Honourary Military Appointments

The Lincoln and Welland Regiment, Canada.

The Lincoln and Welland Regiment is a reserve infantry battalion of the Canadian Forces. The Land Reserve  is made up of citizen soldiers who train part-time at local armouries throughout the year and full-time (as their civilian employment permits) during the summer.  The Regiment forms part of 31 Canadian Brigade Group within Land Force Central Area. Regimental Headquarters are located in St. Catharine's, Ontario.  The Regiment forms part of 31 Canadian Brigade Group within Land Force Central Area. 

The Lincoln and Welland Regiment has a long history of military service.  Beginning at the raising of Butler's Rangers on 15 September 1777. Major John Butler, an officer in the Indian Department, was a Loyalist from the Mohawk Valley in New York. After the Battle of Oriskany, he convinced Sir Guy Carleton that a Ranger unit should be raised to fight on the frontiers in conjunction with the Indians. He formed 10 companies and some 800 men served in the Rangers. The Corps fought on the frontiers of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky. After the Rangers were disbanded, John Butler, now a prominent leader in Niagara, was appointed Commanding Officer of three battalions of Nassau Militia. Nassau was one of the Districts of Upper Canada, Niagara being only part of the district. By 1791 the battalions had a strength of 835 all ranks.

 The militia was renamed and the Lincoln Militia in 1792 after reorganisation of the provinces, with three battalions came into being, some 849 strong. By 1794, Butler was a full Colonel with four battalions reporting 976 all ranks. Most of the officers and a great many of the NCOs and men had served in the Rangers and had received land grants in Niagara for this service. The Lincoln Militia served during the war of 1812 and the rebellion of 1837.  In 1863, the Lincoln and Welland Battalions were reorganized and renamed the 19th Battalion Volunteer Militia (Infantry), Canada with 10 companies, and the 20th Battalion Volunteer Militia (Infantry), Canada with six companies. Both had headquarters in St. Catharines.

During World War I, the two Regiments contributed over 5,000 men to various Canadian Expeditionary Force battalions, particularly the 81st, 98th and 176th. At the conclusion of the War, the CEF battalions ceased to exist. It was decided to award battle honours which a CEF battalion had won to militia units which had contributed 200 or more men to that battalion. On 15 December 1936, the 19th and 44th regiments were reorganized into The Lincoln and Welland Regiment with an establishment of 467 all ranks. The day before the World War II began, the Regiment was called out and posted to guard the Welland Ship Canal. It was demobilised in December 1939 and almost 500 men immediately volunteered with Toronto Units. In June 1940, the 1st Battalion, Lincoln and Welland Regiment was mobilized for active service. The 2nd Batallion was to remain in reserve. The 1st Batallion arrived in the United Kingdom in July of 1943 and on 19 August became a part of the 10th Canadian Infantry Brigade of the 4th Canadian Armoured Division.  The regiment landed in France in July of 1944, forming part of II Canadian Corp's "long left flank" of the Allied advance through Belgium and the Netherlands into Germany. There job was the clearing up of built-up areas and canals

From Tilly-la-Campagne on 31 July 1944 until Bad Zwischenahn on 1 May 1945, the Regiment distinguished itself in many actions. Over 1500 men of the Regiment were casualties. Of the original men who enlisted in 1940, only 3 officers and 22 men were on parade in St. Catharines in 1946 when the 1st Battalion was dismissed.

In the years following World War II, the Regiment has busied itself with the many tasks entrusted to the Canadian Militia during peace time. During the Blizzard of 1977 in the Niagara Peninsula the Regiment was called out to provide assistance to the civil authority. It rescued over 1500 stranded school children and provided assistance to countless residents during the emergency. For this assistance, the Regiment received a vote of thanks from the House of Commons. More recently, the Regiment has provided volunteers to assist during the 1997 Floods in Manitoba and the 1998 Ice Storm in Eastern Ontario and Quebec.  The training of young Canadians in the skills of war continues and great numbers of them have passed thought the ranks of the Regiment during the years. Parachute and reconnaissance training, air-mobile operations, exercises to Jamaica and the United States, and tours with United Nations peacekeeping forces around the world have all been accepted as routine tasks in recent years.

In peace and war, the Regiment is proud of its motto - Non Nobis Sed Patriæ - Not for Ourselves but for Our Country