The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry has a rich history in the Hamilton-Wentworth region, as well as a prominent spot in Canadian military history. The RHLI was formed in 1862 as the 13th Battalion, Volunteer Militia (Infantry) Canada, but had its roots in local units of Volunteer Militia, notably the 1st and 2nd Companies of Volunteer Rifles (Hamilton), formed in 1855, and the Volunteer Highland Company (No. 3 Company) formed in 1856.
In 1900, the name was changed to the 13th Regiment, and in 1910, to the 13th Royal Regiment. In 1920, it became The Royal Hamilton Regiment, and in 1927, The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry.
The Wentworth Regiment was raised in 1872 as the 77th (Wentworth) Battalion of Infantry. In 1900, it became the 77th Wentworth Regiment, and in 1920 The Wentworth Regiment.
In 1936, all but one company of The Wentworth Regiment was amalgamated with the RHLI, and the unit was designated The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (Wentworth Regiment) its present title.
The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (Wentworth Regiment) Gazetted as the 13th BATTALION VOLUNTEER MILITIA (Infantry) Canada December 11, 1862
Motto: Semper Paratus (Always Ready)
Allied Regiment: The Light Infantry, Peninsula Barracks, Winchester, England
Regimental March: Mountain Rose
Regimental Church: Church of the Ascension, Hamilton, Ontario
Colonel In Chief: Field Marshal His Royal Highness The Prince, Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, KG, PC, KT, OM, GBE, QSO, CD Gazetted 15 July 1978
The Regiment first saw action at the Battle of Ridgeway in 1866 against a force of Fenian invaders from the United States, and most recently members of the Regiment have served with the United Nation Forces in the Balkans.
In 1870, another contingent from the Regiment served in Manitoba during the Red River uprising.
During the Boer War 1899-1902, many members of the Regiment joined the 2nd Battalion of The Royal Canadian Regiment, and the 1st Canadian Mounted Rifles for service in South Africa.
Again during the Great War 1914-1918, many enlisted in various units of the Canadian Expeditionary Force for service in France and Flanders, namely the 4th, 76th, 86th, 120th, and 205th Battalions of the CEF.
In the Second World War 1939-1945, the Regiment distinguished itself in North West Europe as a unit of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division. On Aug. 19th 1942, the Regiment suffered heavy casualties during the raid on Dieppe.
Members of the Regiment served in Korea, and in 1955, the Regiment was represented in the 27th Brigade that served on NATO duty in West Germany. As a result of the services listed above, a total of thirty-nine battle honours have been awarded by a grateful nation to The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (Wentworth Regiment).
The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry landed 582 soldiers that morning, 19 August 1942. Only 211 returned to England that afternoon, 109 of them wounded. 197 had been killed and 174 had become prisoners-of-war, including 85 wounded. Of the 582 RHLI troops who took part in the Raid, only 102 or 18% were not killed, captured or wounded.
The town of Dieppe France has set aside a small park at the western end of the esplanade in which it has erected a memorial of its own. Standing in the centre of the Square du Canada (Canada Square), the Dieppe-Canada Monument is a testimony to the long and warm association between Canadians and Normans which has existed since Samuel de Champlain sailed to found New France. The names of people and events which have linked Canada and Normandy over the centuries have been recorded on the monument. Mounted on the wall behind it is a plaque that commemorates the Raid on Dieppe:
On the 19th of August 1942 on the beaches of Dieppe our Canadian cousins marked with their blood the road to our final liberation foretelling thus their victorious return on September 1, 1944. (translation)
The Dieppe survivors have suffered great physical trauma and psychological distress as a result of the nightmarish battle and the loss of so many of their friends and comrades in only about eight hours. The survivors have long felt that their efforts at Dieppe had not been fully recognized and appreciated by Canadians, and in the case of The RHLI Dieppe veterans, by the City of Hamilton. Almost alone among the communities of Dieppe regiments, 60 years after the raid there was still no municipal monument to the raid in Hamilton.
That was rectified the afternoon of 19 August 2003, 61 years to the day after the raid. The City of Hamilton Dieppe Memorial Park was dedicated in front of a gathering of more than 1,000 members of the public and 250 invited guests and VIPs including the Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario and 18 of the 24 known surviving members of the RHLI who fought at Dieppe.
John W. Foote, VC, CD Armoury 200 James St North Hamilton, ON L8N 4C1 905.972.4001
This page has been updated by the Public Affairs Officer of the The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry.
