Strathcona's At Horse Guards

[SeaKingTacco]

I sincerely doubt the entire regimental fund is spent on maintaining the Ceremonial Mounted Troop.

I doubt it, too.

 

[Blackadder1916]

I sincerely doubt the entire regimental fund is spent on maintaining the Ceremonial Mounted Troop.

Technically, none of the "regimental fund" is spent on maintaining the Ceremonial Mounted Troop. There is a separate foundation.
From the regimental manual.

---

ARTICLE 3504 - CEREMONIAL MOUNTED TROOP FOUNDATION
1. Through the efforts of many dedicated Strathconas and the generosity of its close friends, the
Regiment established the Ceremonial Mounted Troop Foundation on 26 November 1984. The Foundation
was registered as a Charitable Association under the Companies Act of Alberta. The Foundation is
operated as a separate entity from the Regimental Society. The Mounted Troop is funded in part through
public grants, private donations and honorariums for performances. The Department of National Defence
provides limited financial support. The annual interest from the Foundation investments helps to meet the
Troop’s yearly operating costs.
2. The objective of the Ceremonial Mounted Troop Foundation is:
“to act as a charity to benefit the community as a whole by preserving
and supporting the operation of the Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal
Canadians) Ceremonial Mounted Troop and thereby making it available
to Western Canadian communities and providing colour and fostering
interest in and respect for our national heritage.

---

 

[FSTO]

some might argue having 30 odd soldiers dedicated to ceremonial duties at which you receive donations to unit fund is ethically dubious.

Wasn’t the regiment originally formed by a railroad baron?

 

[markppcli]

Wasn’t the regiment originally formed by a railroad baron?

Yes, and as we all know any respectable regiment would have been raised by a textile magnate.

 

[rmc_wannabe]

Yes, and as we all know any respectable regiment would have been raised by a textile magnate.

Private Military Contracting before it was cool....

 

[PrairieFella]

Yes, and as we all know any respectable regiment would have been raised by a textile magnate.

To be fair to Lord Strathcona, he was so filthy rich Im sure he owned some textile mills too haha.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Hope they had enough gravy at the Palace

Individual pix attached.

 

[PrairieFella]

What an honour

 

[Rifleman62]

He always meets with representatives of the units he is Colonel-in-Chief of.
Including your neighbours in the other Armoury and the blue types at the airfield.

 

[Blackadder1916]

Hope they had enough gravy at the Palace
View attachment 94741
Individual pix attached.

I was going to comment about how it's nice to see a group properly shaved, but the Major and the MWO couldn't wait until retirement to get into beard mode. And I thought that relaxed grooming standards was aimed at attracting and keeping a younger demographic.

 

[The Bread Guy]

I was going to comment about how it's nice to see a group properly shaved, but the Major and the MWO couldn't wait until retirement to get into beard mode. And I thought that relaxed grooming standards was aimed at attracting and keeping a younger demographic.

If you look closely at some of the pix, a few neck tattoos made it through, so some of that is still in play

 

[rmc_wannabe]

I was going to comment about how it's nice to see a group properly shaved, but the Major and the MWO couldn't wait until retirement to get into beard mode. And I thought that relaxed grooming standards was aimed at attracting and keeping a younger demographic.

The Household Division in the UK, along with the rest of the British Army, now allow beards. Its not as big a shock as you'd think, IMHO.

 

[Cloud Cover]

Who could have a problem with beards, they symbolize masculinity and strength in Norse warrior lineage, pluck, bravery, camaraderie and undaunted courage for the Brits particularly the Crimean regiments, religious purity and tradition for some of the Indo regiments, and even some of our foes like TB and ISIL.

Not every army has to be made in image of the Roman Army or the Wehrmacht. I guess they could be a fire hazard if left to get greasy.


(This coming from a guy who can’t stand his hair touching his ears, and brings an electric razor in his saddle bag when overnight ranching in the foothills).

As for beards when the brass want to see toy soldiers on parade for the public- well, that’s their call and imperative too. That’s why they are Colonels and Generals and you follow orders. It can be made to look sharp and presentable. And grows back.

 

[MacNav63]

Who could have a problem with beards, they symbolize masculinity and strength in Norse warrior lineage, pluck, bravery, camaraderie and undaunted courage for the Brits particularly the Crimean regiments, religious purity and tradition for some of the Indo regiments, and even some of our foes like TB and ISIL.

Not every army has to be made in image of the Roman Army or the Wehrmacht. I guess they could be a fire hazard if left to get greasy.


(This coming from a guy who can’t stand his hair touching his ears, and brings an electric razor in his saddle bag when overnight ranching in the foothills).

As for beards when the brass want to see toy soldiers on parade for the public- well, that’s their call and imperative too. That’s why they are Colonels and Generals and you follow orders. It can be made to look sharp and presentable. And grows back.

For one brief moment I interpreted "TB" as Treasury Board...but that would be "TBS."

 

[Cloud Cover]

For one brief moment I interpreted "TB" as Treasury Board...but that would be "TBS."

Sometimes they act like the same …

 

[rmc_wannabe]

For one brief moment I interpreted "TB" as Treasury Board...but that would be "TBS."

The former has caused very little damage to the CAF than the latter....

 

[markppcli]

I was going to comment about how it's nice to see a group properly shaved, but the Major and the MWO couldn't wait until retirement to get into beard mode. And I thought that relaxed grooming standards was aimed at attracting and keeping a younger demographic.

You’ll note the British officer in the back ground also has a beard. Everyone looks well groomed and professional.

 

[ueo]

And the only Regs.

Umm so what?

 

[rmc_wannabe]

And ofcourse after a very successful few weeks of Public Duties, these shit takes come out of the woodwork

Espirit De Corps: On Target - Pomp & Ceremony: Is It Time To Let Go Of Historical Traditions?

by Scott Taylor

From July 11 to 21, Canadian soldiers from Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) took over the duties of the British Household Cavalry in providing the King's mounted guard.


This ceremonial duty involves a daily ride down London's Mall and then taking up station at the entrances to St. James and Buckingham palaces. The Household Cavalry consists of two regiments, The Blues and Royals and the Life Guards which both have a military legacy dating back to 1660, making them the senior regiments in the British Army.


For their part, the Lord Strathcona's Horse are celebrating their regiment's 125th Anniversary this year and providing the King's Mounted Guard is considered a highlight of those celebrations. This 10-day detail is only the third occasion in history that this ceremonial guard has been undertaken by a non-UK regiment.


There has been a ton of coverage of the Strathcona's stint as the King's Mounted Guard on social media posts, with many Canadian tourists basking in the reflected glory of a Canadian regiment taking centre stage in London, England.


To be fair, the sight of a troop of the Strathconas in their polished brass, plumed helmets, scarlet tunics, white crossbelts, spit-polished riding boots with swords and lances, is indeed a sight to behold. Many of those Canadians fortunate to witness this spectacle have gushed at how this showcases the professionalism of the Canadian Army.


I would beg to differ. Although the participating members are regular force soldiers, their unit is actually an armoured regiment equipped with Leopard 2 Main Battle Tanks. No matter how impressive their horsemanship is, these ceremonial duties have no bearing on their actual vocation which is that of combat soldiers who wear camouflage and maneuver armoured vehicles.


The King's Mounted Guard tradition dates back some 400 years and for the first 320 of those years, the British Household Cavalry still went into battle on horses. So it made some sense that regular army troopers would have a ceremonial duty to provide the King's guard.


However, to have modern professional Canadian combat soldiers parading on horses in Napoleonic era uniforms, to provide London tourists with selfie photo props, seems like a misuse of scant resources.


No doubt countless hours of equestrian training was required for this mounted troop of the Lord Strathcona's horse to take on this role. Then there is the travel budget for the troopers themselves (the horses involved are loaners from the Household Cavalry).


I fully understand that pomp and ceremony have long been a treasured cornerstone of Canada's military tradition. However with the current state of the Canadian Armed Forces, namely understaffed and under-funded, perhaps it is time to drop the historical re-enactment duties.

We have been repeatedly warned that the world is increasingly unstable and that we are on the brink of World War 3. Canada has a forward deployed battle group in Latvia, wherein we have a few of our remaining operable main battle tanks. All combat formations across the Army are understrength and trades training cycles are dangerously backlogged.

Yet somehow ceremonial duties such as this are still being staged.

Now, before the Colonel Blimp brigade starts thumping their tubs in my general direction, I must confess that I'm a sucker for martial ceremonies, particularly those of a historical nature. One of the most impressive displays is the Changing of the Guard ceremony staged each year on Parliament Hill. It was halted during the pandemic and is currently scaled way back due to current personnel shortages.

However, the Ceremonial Guard is comprised of two Canadian militia regiments, The Governor General's Foot Guards and the Grenadier Guards. Few spectators who watch the precision drill of these guards in their black bearskin hats and scarlet tunics actually realize that all of them are actually trained combat reservists.

Which begs the question: Why do they need to be?

The Fort Henry Guard in Kingston Ontario is a civilian organization that was founded in 1938. They re-enact British Army drill, musketry and artillery firing to the delight of thousands of tourists each summer. They have zero affiliation with the CAF. Their ranks are filled with university, college and high school students. They are funded by Parks Canada, Saint Lawrence Parks Commission and the Fort Henry Guards Foundation.

In Halifax, at the Citadel there is the 78th Highlanders and Pipe Band. They too are civilian re-enactors who demonstrate historical weapon skills and tactical drill for tourists each summer. Their funding comes from sponsors and corporate clients.

I think that the Changing of the Guard in Ottawa could be staged by civilian students trained only in drill (like a marching band).

Using regular force and reserve combat soldiers to parade in period costume is no longer necessary. Let our soldiers soldier and let the re-enactors entertain.

 

[deepblue202]

And ofcourse after a very successful few weeks of Public Duties, these shit takes come out of the woodwork

Espirit De Corps: On Target - Pomp & Ceremony: Is It Time To Let Go Of Historical Traditions?

by Scott Taylor

He needs to retire from his YouTube.