Oxford Rifles
Perth Regiment
Peterborough Rangers
Pictou Highlanders
PPCLI
Prince Albert and Battleford Voltrs
Princess Louise Fusiliers (MG)
Prince Rupert Regiment
Princess of Wales' Own Regiment
Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
Queen's Own Rifles of Canada
Queen's Rangers (1st Am. Regt.)
Queen's York Rangers (1st Am. R.)
 Régiment de la Chaudière
 Régiment de Chateauguay
Régiment de Levis
 Régiment de Maisonneuve
Régiment de Montmagmy
 Régiment de Saguenay
Régiment de St. Hyacinthe
 Régiment de Québec
Regina Rifle Regiment
Rocky Mountain Rangers
Royal 22e Regt
Royal Canadian Regiment
Royal Highlanders of Canada
Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada
Royal Regiment of Canada
Royal Regina Rifles
Royal Hamilton Light Infantry
Royal Montreal Regiment
Royal New Brunswick Regiment
Royal Newfoundland Regiment
Royal Rifles of Canada
Royal Scots of Canada
Royal Winnipeg Rifles
Saskatoon Light Infantry
Scots Fusiliers of Canada
S, D and G Highlanders
Seaforth Highlanders of Canada
South Alberta Regiment
South New Brunswick Regiment
South Saskatchewan Regiment
Toronto Regiment
Toronto Scottish Regiment
Vancouver Regiment
Victoria Rifles of Canada
Voltigeurs de Quebec
Waterloo Regiment
Westminster Regiment
West Nova Scotia Regiment
West Toronto Regiment
Winnipeg Grenadiers
Winnipeg Light Infantry
York Rangers
 Yukon Regiment

95th Saskatchewan Rifles

The 95th Saskatchewan Rifles was an infantry regiment of the Canadian Army formed in the period before the First World War.

Lineage

  • 3 July 1905 eight companies raised in Assiniboia and Saskatchewan Districts, Northwest Territories (Saskatchewan did not join Confederation until 1 September 1905.)1

  • 1 April 1907 95th Regiment authorized

    • 1 April 1908 headquarters formed at Regina

  • 1 May 1908 redesignated 95th Rifles

  • 1 June 1909 redesignated 95th Saskatchewan Rifles

  • 1 April 1912 redesignated 95th Regiment

  • 16 September 1913 redesignated 95th Saskatchewan Rifles

  • Amalgamated 15 March 1920 to become The South Saskatchewan Regiment

95th Saskatchewan Rifles

Headquarters: See article
Authorized: 1 April 1907
Amalgamated: 15 March 1920 to become The South Saskatchewan Regiment
Followed by: The Regina Rifle Regiment


History

 

Earlier units in Saskatchewan included the Regina Home Guard, organized in March 1885 (redesignated the Regina Volunteer Corps on 25 March 1885) which disbanded on 1 October 1885.

The regiment originally raised 8 companies on 3 July 1905; according to regiments.org they were:

  • A Company at Moose Jaw; moved 1 June 1910 to Prince Albert

  • B Company at Moose Jaw; moved 15 May 1913 to Regina

  • C Company at Regina; moved 15 May 1913 to Moose Jaw

  • D Company at Regina

  • E Company at Wolseley; moved 1 June 1909 to Regina

  • F Company at Saskatoon; moved 1909 to Wolseley

  • G Company at Prince Albert; moved 13 May 1908 to Saskatoon

  • H Company at Prince Albert; moved 1909 to Saskatoon

After Saskatchewan's admission into Confederation, the unit was officially authorized and titled the 95th Regiment; the unit was uniformed and equipped as a Rifle regiment on 1 April 1908. The unit headquartered at Regina, with HQ moving to Saskatoon on 7 August 1911. The first practice of the regimental band under bandmaster Mister F. Laubach was on Tuesday, 18 May 1909.2

On 1 April 1912, after being redesignated 95th Regiment once more, headquarters transferred back to Regina, with F and G company forming a new 105th Regiment headquarters in Saskatoon. The Leader-Post reported on 25 April 1912 that the regiment would consisted of eight companies, four in Regina and four in Moose Jaw. The same article reported that "(s)ince the formation of the regiment here (in Regina) four years ago very little interest was shown by the young men of the city until last year."

On 2 January 1913, A and B Companies in Moose Jaw split off to form the 60th Rifles and H Company went to form the 52nd Regiment Prince Albert Volunteers.


Photo in The Leader-Post, 15 Aug 1914, showing 95th Saskcatchewan Rifles
men who would go to Valcartier for the formation of the CEF.

 


The 95th Regiment reorganized on 1 October 1915 to a four-company establishment, something the CEF battalions overseas had done to conform to British practice.

On 15 March 1920 the regiment was amalgamated as part of the Otter Committee reorganizations with the 60th Rifles of Canada, to form The South Saskatchewan Regiment with a 1st Battalion in Regina.

On 15 May 1924, The Regina Rifle Regiment was reformed at Regina as a reorganization of The South Saskatchewan Regiment.

 

Detailed Pre-war History

The genesis of the reformed regiment was in the reorganization of the Militia by Lord Dundonald, the last General Officer Commanding the Forces (Canada). After the entry of Saskatchewan into Confederation in 1905, an Ontario lawyer named Frank Ford was appointed Deputy Attorney General of the new province. As a captain in the 20th Regiment (The Lorne Rifles), Ford was offered command of a new militia unit in Saskatchewan with the rank of Major. The new regiment was gazetted on 2 April 1907 and General Order No. 67 placed regimental headquarters at Regina, with outlying companies as listed above. Regimental badges were influenced by his family's coat of arms.

Throughout 1907, Ford enlisted personnel for the regiment, though history has not recorded the date of the first parade or name of the first soldiers to enlist. It is believed the first regular parades occurred in the spring of 1908.

The regiment adopted Rifle regiment traditions (though it maintained a pipe band rather than a bugle band), and was officially gazetted as the 95th Saskatchewan Rifles in 1910. At the time of the change, companies were located as follows:

  • 'A' and H Companies at Prince Albert

  • 'B' Company at Moose Jaw

  • Regimental Headquarters, 'C', 'D' and 'E' Companies at Regina

  • 'F' and 'G' Companies at Saskatoon.

The Regiment grew in 1910 and 1911, "partly attributed to the sabre rattling of Kaiser William of Germany" according to Scott-Calder's history, who also attributes the general growth in population of Saskatchewan's cities and a visit by Sir John French with the expansion.3 The unit was called out in June 1912 to assist civil authorities during the Regina cyclone.4

Field Force Contributions

First World War

In September 1914, the 95th Regiment provided provided drafts for the 10th Battalion, CEF and 11th Battalion, CEF. According to regiments.org, volunteers were also provided for other battalions

  • 1 November 1914 contributed volunteers to 28th Battalion, CEF

  • 6 July 1915 contributed volunteers to 68th Battalion, CEF

  • 31 January 1916 contributed volunteers to 195th Battalion, CEF

  • September 1916 contributed volunteers to 249th Battalion, CEF

Notable Personalities

  • Major-General H.L.N. Salmon

  • Brigadier-General John Fletcher Leopold Embury served in the regiment as well as commanding it before the First World War, and took the 28th Battalion, CEF overseas. He was wounded at Courcelette and later promoted to Brigadier-General, commanding the 2nd Brigade and ending the war with British General Headquarters.5

Uniform Insignia

The word "EXCITAT" in Latin is variously translated as "to rise", "to initiate" or "to excite". The word on its own would normally be used in combination with others to provide a more contextual meaning, such as Parva scintilla saepe magnam flamam excitat ("The small sparkle often initiates a large flame".)6

Robert Lindsay (whose grandfather served with the Regiment) describes the badges and motto as such:

The original badges of the 95th Regiment were of the conventional type employed by many of the militia units of the era. The badges for Officers were in silver and those worn by other ranks in the same pattern but of dark metal. The figures '95' with a circle of leaves surmounted by the Crown were prominent on the cap badge. The motto 'Excitat' appeared at the base of a Demi-Lion Rampant on the collar badges. This was the Ford Family Crest and Motto. The larger crossbelt badge was shaped in the form of the Rifles' Cross surmounted by the Crown. In the centre was the Demi-Lion Rampant with the motto 'Excitat' underneath, the whole circled with the designation 'Saskatchewan Rifles' and with laurel and oak leaves. At the base was the word 'CANADA' and underneath in roman numerals the figures 'XCV'. A complete set of these badges is retained in the archives of the perpetuating unit The Regina Rifle Regiment at Headquarters in Regina.7

Cap Badges

 

Mazeas lists three cap badges (illustrated above). From left to right - one for the 95th Regiment, an officers' pattern for the 95th Saskatchewan Rifles, and an Other Ranks pattern. At right is as a helmet plate for the 95th Regiment.

Collar Badges

Mazeas shows two similar patterns of collar badge, one for the 95th Regiment, the other for the 95th Saskatchewan Rifles.

Collar badges for the 95th Regiment are illustrated as being issued in left and right pairs. The badges measured 1-1/4" at the widest point by by 1-1/4" tall according to Mazeas (reference MM.256). They differ from MM.257 in that the mane of the lion is shorter and tidier, the tail is curved differently, and the wreath visible on the later pattern is absent here. The scroll is also slightly longer in the later pattern.

Collar badges for the 95th Saskatchewan Rifles are illustrated as being issued in left and right pairs. The badges measured 1-1/4" at the widest point by by 1-1/4" tall according to Mazeas (reference MM.257). The badges were approved by General Order 67/1910.

Metal Shoulder Titles

Possibly a "95" numeral.

Buttons

Smylie does not list a distinctive button for this regiment.

Notes

  1. Thank you to Cpl Jerry Heilman of The Saskatchewan Dragoons for correcting an incorrect date. See also "Regina Rifle Regiment marks Diamond Jubilee", The Leader-Post, 5 Jun 1965.

  2. The Morning Leader, 17 May 1909

  3. Major Donald George Scott-Calder, ED. The History of the 28th (Northwest) Battalion, CEF (October 1914 - June 1919), reproduced at the NW Battalion website

  4.  "Regina Rifle Regiment marks Diamond Jubilee", The Leader-Post, 5 Jun 1965.

  5. Entry at the Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan by John Chaput. accessed online 1 Dec 2024 at The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan

  6. The Leader-Post article referenced above gives the translation of EXCITAT as "I Urge" and states it was adopted in June 1909 when the unit adopted rifle (black) badges and rifle-green uniforms.

  7. NW Battalion website accessed 22 Jun 2006.

Other References

  • The Regiments and Corps of the Canadian Army (Queen's Printer, Ottawa, ON, 1964)

  • Love, David W. A Call To Arms: The Organization and Administration of Canada's Military in World War One (Bunker to Bunker Books, Winnipeg, 1999.) ISBN 1894255038

 


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