Aurora’s regiment, the Queen’s York Rangers, was honoured by Gov. Gen. Mary Simon with a new Guidon.
The Guidon, a regimental flag, is a testament to the “spirit, history and sacrifice” of a regiment.
The ceremony took place on Saturday, May 14, at Toronto’s Fort York, a landmark which, in addition to the Lt. Gov. John Graves Simcoe Armoury on Industrial Parkway South, serves as an additional base for the Rangers (QYR).
The Queen’s representative in Canada presented the Guidon to the regiment in her capacity as Commander-in-Chief of Canada, her husband, as Whit Fraser, and Ontario Lt.-Gov. Elizabeth Dowdeswell looked on.
“Historically a consecrated flag carried by a military unit as a rallying point in battle, today the Guidon is a symbol of spirit, history and sacrifice and a unit’s most honoured possession,” said the Department of National Defence. “It records the heroic actions of the Regiment’s soldiers and embodies the ideals of duty, tradition and honour. The Rangers’ new Guidon incorporates some of the many battle honours awarded to the Regiment, including five new honours: Queenston, Niagara, Detroit, Defence of Canada 1812-1815, and Afghanistan.
“The predecessor of the Queen’s York Rangers (1st American Regiment) (RCAC) was the Queen’s Rangers, a Loyalist unit of the British army, who were presented with their first colours during the American Revolutionary War. The commanding officer, John Graves Simcoe, refused to surrender the colours in Yorktown in 1781 and they were smuggled to Great Britain. Nearly two centuries later they were discovered and returned to the Regiment and are now displayed in the Officer’s Mess at Fort York Armoury. They are the oldest known colours in North America and amongst the oldest in the world.”
Brock Weir is a federally funded Local Journalism Initiative reporter at The Auroran
