The Toronto Scottish Regiment (Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother's Own) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Toronto Scottish Regiment (Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother's Own)
Cap badge
Active	1920–present
Country	Canada
Branch	Canadian Army
Type	Infantry
Role	To close with and destroy the enemy
Size	One battalion
Part of	32 Canadian Brigade Group
Garrison/HQ	Captain Bellenden Seymour Hutcheson VC Armoury, Toronto LCol Samuel Beckett Armoury, Mississauga
Nickname(s)	Tor Scots
Motto(s)	Carry on
March	Quick: "Blue Bonnets over the Border"
Anniversaries	Regimental birthday (as The Toronto Scottish Regiment) 1 September 1921
Commanders
Colonel-in-chief	Charles, Prince of Wales
Commanding officer	Lieutenant Colonel Jason Kearney, CD
Regimental sergeant major	Chief Warrant Officer Maggie Stawarz, CD
Insignia
Tartan	Hodden Grey

The Toronto Scottish Regiment (Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother's Own) is a special group of soldiers in the Canadian Army. They are part of the Primary Reserve, which means their members are part-time soldiers. They are trained as infantry, which are soldiers who fight on foot. This regiment is part of the 32 Canadian Brigade Group in the 4th Canadian Division.

The regiment's history began on July 1, 1915. It started as the 75th (Mississauga) Battalion. Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Beckett helped create it. In just three weeks, over 1,500 people joined. By March 1916, the battalion was ready and sailed to Liverpool. More than 5,500 soldiers served in this battalion during the First World War. Sadly, 1,049 of them died, including Lieutenant-Colonel Beckett. The 75th Battalion earned 16 battle honours for its bravery. Captain Bellenden Hutcheson, a medical officer, even received the Victoria Cross, a very high award for courage. In 1921, the regiment was renamed The Toronto Scottish Regiment.

During the Second World War, the regiment first formed a machine gun battalion. This group provided machine-gun teams for battles. They were part of the Dieppe Raid in 1942. Later, they also used mortars to support other soldiers in Europe from 1944 until the war ended. In April 1940, the 1st Battalion even guarded the King at Buckingham Palace in London. The 2nd Battalion stayed in Canada as a reserve unit.

In 2000, the regiment added "Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother's Own" to its name. This was to honor Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. She had been their special leader, called the Colonel-in-chief, since 1938. The regiment also helped escort her funeral in 2002. The regiment's special pattern of cloth, called a tartan, is Hodden Grey.

In 2009, the regiment's main office and some companies moved to a new building. This was the Captain Bellenden Seymour Hutcheson VC Armoury in Toronto. This building is "green," meaning it was built to be good for the environment. In 2012, another part of the regiment, the 75th Company, moved to a new shared building in Mississauga.

Regiment's Journey Through Time

The camp flag of The Toronto Scottish Regiment (Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother's Own).

The Toronto Scottish Regiment has changed its name and structure over the years. Here is how it developed:

• It started on May 1, 1920, in Toronto as The Mississauga Regiment.
• On September 1, 1921, it became The Toronto Scottish Regiment.
• On December 15, 1936, it joined with parts of another unit. It was then called The Toronto Scottish Regiment (Machine Gun).
• On November 7, 1940, it was renamed the 2nd Battalion, The Toronto Scottish Regiment (Machine Gun).
• On June 19, 1947, it went back to being The Toronto Scottish Regiment.
• Finally, on October 19, 2000, it received its current name: The Toronto Scottish Regiment (Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother's Own).

Units They Remember

The regiment keeps the memory of these older units alive:

First World War Units

• 75th Battalion (Mississauga), CEF
• 84th Battalion, CEF

Battles and Operations

First World War Service

The Great War distinguishing patch of the 75th Battalion (Mississauga), CEF.

The 75th Battalion (Mississauga), CEF was officially formed on July 1, 1915. They sailed to Great Britain on March 29, 1916. On August 12, 1916, they arrived in France. There, they fought as part of the 11th Infantry Brigade. This was part of the 4th Canadian Division in France and Flanders until the war ended. The battalion was officially closed on September 15, 1920.

The 84th Battalion, CEF was formed on July 10, 1915. They sailed to Great Britain on June 18, 1916. On June 30, 1916, their soldiers joined other units. They helped provide new soldiers for the Canadian forces fighting in the war. This battalion was closed on April 11, 1918.

Second World War Service

The Toronto Scottish mount the King's Guard in London, 1940

The regiment became active for war service on September 1, 1939. It was called The Toronto Scottish Regiment (Machine Gun). They sailed to Great Britain on December 7, 1939.

The battalion took part in Operation Jubilee, which was the raid on Dieppe, on August 19, 1942. They landed in France again on July 6 and 7, 1944. This was as part of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division. The battalion continued to fight in North-West Europe until the war ended. The overseas battalion was closed on December 31, 1945.

Afghanistan Service

Between 2002 and 2014, many soldiers from the regiment helped in Afghanistan. More than 20% of their soldiers served in different groups there.

Honors from Battles

The regimental colour of The Toronto Scottish Regiment (Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother's Own).

Battle honors are special awards given to military units for their bravery in battles. The ones in bold are shown on the regiment's flag.

• Somme, 1916
• Ancre Heights
• Ancre, 1916
• Arras, 1917, '18
• Vimy, 1917
• Hill 70
• Ypres, 1917
• Passchendaele
• Amiens
• Scarpe, 1918
• Drocourt–Quéant
• Hindenburg Line
• Canal du Nord
• Valenciennes
• Sambre
• France and Flanders, 1916–18

Second World War

• Dieppe
• Bourguébus Ridge
• St. André-sur-Orne
• Verrières Ridge–Tilly-la-Campagne
• Falaise
• Falaise Road
• Clair Tizon
• Dunkirk, 1944
• Antwerp–Turnhout Canal
• The Scheldt
• Woensdrecht
• South Beveland
• The Rhineland
• The Reichswald
• Goch–Calcar Road
• The Hochwald
• Xanten
• Twente Canal
• Groningen
• Oldenburg
• North-West Europe, 1942, 1944–1945
• Afghanistan

On October 26, 2015, the Afghanistan battle honor was officially given to the regiment. Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex added it to the regimental flag.

Regimental Museum

Toronto Scottish Regiment Presentation of Colours March Past

The regiment has its own museum. It used to be at the Fort_York_Armoury in Toronto. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother opened the museum in 1984. In September 2009, the museum moved to the Captain Bellenden Seymore Hutcheson VC Armoury in Etobicoke. It officially reopened on May 1, 2010. The museum has old uniforms, weapons, and other items from the regiment's history. You can visit the museum by making an appointment or during special regimental events.

Allied Regiments

The Toronto Scottish Regiment has special connections with other military units:

•  United Kingdom - Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons), 4th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland
•  United Kingdom - The London Scottish

Books and Media

• "Carry on." The History of the Toronto Scottish Regiment (M.G.) 1939-1945 by Major D. W. Grant (1949)
• "Toronto's Fighting 75th in the Great War 1915 - 1919," by Regimental Historian Timothy J. Stewart CD (2017)

Images for kids

• 

  Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, presents new colours to the Royal Regiment of Canada and Toronto Scottish Regiment at Varsity Stadium in Toronto, 5 November 2009