The roots of one of Canada’s most recognizable military reserve units could raise a few eyebrows within the starched, buttoned-up rows of Ottawa officials.
The Governor General’s footguards, that scarlet and bear-haired regiment known to tourists visiting the country’s capital, are now 150 years old. The unit’s band and the change of guard ceremony on Parliament Hill have symbolized military prestige in Ottawa for decades.
The regiment was officially formed on June 7, 1872 by order of the militia minister.
Members of the Civil Service Rifle Corps in 1866. The militia unit was a forerunner of the Governor General’s Foot Guards Regiment, which is now 150 years old. (Contribution / Official history of the Governor General’s standing guard)
But it was formed and led by members of the Ottawa Public Service in response to the perceived threat of an invasion by an expanding United States after the Civil War.
Even today you will find members of “guards” in the federal offices throughout the city. The current commander of the guards said the line between the lives of members as risk-averse reservists and as risk-averse federal public officials is much different than it was for their predecessors.
“I think back … in the early days of the regiment, you would have seen a lot more back and forth, taking on one role and making the other bleed, but that’s not the case today, for sure,” he said. the lieutenant colonel. Vincent Quesnel.
Governor General Julie Payette gives a high grade to 3-year-old Alex Randall, dressed as a member of the Governor General’s Foot Guards, during a trick or firecracker at Rideau Hall in 2019. (Justin Tang / The Canadian Press)
Built on the basis of a militia called the Civil Service Rifle Corps, the Guards Regiment watched as its members fought in almost every first military campaign in the country, including the Great War.
It was not until World War II that the regiment began fighting as a cohesive unit, exchanging its infantry rifles and spades for tanks and armored personnel carriers.
Governor General’s Foot Guards was home to the winners of the Victoria Cross, including Cpl. Filip Konowal, a Ukrainian-Canadian immigrant who joined the regiment after World War I after winning the country’s highest military honor at the Battle of Hill 70 in August 1917.
Konowal struggled with health problems and Prime Minister William Lyon MacKenzie King saw him scrubbing the floors in Parliament. Upon learning who Konowal was, King immediately offered her a job to keep the Prime Minister’s office tidy.
“I cleaned abroad with a rifle, and here I have to clean with a mop,” Konowal told the Ottawa Citizen in a 1956 interview.
Members of the Governor General’s Standing Guard are reflected as they participate in a ceremony at the Peacekeeping Memorial in honor of the peacekeepers who fell in Ottawa on August 12, 2012. (Fred Chartrand / The Canadian Press )
He was taken under the wing of another Victoria Cross winner, Major Milton Fowler Gregg, who was a company commander in the Guards.
Its history touches on an agreement with those who serve today.
“I think … Konowal would be one of those cases, in his day, when we didn’t recognize what PTSD was, and you know, he was suffering from it at the time and he was having a hard time in the city and they managed to get him a job, “Quesnel said.
Most Canadians know the guards for their ceremonial duties. Quesnel, a veteran of the unit for more than 30 years, said it could be easy to forget that the regiment is an active reserve force that has been called up on numerous occasions for both domestic and overseas deployments.
Quesnel said that when planning the Governor General’s standing guard operations, he must make a clear distinction between “red operations” – with troops in red ceremonial robes – and “green operations” with soldiers with the most comfortable green fatigues.
“I think it’s an idiosyncrasy of the regiment itself, but you know, it makes it very clear when I talk about operations,” he said.
Members of the Canadian Forces clean the brushes 60 miles south of Ottawa in Kemptville, Ontario. on January 12, 1998. People in the area had been without light for a week. (Canadian Press)
Quesnel said a personal high point for him was the guards’ contribution to helping the community after the 1998 Ottawa ice storm, when whole men were linked to the cleanup effort.
Several celebrations have been held to mark the 150th anniversary, including a “Freedom of the City” parade, which took place on Saturday.
It was the first time in a long time that the people of Ottawa saw the guards in action. The pandemic halted public events for the governor-general’s standing guards. Quesnel said it was satisfying to see the guards in front of people again.
“It was great, very good to be back … on the street,” he said of the parade.
“We’re here, we’re ready to do whatever it takes, whether it’s red or green operations. And as we get back to normal, we’re looking to recruit and increase our numbers again.”