Georgetown - The Lorne Scots

 

Location:  Halton Region, Halton Hills   N 43 38.742  W 079 55.643 
At the entrance to the Georgetown fairgrounds, on Park Avenue, west of Charles Street.

These gates and the entrance to the town park and farigrounds have been dedicated to The Lorne Scots Regiment on their 145 anniversary of service to the area.

Marker text:
LORNE SCOTS WAY
Dedicated October 24, 2011

IN HONOUR OF
THE 145TH ANNIVERSARY
OF THE LORNE SCOTS
(Peel, Dufferin, and Halton Regiment)

by Mayor Rick Bonette
and Members of Town Council
 
 
 

This history is taken from their website:  http://www.lornescots.ca/army/history.htm

A Proud Past

On 14 September 1866 the 36th Peel Battalion was authorized and on 28 September the 20th Halton Battalion of Infantry was formed. These two regiments, some 70 years later, were to be reorganized to form The Lorne Scots (Peel, Dufferin and Halton Regiment). The first Scottish connection was made on 27 September 1879 when the Halton Rifles were reviewed by His Excellency The Marquis of Lorne and permission was received in 1881 to redesignate the 20th Halton Rifles as the 20th Halton Battalion Lorne Rifles. In addition, the wearing of tartan trews and the diced Glengarry were authorized and a Pipe Band was formed.

During the Boer War the regiment, as a unit, did not go to war; however, many officers and men from both regiments served there. During the First World War, regiments as such were not mobilized but drafts from various units were called up and formed into numbered battalions.

The 36th Peel Battalion and the 20th Halton Rifles provided 16 officers and 404 other ranks to the 4th Battalion of the 1st Canadian Division. Subsequently many more men from the two regiments were allotted to the 20th, 36th, 58th, 74th, 76th and 81st Battalions. The 126th, 164th and 234th Battalions were raised exclusively in Peel, Dufferin and Halton Counties. After the war, the 36th Peel Regiment was reorganized becoming the Peel and Dufferin Regiment in 1923. The regimental badge adopted was the Demi Lion which was the personal crest of Sir Robert Peel.

The Halton Rifles was reorganized as the Lorne Rifles (Scottish) in 1931 and permission was received from His Grace the Duke of Argyll, the senior Duke of Scotland, to use his personal crest , the Boar's Head and his personal tartan, the Ordinary Campbell. On 15 December 1936, following a general reorganization of the Militia, the Lorne Rifles and the Peel and Dufferin Regiment were amalgamated to form the present regiment, The Lorne Scots (Peel, Dufferin and Halton Regiment).

The Lorne Scots was one of the first units in Canada to be mobilized in 1939, proceeding overseas in January 1940. It was organized into defence companies and platoons at Brigade, Division, Corps and Army Headquarters and served in every theatre of war in which Canadian soldiers fought except Hong Kong. They were in France with elements of the 1st Division early in 1940. A platoon of the Lornes served with The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada at the capture of Boulogne where over 50 percent of the platoon was killed or wounded. Elements of the platoon with 6 Brigade took part in the raid on Dieppe in August 1942 and the platoon landed with 6 Brigade on the beaches of Sicily on 13 July 1943.

Since the war, the regiment has been well represented at all military functions and in 1955 had the largest attendance at summer camp of any infantry regiment in Canada. In autumn of 1963, the regiment was presented with its colours by the Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, The Honourable W. Earl Rowe, in a ceremony at Caledon. This was followed by an upsurge of interest and prowess in marksmanship in the unit which immediately began to dominate competition shooting at all levels from local to national. This domination has continued to the present time with the unit being represented at various world Championships, Olympics, Pan-American Games and the Bisley Competition in England.

In the 1960s, the Lancashire Fusiliers, the allied regiment in England since 9 May 1929, suffered amalgamation and in the process bestowed its revered primrose hackle on the Lorne Scots for custodianship. It is now worn proudly on the headdress of all Lorne Scots infantry personnel. With the coming of the 1970s, the role of the Militia expanded, resulting in some Lorne Scots members serving in Germany.

The Regiment is first ever Colonel-in-Chief, Field Marshall His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent visited the Regiment in 1979 and 1983 and presented the unit with a new Regimental and Queen's colour on 14 September 1991 in Brampton on the occasion of the regiment's 125th birthday.

The Regiment has also provided troops to many of the United Nations Peacekeeping Forces that Canada has contributed to. These include Cyprus, Cambodia, Namibia and, most recently, the Former Republic of Yugoslavia. A number of troops recently participated in the clean up of activities during the Ice Storm of 98 in Eastern Ontario.

Battle Honors


World War I
• YPRES, 1915, 1917
• HILL 70
• Festubert, 1915
• AMIENS
• MOUNT SORREL
• HINDENBURG LINE
• SOMME, 1916
• PURSUIT TO MONS
• ARRAS, 1917, 1918


World War II
• SICILY, 1943
• NORTH-WEST EUROPE, 1944-1945
• ITALY, 1943-45


Order of Precedence: 14

The Regiment remains true to its motto:
"Air-Son-Ar-Duthchais"
For Our Heritage