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Canadian History
The  Hastings & Prince Edward Regiment
You can visit their web site at http://www.theregiment.ca/hastypee.html

The United Empire Loyalists who settled in the county of Hastings and Prince Edward organized the first local Militia units for self-defense.   The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment is the modern descendant of those Militia units...

1800  Col. A Macdonnell forms the 1st Regiment of Prince Edward Militia.
1804  Col. J Ferguson forms the 1st Regiment of Hastings Militia.

The above Regiments provided units which served in the War of 1812 and the McKenzie Rebellion of 1837-8.   During the 1860's, time of the Fenian threat,   the Canadian Government authorized the formation of new independant infantry companies.

1862  In December,  LCol. Ponton gathered together a number of these infantry companies in Belleville.
1863  In January,  those infantry units were formed into the 15th Argyllshire Light Infantry.  
1863  1st Prince Edward was re-designated the 16th Battalion of Volunteer Militia  (Infantry)  of Canada and then redesignated...
1867  16th Prince Edward Battalion of Infantry,  then redesignated yet once more as...
1900  16th Prince Edward Regiment

1864  All Regiments supplied detachments for active service during the Fenian Raids.
1866  1st Hastings was re-designated the 49th Regiment (Hastings Rifles).
1885  The 15th Argyll formed 'H' Coy in the Midland Battalion for service during the Northwest Rebellion.  This service is the source of the Battle Honour which is part of the current day Regimental Battle Honours: North-West Canada 1885.   A number of individuals served with the Royal Canadian Regiment during the Boer War.
 

 World War I 
 

Few Canadian Regiments served as such overseas in WWI.   Men were enlisted in Battalions designated only as numbers.  Militia-men from the Quinte region formed the 39th,  80th,  136th,  155th,  and 254th Infantry Battalions as well as the 21st and 77th Infantry Battalions and the 1st Forestry Battalion.   Their valor in action earned them the following Battle Honours:

SOMME 1916
ARRAS 1917 - 18
HILL 70
YPRES 1917
AMIENS
HINDENBURG LINE
PURSUIT TO MONS

The Great War also saw the first official service by women in the Canadian Army,  mainly as nurses...

Between the wars

1920  The 16th Prince Edward Regiment and The 49th Hastings Rifles were amalgamated to form The Hastings & Prince Edward regiment,  which now consisted of three Battalions.

The armorial elements of the 16th PER and the 49th Hastings Rifles cap badges, seen above,   were combined to create the cap badge of the new Regiment as shown below:


 

The capbadge has been worn to this day with the only change being to the crown after the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

1934  The Regiment received new Colours presented by LGen Sir Archibald McDonald.   The Regiment also affiliated with the Royal Sussex Regiment and was granted the honour of using their colours of old gold and royal blue.  The Royal Sussex Regiment was amalgamated with several other regiments to form The Queen's Regiment in 1966.  It,  in turn,  was absorbed by the modern Princess of Wales Royal Regiment   ( See another website for the PWRR Here )
 

World War II
 

The Regiment mobilized on September 2,  1939 and began training with the relics of WWI leftover uniforms and equipment.  Some had to make do with sticks in place of rifles and supplied their own boots and clothing...  But by the time they embarked on the HMT Ormonde on December 19,  they were a fully equipped trained unit.   
1940-43  The Regiment trained in Great Britain with the exception of a brief foray into France where the fierce Blitzkrieg waged by the Germans cost them most of their vehicles and the Regimental mascot,  Little Chief.   A new mascot Chief Petawawa-Much was taken on strength on October 30,  1940 with the service number C.0001. (Little Chief's number had been C.0000).
July 10,  1943  The Hasty P's part of Canadian Army 1st Division landed on Green Beach,  Sicily and earned eight Battle Honours at the cost of many men,  including a Commanding Officer.
September 3,  1943  An unopposed landing was more than made up for by a vicious running battle with seasoned German Army troops up through the Italian Peninsula as part of the British 8th Army.   The Regiment earned twenty more Battle Honours at fearful cost.    
1945  The Regiment departed Italy and went to Northwest Europe and joined the 1st Canadian Army where they took active part in the liberation of Holland.  Among the Regiments accomplishments was the capturing of the Dutch Summer Palace at Apeldoorn.
 

 Post-War 
 
1951  Two companies were raised for NATO service in West Germany as part of the 27th Brigade.  
1954   Government cutbacks had the Regiment - now headquartered in Belleville - absorb the Midland Regiment,  the 34th Battery,  and the Argylls.
1957  In October,  more than twelve years after the end of the war,  Canadian Army Orders finally announced the the Regiment had been awarded 31 Battle Honours,  ten of which were emblazoned onto the Regimental Colours.
1969   More cutbacks closed six more Regimental armouries.   The armoury in Peterborough remained open,  but the 50th Field Regiment and the 28th RCEME were struck off the Order of Battle and their personnel formed 'B' Coy of the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment.   The regiment now occupied only two armouries...
1992   The Cobourg Armoury officially opened it's doors in January and provided a home for 'C' Coy of the Hastings & Prince Edward Regiment.   

   Farley Mowats published history of the Regiment in WWII  (THE REGIMENT)  is a worthy recounting of the Regiment's accomplishments.   Mowat himself was a platoon commander in the Regiment,  and later on in the war,  an intelligence officer in England...   A 'must read' for anyone interested in the history of the Regiment.
 

The following prayer was written by Major Alex Campbell,  O.C. of "A"Coy during a lull in battle.  He later was killed in Ortona....
 

Prayer before Battle

By Major Alex Campbell

 
When 'neath the rumble of the guns,
    I lead my men against the Huns, 
'Tis then I feel so all alone and weak and scared,
    And oft I wonder how I dared,
Accept the task of leading men.
 
I wonder, worry, fret, and then I pray,
    Oh God! Who promised oft
To humble men a listening ear,
    Now in my spirit's troubled state,
Draw near, dear God, draw near, draw near.
 
Make me more willing to obey,
    Help me to merit my command,
And if this be my fatal  day,
    Reach out, Oh God, Thy Guiding Hand,
And lead me down that deep, dark vale.
 
These men of mine must never know
    How much afraid I really am,
Help me to lead them in the fight
    So they will say, "He was a man". 

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