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Comparing the Regiments (PPCLI, RCR, and R22eR) and thier bases

  • Thread starter Thread starter brad_dennis
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I would like to preface my comments by saying that although I've been a Patricia for 21 years, some of the very finest soldiers I have ever worked for have been Royals. When I served as a Res soldier before that, I saw both RCR and PPCLI as RSS (admittedly in the days when we sent some real ringers on RSS instead of kicking them out, but anyway...)

My take is that while there are lots of similarities, the RCR are in general a stricter lot, and have more respect for order, procedure, tradition and discipline. This IMHO is not necessarily a bad thing at all: it probably kept 3 Cdo out of most of the sh*t that hit 1er and 2 Cdos ("most", I said....). When the RCR relieved us in Cyprus in 91 and in Croatia in 94, I noticed this greater formality. In particular, I recall being one of the "last out" on the Roto out of Cyprus: the RCR had already taken over the Mess. They immediately cracked down on our disgraceful and subversive Light Infantry practice of wearing dress shorts in the Mess, forcing us to don trousers. Hideous oppression.

Seriously, I suggest that the RCR have been shaped by two important influences. First, they began life as the School of Infantry and therefore had to set a very high example to impress soldierly virtues upon the nasty rabble in the Militia. This trait probably stayed in the blood. Second, when the RegF Cdn Guards were disbanded (in 1970? '71?) IIRC a large number of them went into the RCR, bringing with them the high standards of "Three D's" characteristic of Guards units. That, IMHO, has lasted too.

Our Founder, on the other hand, stressed that the "Light Infantry" designation best epitomized those soldierly vitrues that he wanted to see: independence of thought and action, innovation, etc. To a certain degree this idea has stayed with us, as some other posters have pointed out.

But all that aside I am proud of the RCR and happy to serve with or alongside them any time. Cheers.
 
:cdn:well from a personal level...........i was with 2 RCR 6 years and one thing that was drilled in our heads day and night was PRIDE...........not to say my fellow comrades in arms the PPCLI and VAN DOO's don't have any because they do.............i can remember (at the time) WO Bennett,SGT.Val Hinkey and MCPL Patterson , during in battalion TQ3 training, to "march with a swagger,be proud,be professional because you are RCR!!".....................and when i got out i was told "once a RCR always a RCR"............and i hold that true....................i still walk with a swagger, i still keep my aperance clean, i am proud of who i am today because i was with 2 RCR.........................in the feild we were always training to "a sharp edge" because when i was in (1984-2000) 2 RCR was with the CAST BRIGADE.................we could be called out at a moments notice......the training was hard and the play time was hard ( ever play combat soccer? imagine playing soccer in combat boots and with body checks .............sort of WWE style.............you get the picture) i remember when 2 RCR went to Vermont to do a mountin warfare course with the 10th Mountain Devision...........at the end of the 2 week course,CSM Bentley made a bet with the top of the 10th that we could beat his boys in a forced march through the mountains...........well to make a long storry short we beat them by 45 minutes.............why? because we RAN through the mountains with 1 break................... the course was 20 miles give or take.......and why did we do that? we were professional........we were RCR's.........so to finally end my story..........................with my experiences with PPCLI, yes the are family oriented............and professional................RCR's are professional towards each other..................i would have never thought of calling my SGT. by his first name!!!!!!!!! he would have cut my b***s of and used them for golf balls!!

anyways.......................... :) what it boils down to is PPCLI,VAN DOO's and RCR all have their stregnths and weakness............................it is your choice :salute: :cdn:
 
I was in 2VP for several years and spent a year and wee a bit with Para 3RCR. On the field side, I didn't notice things really all that different.
I would say that both regiments take their jobs seriously (and therefore will perform most times 100%)..
Both regts have their sh*t pumps.
The SGT for both do the same 6B together in Gagetown.
We are starting to train Patricia DP 1 at Meaford.
The officers do their training together.
IMHO, no real difference but history, tradition, insignia and location.
 
I told the recruiment centre I didn't care where they sent me,  just send me to the regiment that will get me started the fastest.

The interview went bad because I was so nervous and wasn't quite on the same page as the guy who was interviewing me so it made for some pretty retarded answers to questions he was asking me.  But I knew it wasn't a good sign when he told me I should get a part time job because its been a month since my interview and I still have not heard anything from them yet.

I have no military experience but I think what matters more is not where you are its the people you are with that makes the difference.

I just remember some long days from work when I had to work with and train people I didn't like.
 
Most likely they told you to get a part time job because the process is not a short one. Show them progress at all times and you will fare fine. Nervousness? Who doesn't get nervous in interviews? They understand this better than anyone, after all, they are professionals. Try to volunteer somewhere, this never looks bad to anyone. Keep your head up, and be ready to do what is needed. Good Luck.
 
Another suggestion...

It might also be a good idea to ask some reservists what they think of the 3 units. Being in the reserves myself and having worked with all 3 units in varying degrees I have seen many differences.

Being in the reserves you see a different side of members personalities. Now I know that the reserves for many years were a dumping ground for the some of the Reg Sh*t pumps but recently only the best have been selected for spots as unit support staff.

Also as of late, some units have been receiving recently retired Reg members. Working with them has been good and I have seen some great relatonships develop, particularly at the SNR NCO and WO level.

SHARP WO

 
Might as well ask the question here, rather than opening a whole new thread...

Is there anyone (or any link, for that matter) to get some information on the R22eR (Vandoos)? I searched the Forces website, but as far as I can tell, the Brigade Groups' sites are either down or under construction. I can't find a working site attributed to them only. Searching this site was unhelpful as well. I was just curious as to know the basic qualification differences in joining the Vandoos rather than, say the RCR. I am unaware of a language requirement (French), but have heard it mentioned several times. Would someone be knowledgeable enough to clarify whether or not one needs to be fluent to join the Vandoos (yes, assuming you get posted there), or would "close" count, and the nature of the region be enough to get you working? Or can one be entirely Angophone and join?

Thanks. If this has been addressed, if someone can point me there, it would be great.
 
The R22eR is a French-Canadian Regt. The working language is French, and a prospect member must have a working knowledge of it to join. There are Anglos in the R22eR, but they are bilingual and work in French.
 
So the working language is French then? I assume this entails everything from orders to the course staff telling one how to shine one's boots properly? (Sorry if these seem inane, but I am thinking about joining the Regs, and want to know if it even possible to get into the Vandoos) Yes, I do have a working knowledge of French, but I am worried that this will be unable to cope with say, slang or military terminology.

Thoughts?
 
The R22eR live in French - end of story.  Most of the troops and NCOs don't speak much, if any English.  If you cannot live in French, stick with the RCR or PPCLI, otherwise you won't find the experience very enlightening - being the last one to understand orders, course materials, etc, at Battle School isn't going to do a lot of good for your class standing.  All of the Anglophones who are in the R22eR are bilingual (some with more of an accent than others - including a Newfoundlander who is now a LCol).
 
Hi to all our Canadian friends,

To solve all your problems of where you would like to be posted, join the British Army! (Only joking guys)!

As The Grey and Simcoe Foresters are our affiliated Regiment I thought the  you (they) might be interested int he following:_

As one who has served some 26 years in the British Infantry, 1st Bn The Sherwood Foresters, later on amalgamation to become The 1st Bn The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment, I served in numerous countries throughout the world, Canada being amongst them. I must admit that Edmonton and Calgary were certainly different than cities in England. I found the Canadian people very easy to get along with and they welcomed us into their city. (Somewhere in Calgary my No1 Dress
Hat is residing! I had to wear a Canadian Beret (With a Forester Cap Badge) for a few days until I returned to my unit (The Military Police being very strict about soldiers not properly dressed). Fortunately they did not notice the slight difference in the beret colour!

Anyway, it now seems that over 300 years of history are to be consigned to "extintion" as my Regiment, which I left 20 years ago, is to be merged with others to form a"Super Regiment". A plan that the Government believe will provide a more "efficient" Army. As you can imagine this has not gone down well with ex-Foresters, infact the lads serving (At present in Afghanistan),  including my son and two newphews, are most upset! The British Army is to lose 4 Infantry Battalions as well as Armoured Regiments and this at a time when we are stretched to the limit throughout the world!

I do not wish to go on and on! Sounds like someone whining!!! But I would hope you realise what my point is?

I would like to wish all in Canada a Happy New Year.

Alan Derbyshire


 

   
 
I was looking at switching from the reserves to regular force and I wanted some information on PPCLI and RCR. My father just got out of the infantry after 24 years of service he was in PPCLI and for 4 years he was in the Airborne regiment. So i have been asking him a lot of questions but he cannot really tell me anything about RCR. So if you guys could give me some background on the two or just your opinions it would be really helpful.

thanks
 
Hi Simcoe,
lots of info can be found on these forums regarding the various regiments and members comments etc. Try the search function out as it works quite well.

here's a thread to get you started http://army.ca/forums/threads/23598.0.html

cheers,.
 
Thanks Yukon that post was helpful. But if anybody else has anything that has to do with PPCLI or RCR please post it.
 
Just to shift the focus of this thread; Being in my first year of RMC, (please hold your comments )  ;), Would any experienced members be able to elaborate on the Major cultural differences,and traditions of the three batallions. Having spent a year in st.jean sur richelieu attending prep year I had the oppertunity to observe some of the less obvious 22e traditions.  Comming from a franco point of veiw, the 22e is some what a figurative hole. For a franco CANADIAN, it is extreamly difficult to adapt to the cultural differences outside of quebec, as well as, the stigma of being a "separatist" or simply having difficulty with english, bar the door for many, therefor many remain in quebec for their entire career.  As i have no desire to remain in Quebec and, seeing as Kingston is my First time being outside of Quebec, and a tremendous eye opener, any wisdom would be much appreciated.

Ps. sorry for any mistakes in grammer and the like

et pour baloo: La meilleur façon d'apprendre les expressions et les termes militaires est de vivre au Quebec sti ;)
 
Afenrich said:
Comming from a franco point of veiw, the 22e is some what a figurative hole. For a franco CANADIAN, it is extreamly difficult to adapt to the cultural differences outside of quebec, as well as, the stigma of being a "separatist" or simply having difficulty with english, bar the door for many, therefor many remain in quebec for their entire career.  
You seem to know an awful lot about R22eR Soldiers... Did you know that until the last decade, the R22eR had a Battalion permanently stationed in Germany ? That we had over 160 Soldiers with the Cdn Airborne Regt in Petawawa ?? Do you know how many Vandoos are serving in Gagetown among other places, and soon in the TOW Coy in Edmonton ??
Your 1-year exposure to some R22eR Soldiers on the Campus in St-Jean means nothing, you missed a good opportunity to keep your mouth shut !!!
I have an idea, why don't you go and tell the Boys in one of the Battalions that their Regiment is a hole ?? >:D
 
Quote from Jungle,
I have an idea, why don't you go and tell the Boys in one of the Battalions that their Regiment is a hole ??

Which would probably teach him his SECOND lesson today. :o
 
Jungle, Bruce, I think you may have taken his remarks incorrectly. I believe the point he was trying to make (in his second language?) was to remark on the perception of isolationism within the R22eR within the predominantely Anglo army, at least to the limit of his own experience thus far. It is likely he is referring to a perception that the Van Doos seem to be more of a closed society when compared to the English speaking regiments due to the language barrier and from the ways in which some people divide Canada culturally into Anglo and Franco "halves" in their minds.

Mike
 
Michael, maybe you are right... But I maintain that he should not comment on a specific Regt if he doesn't have the knowledge, ie: he did not serve in it. I don't think his perception, from the outside, is relevant in comparing the Regts, which is the subject of this topic.

Afenrich, next time if you know the answer to your own question, don't ask... That is what you did in your post: you asked a question, then gave your uninformed answer.

Finally, I am also using my second language, and I would never call any Regt a hole... BTW, "stigma", "tremendous" and "wisdom" are usually not in the vocabulary of a beginner.  ;) So he did prepare his post, and knows full well what "hole" means !!  :o
 
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