BRITISH COLUMBIA
DRAGOONS
The BCD, one of
the interior's finest regiments, traces its
background to April 1st, 1908 when a squadron of
Canadian Mounted Rifles, approximately fifty
strong, was organised in Vernon, under command of
Major H.A. Perry.
There was no
regimental formation at this time and the squadron
continued as an independent until 1911 when the
30th B.C. Horse Regiment was organised under
Lt.-Col. C.L. Bott, formerly of the 20th Hussars.
Vernon was headquarters with squadrons at Lumby,
Enderby and Kelowna, each consisting of
approximately fifty men.
Soon after the
outbreak of the World War, on August 10th, 1914
orders to recruit for overseas service were
relieved and in four days the unit was up to war
establishment. From then on an intensive training
period was carried out, during which a number of
escorts and guards were furnished for enemy
aliens.
November 6th,
1914, was an important date in the regiment's
history as a large proportion of the personnel was
accepted for overseas service to form the main part
of the 2nd regiment of Canadian Mounted Rifles,
CEF. On December 4th, 1914 headquarters and two
squadrons of the 30th B.C. Horse moved to Victoria,
where they establishment of the 2nd CMR was
competed by the addition of the Victoria
Independent Squadron of Horse.
The remaining
personnel, continued (approximately 180) until
August of 1918 to perform duty in Vernon, chiefly
the guarding of aliens in the interment camp.
Recruiting for the CEF was still carried on,
though, and a number of men were drafted to various
battalions.
After six month of
intensive training at Victoria, the second CMR left
for England on June 4th, 1915.
At Shorncliffe the
CMR became brigaded with the first and third
Regiments of CMR. A further three month were spent
in England, during which time horses and saddles
were turned in and on September 2nd, 1915 - an
historic date in the regiment's annals - the
landing was made in France.
Actual service was
first encountered on September 26th when the
regiment relieved a battalion of the Royal West
Kents on the Messines front, and thus commenced
three and a half years of service in France and
Belgium.
In January, 1919
the second CMR battalion, under Lt.-Col. G.
Chalmers Johnston, DSO MC who had taken over from
Lt.-Col. C.L. Bott in December, 1916, returned to
England and then to Canada, where it was
demobilised at Victoria on April 3rd.
On October 15th,
1920 the 30th B.C. was reorganised as a
non-permanent active militia under Lt.Col. G.
Chalmers Johnston and was designated as the British
Columbia Mounted Rifles, with regimental
headquarters and "A" Squadron at Vernon; "B"
Squadron at Lumby; "C" Squadron at Penticton; the
approximate strength being two hundred all
ranks.
Lt.-Col. Johnston,
being time expired, was transferred to the reserve
regiment on September 30th, 1924, and Lt.-Col. R.
Fitzmaurice assumed command, during whose term of
office "B" Squadron was moved from Lumby to
Kelowna.
In 1929 the
regiment was redesigned as the British Columbia
Dragoons, and four years later Lt.-Col. Barber
transferred to the reserve and Lt.Col. G.C. Oswell
assumed command.
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