History

Evolution of Montreal Cavalry Troops and Regiments During the Period from 1812 to 2020

Note 1.  In 1850, the British Government decided that the local provincial government should assume a greater share of the cost of defending Canada. Consequently, it defunded the provincial cavalry. It took five years before the provincial government enacted the Militia Act of 1855, which assumed a greater share of the responsibility for defence and created the volunteer cavalry troops. In the meantime, former members of the Royal Montreal Cavalry re-established the troop as a hybrid sedentary-voluntary unit. Their foresight ensured there was a group of cavalry soldiers available for the formation of a new volunteer troop in 1855.

Note 2.  Lineage is only tracked by National defence’s Directorate of History and Heritage once a unit has attained regimental status. This does not prevent units from acknowledging and honouring activities of smaller units before that date.

Note 3. Other troops existed from time to time, but their existence is not demonstrated in this diagram because it was either very brief or less significant to the overall evolution of the regiments involved. These would include the St Johns Troop, the Argenteuil Cavalry Second troop, the Montreal Dragoons, the Ormstown Troop and possibly others. The focus was placed on those units that materially impacted the evolution of the regiments.

Note 4. After the war, in 1919, the 1st Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigade was demobilized in Montreal. Shortly after, the 1st Motor Machine Gun Brigade was established as a militia unit, with headquarters in Montreal. 

Please see the historical summary page for further details.