The Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR), 2nd Battalion, New Brunswick

2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment

The author had the privilege to have served alongside soldiers of the RCR in 2 Commando, Canadian Airborne Regiment and with many while on UN Duty in Cyprus in 1986.  I have also jumped with many of them on various exercises over the years.  This page is meant to honour those members of the 2nd Battalion past and currently serving at 5 Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown, New Brunswick.

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2 RCR, defence of Bell Bridge, CFB Gagetown, New Brunswick, 1995.

2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (2 RCR) is a mechanized infantry battalion that is under the command of 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (2 CMBG) and administered by Land Force Atlantic Area.  Gregg Barracks, named for Victoria Cross winner Milton F. Gregg, is home to 2 RCR at 5th Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown. The name and location of the Barracks embody 2 RCR's strong historical link to the Fredericton region.

The 2nd Battalion of the RCR is a fit and keen mechanized infantry battalion based at Gregg Barracks at 5th Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown, New Brunswick.  With one of the largest military training areas in Canada at its backdoor, the 2nd Battalion’s proficiency in the LAV 6 Light Armoured Vehicle is superb while the officers, Non-Commissioned Officers and soldiers of the battalion waste no opportunity to train and hone their professional skills.  Cross-postings and tasks to support the Combat Training Centre give the battalion exceptional depth while its location in the Canadian Maritimes contributes to the battalion’s unique character.

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LAV 6, 5 CDSB Gagetown.

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LAV 6, 5 CDSB Gagetown.

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LAV 6, 2 RCR, Fredericton, New Brunswick, 28 June 2019.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3931019)

RCR Capt John Fife with M113, Op Salon, Kahnawake, Quebec, Sep 1990.

In 1991, M Company and a platoon from P Company from 3rd Battalion, CFB Baden-Soellingen, Germany, and C Company from 1RCR, CFB London, Ontario, served in the Persian Gulf during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, the first Gulf War.  These companies were employed on airfield and field hospital security duties.  C Company of the 1st Battalion served in Al Jabail, Saudi Arabia providing security for 1 Canadian Field Hospital, and prisoner of war processing from 21 February to 20 March 1991.  12 Platoon, P Company of the 3rd Battalion served in Bahrain as a security force from 16 January to the end of March 1991.

In 1992, soldiers from the English-speaking N Company of the 3rd Battalion commanded by Major Devlin, based at CFB Baden-Soellingen in Germany, as an attachment to the R22eR, operationally secured the Sarajevo airport during the Yugoslav wars.  This operation saw a redeployment of the entire battle group from Croatia to the Sarajevo Theatre of Operations, under the command of General Lewis Mackenzie.

Queen Elizabeth II made mention of this operational force and its commitment to international peace while she was in the National Capital Region that same year during Canada's 125th, stating:

I am delighted to be here with you once again, to share in this day of national celebration, and, as a member of the Canadian family, to wish Canada a happy birthday on this one hundred and twenty-fifth anniversary of Confederation.  We have an occasion, and a country, worth celebrating ... I want to say a special word about the brave Canadian soldiers who today seek to bring peace, under the United Nations auspices, to a dangerous situation in Bosnia.  They serve both Canada and the cause of peace with courage and conviction.  As Queen of Canada, I salute their contribution with pride…You have inherited a country uniquely worth preserving.  I call on you all, wherever you live, whatever your walk of life, to cherish that inheritance, and to protect it with all your strength.  May God bless each and every one of you as you go about that task. And may God bless Canada.

— Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, on the 125th anniversary of Confederation, July 1, 1992

Shortly thereafter the Governor General of Canada bestowed the Commander-in-Chief Unit Commendation to N Company.  The official warrant stated:

(Award)…to the 1st Battalion of the Royal 22e Regiment Battle Group (Including N Company, 3rd Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment) for having opened the airport in the besieged city of Sarajevo in July 1992 (OP HARMONY).  The Commendation was officially presented to the unit by Her Excellency, the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, CC, CMM, COM, CD, Governor General of Canada and Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Forces during a ceremony which took place at the Citadel in Quebec City on 9 September 2002."

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2RCR M113 APCs, CFB Gagetown, spring 1995.

The unit returned to Bosnia Herzegovina for a tour with the NATO-led Peace Stabilization Force (SFOR), in 1998 and 1999.

(Corporal Brian Watters, 5 Div HQ PAO Branch Photo)

1999, Cpl Ed Pinto, 2 Int Pl receiving his Bosnia medal at Camp Drvar, India Coy, 2RCR, with HCol Jack Vance presenting, with RCR Capt John Fife escorting.

All three Regular Force battalions served as peacekeepers in the Sinai Peninsula, and in Bosnia-Herzegovina.  The 1st Battalion served in Kosovo during NATO mission Operation Kinetic, Rotation 1, Dec 1999 - May 2000.

All three Regular Force battalions served as peacekeepers in the Sinai Peninsula, and in Bosnia-Herzegovina.  The 1st Battalion served in Kosovo during NATO mission Operation Kinetic, Rotation 1, Dec 1999 - May 2000.

In 2000, the 2nd Battalion had the honour of mounting the Queen’s Guard at Buckingham Palace, when a detachment came to London to commemorate the Canadian involvement in the Second Boer War, and to celebrate the re-opening of Canada House.  Later that year, H Company Group of 2nd Battalion deployed to eastern Africa as part of  the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE).  As the United States prepared militarily and politically to launch military actions against Iraq, 2 RCR formed a provisional battle group and was warned off that if the government decided to participate, it would deploy.  The government decided against participation and instead decided to return to Afghanistan.  I Company Group deployed to Kabul on 26 May 2003 to form the Defence and Security Company for the construction of the Canadian camp.  It returned to Canada in August of that year after 3rd Battalion Group took on ISAF operations.

On 2 Oct 2003, Sgt. Robert Alan Short and Cpl. Robbie Christopher Beerenfenger were killed, and three others injured when their Iltis jeep struck a roadside bomb outside Camp Julien near Kabul.  They were from 3rd Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment.

On 27 Jan 2004, Cpl. Jamie Murphy died, and three soldiers were injured by a suicide bomber while patrolling near Camp Julien in an Iltis jeep.  All were members of the Royal Canadian Regiment.

In March 2004 the same company deployed to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, as part of Operation Halo (designated by the US as Operation Secure Tomorrow) to conduct security operations as part of the Multinational Interim Force.  This force was set in place in order to set the conditions for the United Nations to take over.  I Company conducted a relief in place with H Company Group in June.  H Company changed roles to the UN force and redeployed to Gonaïves, Haiti.  It returned to Canada in September of that year.

On 24 Nov 2005, Pte. Braun Scott Woodfield, Royal Canadian Regiment, was killed in a traffic accident involving his light-armoured vehicle (LAV III) northeast of Kandahar.  Three other soldiers suffered serious injuries.

In August 2006, the 1st Battalion deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Athena, replacing the 1st Battalion, PPCLI for a six-month tour of duty in theatre.

On 4 Sep 2006, Pte. Mark Anthony Graham, a member of 1st Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment, based at CFB Petawawa, Ontario, was killed and dozens of others wounded in a friendly fire incident involving an American A-10 Warthog aircraft.  Graham was a Canadian Olympic team member in 1992, when he raced as a member of the 4 x 400 metre relay team.

On 29 Sep 2006, Pte. Josh Klukie was killed by an improvised explosive device while he was conducting a foot patrol in a farm field in the Panjwai district. Klukie, of Thunder Bay, Ontario, was serving in the First Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment.

On 14 Oct 2006, Sgt. Darcy Tedford and Pte. Blake Williamson from 1st Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment in Petawawa, Ontario, were killed and three others wounded after troops in Kandahar province came under attack by Taliban insurgents wielding rocket propelled grenades and mortars, according to media reports.  The troops were trying to build a road in the region when the ambush attack occurred

On 27 Nov 2006, two Canadian soldiers were killed on the outskirts of Kandahar when a suicide car bomber attacked a convoy of military vehicles. Cpl. Albert Storm, 36, of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Chief Warrant Officer Robert Girouard, 46, from Bouctouche, NB, were members of the Royal Canadian Regiment based in Petawawa, Ontario.  They were in an armoured personnel carrier that had just left the Kandahar Airfield base when a vehicle approached and detonated explosives.

In February 2007, the 2nd Battalion replaced the 1st Battalion in Afghanistan for a tour of duty.

On 8 April 2007, six Canadian soldiers were killed, and two others were injured  when their armoured vehicle struck a roadside bomb west of Kandahar City, resulting in the worst single-day loss of life for Canadian Forces in Afghanistan.  Sgt. Donald Lucas, 31, Cpl. Aaron E. Williams, 23, Cpl. Brent Poland, Pte. Kevin Vincent Kennedy, 20, Pte. David Robert Greenslade, 20, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, based at CFB Gagetown, NB, were killed in the blast.  Cpl. Christopher Paul Stannix, 24, a reservist from the Princess Louise Fusiliers, based in Halifax, also died.  One other soldier was seriously injured.  Their LAV III hit an "improvised explosive device" around 1:30 p.m. local time.  10 soldiers were riding in the vehicle when it struck the explosive.  Four Canadian soldiers were flown to the hospital at Kandahar airbase.  One was listed in serious condition with non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to the US military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany.  A second soldier suffered minor injuries and the other two were not hurt.

The troops were serving with NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in the Maywand district near the border with Helmand province, where the multinational force recently launched a major offensive against the Taliban that was called Operation Achilles.

In September 2008, 3rd Battalion replaced 2nd Battalion, PPCLI, as part of Operation Athena, Roto 6, forming the core of the Task Force Kandahar Battle Group.  It served until relieved in place by 2nd Battalion, R22eR in April 2009.  The pre-deployment training of a platoon from the battalion was filmed for the reality television series Combat School.

On 5 Dec 2008, an IED killed W.O. Robert Wilson, 38, Cpl. Mark McLaren, 23, and Pte. Demetrios Diplaros, 25, all members of the 1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment based in Petawawa, Ontario.  All three were from Ontario - Keswick, Peterborough and Scarborough respectively.

On 13 Dec 2008, three soldiers were killed by an IED west of Kandahar City after responding to reports of people planting a suspicious object.  Cpl. Thomas James Hamilton, 26, Pte. John Michael Roy Curwin, 26, and Pte. Justin Peter Jones, 21, members of 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment from CFB Gagetown, NB, died.

On 20 March 2009, Master Cpl. Scott Vernelli of the 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, and Pte. Tyler Crooks of 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, died when they were hit by an IED while on a foot patrol in western Zahri District as part of Operation Jaley.  An Afghan interpreter was also killed.  Five other soldiers from November Company were wounded as was another Afghan interpreter.  About two hours later, Trooper Jack Bouthillier and Trooper Corey Hayes from a reconnaissance squadron of the Petawawa-based Royal Canadian Dragoons died when their armoured vehicle struck an IED in Shah Wali Khot District about 20 kilometres northeast of Kandahar.  Three other Dragoons were wounded in the same blast.

(ISAF photo by U.S. Air Force TSgt Laura K. Smith)

Canadian Army soldiers assigned to the 1st and 2nd Royal Canadian Regiment with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) perform operational checks of their RG-31 Nyala vehicles and equipment during routine maintenance, Helmand, Afghanistan, 17 Oct 2008.  The soldiers were part of the Operational Mentor Liaison Team that helped to train Afghan National Army soldiers in southern Afghanistan. ISAF was assisting the Afghan government in extending and exercising its authority and influence across the country, creating the conditions for stabilization and reconstruction.

(DVIDSHUB Photo)

A Canadian soldier with 4th platoon, Hotel Company, 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, provides security with a C9 weapon during training at the Joint Multi-National Readiness Center, near Hohenfels, Germany, 30 Sep 2008.  The soldiers were taking part in Cooperative Spirit 2008, as part of an American, British, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand interoperability test.

In April 2010, the 1st Battalion deployed for Task Force 1–10.

On 18 May 2010, Col Geoff Parker, 42, of the Royal Canadian Regiment was traveling in a convoy of three SUVs with US troops when a suicide bomber driving a mini-van with nearly a ton of explosives packed inside swerved into them.  Five American soldiers also died in the attack that killed the RCR officer, who was on a "recce" visit to Kabul before taking up an assignment there.  Parker was from Oakville, Ontario.

In February 2012, the 2nd Battalion formed the core of Rotation 1 of the Canadian Contribution Training Mission – Afghanistan and deployed to Kabul on Operation Attention until November 2012.

In October–November 2018, an 82-strong contingent from all four battalions and 38 members of the Royal Canadian Artillery Band provided the Queen’s Guard at Buckingham Palace, St Jame’s Palace and the Tower of London as well as Windsor Castle.

The RCR has contributed personnel to Canadian Forces Joint Task Force-Ukraine since 2014.

The Freedom of the City was exercised by the Royal Canadian Regiment in Fredericton, New Brunswick on 2 June 1973 and in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador on 19 June 2005.

On 10 Nov 1983 Canada Post issued 'The Royal Canadian Regiment, The British Columbia Regiment' as part of the Canadian Forces, Regiments, 1883–1983 series. The stamps were designed by Ralph Tibbles, based on a painting by William Southern. The 32¢ stamps are perforated 13.5 × 13 and were printed by Canadian Bank Note Company, Limited

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was appointed as the Colonel-in-Chief of The Royal Canadian Regiment on 8 Dec 1953.  Prince Philip has had only one predecessor in this appointment, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, from 1929 to 1942.

The Colonel of the Regiment, through such appointment, holds the pre-eminent position in the conduct of regimental affairs.  He is the senior member of the Regimental Council, an advisor to The RCR Association Board of Directors and The RCR Trust Fund.  The current Colonel of the Regiment is former Governor General of Canada David Johnston, who accepted the appointment on 4 Aug 2018.

On 5 June 2012, Judith Irving was officially appointed first patron of the Regiment.

The RCR badge is "an eight-pointed diamond cut star; upon the star a raised circle surmounted by the crown; within the raised circle, the block letters "VRI", the Imperial Cypher of Queen Victoria." (Description of the badge of The RCR as presented in Regiments and Corps of the Canadian Army, published by the Army Historical Section, 1964)

The letters VRI on the cap badge of The RCR stand for Victoria Regina Imperatrix, which is Latin for "Victoria, Queen and Empress".  The right to wear the imperial cypher and crown was granted to the regiment by Queen Victoria in 1893.

When a royal or imperial cypher forms part of the badge of a regiment it is normal for it to change with each succeeding sovereign.  During the period 1901 to 1919, the officially authorized versions of the regiment's cap badge were those with King Edward II's and King George V's cyphers, although the regiment continued to use the "VRI" ensigned badges throughout this time while petitioning for their formal return.  In 1919, King George V granted The Royal Canadian Regiment permission to wear "VRI" in perpetuity – a unique privilege.

RCR Camp flag.

The 2nd Battalion the Royal Canadian Regiment currently maintains the only Pipes and Drums in the Canadian regular army.  The 'Drum and Bugle' and 'Pipe and Drum' bands of the regiment are notable in that all members are trained infantry soldiers employed secondarily as musicians.  The RCR Band, in contrast, was a professional brass and reed band manned by military musicians.  This band was formed in London in the 1950s, transferred to CFB Gagetown in the 1970s and disbanded in the 1990s.  (Wikipedia)

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LAV III, 2RCR preparing to head out on exercise at 5 CDSB Gagetown, 2 May 2011.

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LAV III, 2RCR preparing to head out on exercise at 5 CDSB Gagetown, 2 May 2011.

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Canadian Infantry Soldier Statue, "The Last 100 Yards", located in front of J7 The Infantry School at 5 CDSB Gagetown, NB.
Locally, the figure is called “Iron Mike” and was sponsored by The Infantry School.

Jump-qualified personnel in parachute units of the Canadian Army wear the maroon beret, provided they are in a designated parachute position.  These are as follows:

Z Battery, 1st Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery,

E and Y Batteries, 2nd Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery,

5 Troop, 24 Field Squadron, 2 Combat Engineer Regiment,

5 Troop, 53 Field Squadron, 5 Combat Engineer Regiment,

M Company, 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment,

B Company, 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry,

A Company, 3rd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment,

Instructors, packer/riggers and jump-slotted members of the Canadian Army Advanced Warfare Centre, CFB Trenton, Ontario,

Parachute Company, The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada.

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Canadian Airborne Regiment flag, Infantry School lines, 5 CDSB Gagetown, NB.

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Second Battalion Colours Royal Canadian Regiment at Christ Church Cathedral Fredericton

803 Brunswick St, Fredericton, NB

Inside the Cathedral above the main entrance hang the laid up Queen's and Regimental Colours of the Second Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment. These Colours were presented to the Battalion in 1955 at Fort York in West Germany by His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, who had been appointed the Colonel in Chief of the Regiment in December 1953.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3510658)

2nd Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment - first official hockey game played by Canadian troops in Korea began when Brig. J.M. Rockingham dropped the puck between team centers: Pte. W. Wolfe and Pte. R. Halley. 4 Feb 1952.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4234770)

RCR soldiers unloading ammunition bandoliers, c1960s.