RIR (Royal Irish Regiment) Homecoming Belfast 2nd November 2008. Pride N...

 The brave decendents of many Irishmen and women who fought for Ireland, and Britain. No matter which side of the divide, these men and deserve respect!

4 Scots "The Highlanders" The Royal Regiment of Scotland, Homecoming Pa...

 The decendants of the regiment I served in, the 78th Highlanders, The Rosshire Buffs eventually were reformed as the Seaforth Highlanders. They were then merged with the Cameron Highlanders to become the Seaforth and Cameron Highlanders to be then merged into The Highlanders, Seaforth Gordon and Camerons, to finally be formed as the 4th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland.

Argyll`s Farewell Parade, Stirling.

 The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders were originally their own regiment, then were merged into the Royal Regiment of Scotland. However, they are now to be reduced to a single company. March on brave jocks.

The Black Watch march back to the Armoury after the 150th Anniversary Ce...

 The Black Watch otherwise known as the Royal Highland Regiment of Canada are one of the militia regiments in Montreal, Quebec.

The Devil's Brigade - Jeremy Slate fight scene

 The actual Sgt. O'Neil had served in the British raised Shanghai police force, learning martial arts while in China. The actor Mr. Slate passed away recently.

A Bridge Too Far - Trailer

One of the most interesting war films ever! Thanks to 7dc and United Artists

Canadian Peacekeepers

Master corporal, Canadian Forces, Haïti, 1996

Serving with the United Nations in front of the presidential palace at Port au Prince, Haïti, 1996.
 both shots (DND)

Canadian M113 armoured personnel carriers, U.N. Protection Force in ex-Yugoslavia (UNPROFOR), 1993

Canadian armoured personnel carriers serving with the United Nations at the Sarajevo airport in Bosnia during the 1993 siege of that city. (DND)

Canadians serving with U.N. Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), 1965

Canadians serving with the United Nations in Cyprus, 1965. (DND)

Canadian observers, U.N. Operation in the Congo (ONUC), 1961

Canadian observers on the roof of the building that served as United Nations Forces HQ in Leopoldville/Kinshasa, Congo/Zaire, 1961. (DND)

A Canadian 'Blue Beret', circa 1975

A Canadian 'Blue Beret' serving with United Nations peacekeeping forces in Cyprus, circa 1975. Reconstruction by Ron Volstad. (Canadian Department of National Defence)  All phtos and artwork courtsey of www.cmhg.gc.ca

Canadian Rangers

Volunteer, Canadian Rangers, 1988

An Inuit volunteer with the Canadian Rangers, who have been active in the Canadian Arctic since 1947. (DND) photo from www.cmhg.gc.ca
Unlike the American Rangers, the Canadian Rangers are the military force charged with protecting the far north of Canada. Since the climate is so harsh, they are issued with No. 4 Lee-Enfield rifles which will work in the extreme cold.

Canadian Commandos

Rating, Beach Commando 'W', Royal Canadian Navy, 1944

The Royal Canadian Navy had only one unit that bore the famous designation 'commando'. Beach Commando 'W' was trained to go ashore in the dark before the first assault troops. Their mission was to secure beach area and send out signals with information about the conditions for landing. Despite months of training in Scotland, the Canadians were not sent ashore on D-Day. They landed three days later to relieve Beach Commando 'P,’ a British unit. They spent many weeks as troubleshooters and traffic police, guiding landing craft to safely ashore and sending men and equipment to their destinations. This rating is shown in 1942-issue British battle dress, wearing the new Mk III helmet and carrying a Lanchester machine gun. The unit wore the Combined Operations Patch as well as 'Canada' flashes on the upper arm. Reconstruction by Ron Volstad. (Canadian Department of National Defence) (www.cmhg.gc.ca)

Canadian Women at War

Private, Canadian Women's Army Corps, Italy, 1944

More than 2,000 servicewomen served overseas. Members of the Canadian Women's Army Corps (formed in 1942) were first sent overseas to replace men at Canadian Military Headquarters in Britain. Men who were put in danger of front line service by the women's arrival were sometimes cool to the new arrivals. Nevertheless, the plan worked out well enough that several hundred Canadian women were soon in Britain. Eventually, permission was given to send some CWACs into rear areas of the war zone, mainly to act as clerks with headquarters units. The very first members of the Corps to enter a theatre of war, however, were the four women who were part of the Canadian Army show which landed in Italy on 16 May 1944. Reconstruction by Ron Volstad. (Canadian Department of National Defence)  artwork courtsey of www.cmhg.gc.ca

The Royal Canadian Airforce

(www.cmhg.gc.ca)
When the Canadian Air Force was authorized in February 1920, they were given the dark blue uniform seen in this painting of a pilot ranking as a lieutenant. Rank was shown by the traditional army system of crowns and stars, and pilots wore wings on the left breast. King George V granted the designation Royal Canadian Air Force in 1923. When the service was made a permanent part of the Department of National Defence the following year, it adopted the lighter 'RAF blue' uniform worn by its British counterpart. Reconstruction by Ron Volstad. (Canadian Department of National Defence)

Flight Sergeant, Royal Canadian Air Force, circa 1941-1943

This Flight Sergeant of the RCAF is dressed in the flight suit worn by Commonwealth aircrew in temperate climates. This man wears the life jacket (known as a 'Mae West' after the American actress), oxygen mask and leather flying helmet appropriate to a fighter pilot on operations over the English Channel. The RAF blue battledress was largely identical to that worn by the Royal Air Force, differing most visibly through the addition of 'Canada' over the albatross patches on the upper arm. Reconstruction by Ron Volstad. (Canadian Department of National Defence)
                    

Leading Aircraftwoman, Royal Canadian Air Force Women's Division, 1942-1946

A member of the Royal Canadian Air Force Women's Division, which was formed in 1941 and eventually recruited more than 16,000 volunteers. Beginning in September 1942, many of these women served in Britain; by 1945 more than 1,300 of them were serving there. The Leading Aircraftwoman (her rank is shown by the propeller badge on her sleeve) shown here was a plotter at a Sector Control Room in the south of England. Canadian women serving outside Canada wore the "CANADA" badge on the upper sleeve. Reconstruction by Ron Volstad. (Canadian Department of National Defence)
All artwork courtsey of www.cmhg.gc.ca

Canadian Regiments Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry

The PPCLI was raised during the First World War

The ‘PPCLI’ adopted its scarlet full dress uniform with ‘French grey’ (light blue) facings in 1924. At that time, the white helmet’s puggaree was also light blue but this was against regulations and the regiment was ordered to change them to white in 1927. The regiment did not give up and the light blue puggarees were finally allowed after the Second World War. (Canadian War Museum)

2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, Kap'yong, Korea, 24-25 April 1951

On 24 and 25 April 1951, the 2nd Battalion of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry stationed in Kap'yong, Korea, fought day and night to repel repeated attacks by the Chinese 118th Division. This action stopped the Chinese army advance on Seoul, the Korean capital. Impressed by such gallantry and tenacity, the U.S. president awarded the battalion the American Distinguished Unit Citation, which it has worn ever since. (United States Army Center of Military History, Washington) www.cmhg.gc.ca

French Canadian units in the Canadian Army

Le Regiment du Hull (www.cmhg.gc.ca) This unit was one of the militia regiments sent to the Aluentian Islands campaign.

Royale 22e Regiment in Italy 1943
(www.cmhg.gc.ca)

Canada is offically bilingual. However, throughout Canadian history, French speaking Canadiens have only been able to serve a few French speaking Regiments. The "VanDoos" were raised during the First World War and became part of the regular army after 1918. All other French speaking units were/are part of the Militia or Reserve army.

Officer, Royal 22e Régiment, 1930s (www.cmhg.gc.ca)

Since 1928, the ‘Van Doos’ have a full dress scarlet uniform with fusilier pattern bearskin cap which approximates that of their allied regiment in the British Army, the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. (Canadian War Museum)