1st Hussars

The official lineage of the 1st Hussars armour regiment.

Badge

Description

A scroll Azure inscribed HUSSARS surmounting the word FIRST with R and S interlaced Argent ensigned by a coronet treflé Or issuant therefrom a horse forcene Argent crined Sable, the word flanked by two branches of maple Or conjoined in saltire beneath and surmounted in base by a scroll Azure lined Or inscribed HODIE NON CRAS, all set upon a like scroll inscribed CANADA, all inscriptions in letters Or.

Symbolism

The maple leaves and the word "CANADA" represent service to Canada. The horse represents the regiment's cavalry origins and the ducal coronet service to the Sovereign. "FIRST HUSSARS" is a form of the regimental title and "HODIE NON CRAS" is the motto of the regiment.

Motto

HODIE NON CRAS (Today not tomorrow)

March

Bonnie Dundee

Alliance

British Army

The King's Royal Hussars

Guidon

Camp flag

Battle honours

South African War

SOUTH AFRICA, 1900.

The First World War

SOMME, 1916; Flers-Courcelette; Ancre Heights; ARRAS, 1917, '18; Vimy, 1917; AMIENS; Scarpe, 1918; Drocourt-Quéant; HINDENBURG LINE; Canal du Nord; Cambrai, 1918; PURSUIT TO MONS; FRANCE AND FLANDERS, 1915-18.

The Second World War

NORMANDY LANDING; Putot-en-Bessin; Le Mesnil-Patry; CAEN; The Orne; BOURGUÉBUS RIDGE; Faubourg de Vaucelles; Verrières Ridge-Tilly-la-Campagne; FALAISE; Falaise Road; Quesnay Wood; The Laison; Chambois; Calais, 1944; The Lower Maas; THE RHINELAND; The Hochwald; Apeldoorn; Bad Zwischenahn; NORTH-WEST EUROPE, 1944-1945.

South-West Asia

AFGHANISTAN

Lineage

This Reserve Force regiment originated in London, Ontario on 31 May 1872, when the '1st Regiment of Cavalry' was authorized to be formed.^{Footnote 1} It was redesignated: '1st Hussars' on 1 January 1893;^{Footnote 2} '2nd (Reserve) Regiment, 1st Hussars' on 11 February 1941;^{Footnote 3} '6th (Reserve) Armoured Regiment, (1st Hussars)' on 1 April 1941;^{Footnote 4} '1st Hussars (6th Armoured Regiment)' on 4 February 1949;^{Footnote 5} '1st Hussars' on 19 May 1958;^{Footnote 6} '1st Hussars (RCAC)' on 19 September 1985;^{Footnote 7} and '1st Hussars' on 14 August 1997.^{Footnote 8}

Notes:

On 1 November 1920 the 1st Hussars were organized as a two regiment unit with the 1st Regiment on the Non Permanent Active Militia order of battle, and the 2nd Regiment on the Reserve order of battle (GO 185/20). The reserve unit was disbanded on 14 December 1936 (GO 3/37).

The 1st Hussars were disbanded for the purpose of reorganization on 15 December 1920 and reorganized the same day (GO 40/21). This change was administrative and does not affect the lineage of the regiment.

Headquarters Location

London, Ontario

Operational history

South African War

The regiment contributed volunteers for the Canadian Contingents.^{Footnote 9}

The First World War

The 1st Hussars recruited 'A' Squadron of the '7th Regiment, Canadian Mounted Rifles, CEF', which was authorized on 7 November 1914.^{Footnote 10} It embarked for Great Britain on 9 June 1915.^{Footnote 11} This squadron was redesignated: '2nd Canadian Divisional Cavalry Squadron, CEF' on 30 March 1915;^{Footnote 12} 'First Canadian Hussars (Special Service Squadron), CEF' on 31 January 1916;^{Footnote 13} 'B Squadron, Canadian Corps Cavalry Regiment, CEF' on 12 May 1916;^{Footnote 14} and 'B Squadron, Canadian Light Horse, CEF' on 21 February 1917.^{Footnote 15} It disembarked in France on 17 September 1915,^{Footnote 16} where it fought in France and Flanders as part of the Canadian Corps until the end of the war.^{Footnote 17} The squadron was disbanded on 6 November 1920.^{Footnote 18}

The Second World War

The regiment mobilized an active service unit designated the '1st Hussars, CASF' on 1 September 1939.^{Footnote 19} This unit was disbanded on 1 March 1940, and on the same day a new active service unit designated the '1st Canadian Cavalry Regiment (Mechanized), CASF' was raised.^{Footnote 20} It was converted to armour and redesignated: 'First Canadian Cavalry Regiment (Mechanized), CASF' on 13 August 1940;^{Footnote 21} '6th Armoured Regiment (1st Hussars), CASF' on 11 February 1941;^{Footnote 22} '6th Armoured Regiment (1st Hussars), CAC, CASF' on 15 October 1943;^{Footnote 23} and '6th Armoured Regiment (1st Hussars), RCAC, CASF' on 2 August 1945.^{Footnote 24} It embarked for Britain on 13 November 1941.^{Footnote 25} The regiment landed in Normandy on 6 June 1944, as part of the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade, in support of 7th Infantry Brigade, 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, and fought in North-West Europe until the end of the war.^{Footnote 26} The overseas regiment was disbanded on 31 January 1946.^{Footnote 27}

South-West Asia

From 2002 to 2014, the 1st Hussars reinforced various CAF units deployed to Afghanistan.^{Footnote 28}

Footnotes

Footnote 1

MGO 15/72. Formed from five independent troops of cavalry and one newly organized troop authorized on the following dates: 'No. 1 Troop' (1st Troop St. Thomas and London Squadron, 20 March 1856), 'No. 2 Troop' (2nd Troop St. Thomas and London Squadron, 28 July 1856), 'No. 3 Troop' (Mooretown Troop of Cavalry, 17 August 1866), 'No. 4 Troop' (Kingsville Troop of Cavalry, 12 April 1872), 'No. 5 Troop' (Bayfield Troop of Cavalry, 8 June 1866), and the newly organized 'No. 6 Troop' in Stratford.

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Footnote 2

No authority for a change of designation of cavalry units in 1892 is contained within the applicable Militia General Orders or Annual Militia Report sessional papers. However, the date of 1 January 1893 is consistent with the nomenclature used in the aforementioned sources of 1893 and the Department of Militia and Defence, The Militia List of the Dominion of Canada, 1893. (GO 21/93 - Establishment Lists of the Active Militia of the Dominion of Canada for the Financial Year 1893-94).

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Footnote 3

GO 79/41.

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Footnote 4

GO 236/41.

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Footnote 5

CAO 76-3, Supp Issue No. 114/49.

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Footnote 6

CAO 76-3, Pt 'B', Supp Issue No. 602/58.

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Footnote 7

MOO 291/85, 19 Sep 85.

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Footnote 8

MOO 97100, 14 Aug 97.

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Footnote 9

GO 60/33.

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Footnote 10

GO 36/15.

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Footnote 11

Colonel A. Fortescue Duguid, Official History of the Canadian Forces in The Great War 1914-1919, General Series Vol. 1, August 1914-September 1915, Appendices, (Ottawa, 1938), p. 356. The regiment also sent a reinforcing draft overseas in 1917.

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Footnote 12

War Diary, 2nd Canadian Divisional Cavalry (1st Hussars), RG 9, Series III-D-3, Volume 4955, File 493, Appendix 1 - Letter, Adjutant-General to Officer Commanding 1st Division, London, Ont, HQ 593-4-2 dated 30 March 1915.

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Footnote 13

Ibid, 13 February 1916 - Letter, War Office 121/Overseas/1374 AG-1, 31-1-16; and Letter, Maj-Gen Wallace to Brig-Gen MacDougall Commanding CTD, 14-3-71 dated 3 February 1916, RG 9, Series III-B-1, Volume 861.

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Footnote 14

War Diary, Canadian Light Horse, RG/GE 9, Series III-D-3, Volume 4954, File 490, Appendix 1 - Letters, Canadian Corps G 706, 4 May 1916, and A. 29/59, 12 May 1916.

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Footnote 15

Ibid, 3 March 1917, Letter, War Office 121/Overseas/3407 (SD2), 21-2-17.

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Footnote 16

Colonel A. Fortescue Duguid, Official History of the Canadian Forces in The Great War 1914-1919, General Series Vol. 1, August 1914-September 1915, Appendices, (Ottawa, 1938), p. 357.

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Footnote 17

G.W.L. Nicholson, Official History of the Canadian Army in the First World War, Canadian Expeditionary Force 1914-1919 (Ottawa, 1962), passim.

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Footnote 18

GO 207/20. As part of the Canadian Light Horse.

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Footnote 19

GO 135/39.

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Footnote 20

GO 81/40; and John Marteinson and Michael R. McNorgan, The Royal Canadian Armoured Corps, (Toronto, 2000), p. 83. This new unit was a composite unit including a squadron from each of The Royal Canadian Dragoons, the Lord Strathcona's Horse, and the 1st Hussars. In January 1941 all three units resumed their former identities.

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Footnote 21