The Loyal Edmonton Regiment (4th Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry), or L Edmn R, is a

Primary Reserve The Primary Reserve of the Canadian Armed Forces () is the first and largest of the four sub-components of the Canadian Armed Forces reserves, followed by the Supplementary Reserve, the Cadet Organizations Administration and Training Service (f ...

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

unit of the

Canadian Armed Forces The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...

based in

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

, Alberta. The Loyal Edmonton Regiment is part of

3rd Canadian Division The 3rd Canadian Division is a formation of the Canadian Army responsible for the command and mobilization of all army units in the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, as well as Northwestern Ontario including the ...

's 41 Canadian Brigade Group. They are colloquially known as "The Loyal Eddies".Brown, Scott R.G. (1984).
The Loyal Edmonton Regiment at war, 1943-1945
' (M.A. thesis) Wilfrid Laurier University

Lineage

File:LER colour.jpg, The Regimental Colour of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment. File:LED camp flag.jpg, The camp flag of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment.

The Loyal Edmonton Regiment

*Originated 1 April 1908 in Edmonton, Alberta as the 101st Regiment *Redesignated 1 March 1909 as the 101st Regiment "Edmonton Fusiliers" *Redesignated 15 March 1920 as The Edmonton Regiment *Reorganized 15 March 1920 to form two separate regiments,

The Edmonton Fusiliers The Edmonton Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the Non-Permanent Active Militia of the Canadian Militia and later the Canadian Army. First raised in 1908 as part of the 101st Regiment Edmonton Fusiliers, it became a separate regiment in 192 ...

and The Edmonton Regiment *Redesignated 7 November 1940 as the 2nd (Reserve) Battalion, The Edmonton Regiment *Redesignated 7 July 1943 as the 2nd (Reserve) Battalion, The Loyal Edmonton Regiment *Redesignated 1 November 1945 as The Loyal Edmonton Regiment *Redesignated 19 October 1954 as The Loyal Edmonton Regiment (3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry) *Redesignated 1 April 1970 as The Loyal Edmonton Regiment (4th Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry)Canadian Forces Publication A-DH-267-003 Insignia and Lineages of the Canadian Forces. Volume 3: Combat Arms Regiments.

Perpetuations

The Great War

49th Battalion (Edmonton Regiment), CEF The 49th Battalion (Edmonton Regiment), CEF, was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the Great War. History The 49th Battalion was authorized on 7 November 1914 and embarked for Great Britain on 3 June 1915. It dise ...

51st Battalion (Edmonton), CEF The 51st Battalion (Edmonton), CEF, was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the Great War. The 51st Battalion was authorized on 7 November 1914 and embarked for Great Britain on 18 April 1916. It provided reinforcement ...

63rd Battalion (Edmonton), CEF The 63rd Battalion (Edmonton), CEF, was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. The 63rd Battalion was authorized on 20 April 1915. During its recruitment phase the battalion sent three reinforcing dra ...

History

The Great War

The

was authorized on 7 November 1914 and embarked for Great Britain on 3 June 1915. It disembarked in France on 9 October 1915, where it fought as part of the 7th Infantry Brigade,

in France and Flanders until the end of the war. The battalion disbanded on 15 September 1920. The

was authorized on 7 November 1914 and embarked for Great Britain on 1 April 1916. There it provided reinforcements for the Canadian Corps in the field until 13 November 1916, when it was reorganized as a Garrison Duty Battalion. On 22 June 1916, its personnel were absorbed by the various regimental depots. The battalion disbanded on 15 September 1920. The

was authorized on 20 April 1915 and embarked for Great Britain on 22 April 1916. There it provided reinforcements for the Canadian Corps in the field until 7 July 1916, when its personnel were absorbed by the 9th Reserve Battalion, CEF. The battalion disbanded on 1 September 1917. File:49th Bn CEF.jpg, The distinguishing patch of the 49th Battalion (Edmonton Regiment), CEF.

Second World War

The regiment mobilized The Edmonton Regiment, CASF for active service on 1 September 1939. It was redesignated as the 1st Battalion, The Edmonton Regiment, CASF on 7 November 1940; and as the 1st Battalion, The Loyal Edmonton Regiment on 7 July 1943. On 22 December 1939, it embarked for Great Britain. Billeted in the Oxted and Limpsfield area, memorialised with memorabilia in th
Oxted Royal British Legion
clubhouse. "D" Company participated in the expedition to the Norwegian island of Spitzbergen on 25 August 1941, and the battalion landed in Sicily on 10 July and Italy on 3 September 1943, as part of the 2nd Infantry Brigade,

1st Canadian Infantry Division The 1st Canadian Division (French: ) is a joint operational command and control formation based at CFB Kingston, and falls under Canadian Joint Operations Command. It is a high-readiness unit, able to move on very short notice, and is staffed a ...

. The unit landed in France on 15 March 1945 as part of

Operation Goldflake Operation Goldflake was the administrative move of I Canadian Corps (in essence, almost all Canadian combatant units) and the British 5th Infantry Division from Italy to Northwestern Europe during the Second World War. British-led forces had been ...

, on its way to the Northwest Europe theatre of operations, in which it fought until the end of the war. The overseas battalion disbanded on 15 October 1945. :*

Leonforte Leonforte () is an Italian ''comune'' with a population of 14,046 in the Province of Enna, Sicily. The town is situated 22 km from Enna, in the centre of the Erean Mountains at 600 metres a.s.l. History The ancient settlement of Tabas ...

, July 1943. According to Mitcham and

von Stauffenberg The Schenk von Stauffenberg family is a Roman Catholic ''Uradel'' German nobility, German noble family from Swabia, Germany. The family's best-known recent member was Colonel Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg – the key figure in 20 July p ...

in ''The Battle of Sicily'', The Loyal Edmonton Regiment allegedly killed captured German prisoners. On 1 June 1945, a second Active Force component of the regiment was mobilized for service in the Pacific theatre of operations, as under the 3rd Canadian Infantry Battalion (The Loyal Edmonton Regiment), CASF. The battalion disbanded on 1 November 1945. File:Loyal Edmonton Regiment soldiers entering Modica Sicily July 1943.jpg, Troops of The Loyal Edmonton Regiment enter

Modica Modica (; ) is a city and municipality (''comune'') in the Province of Ragusa, Sicily, southern Italy. The city is situated in the Hyblaean Mountains. It has 53,413 inhabitants. Modica has neolithic origins and it represents the historical cap ...

during the

Allied invasion of Sicily The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as the Battle of Sicily and Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allies of World War II, Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis p ...

(1943) File:LoyalEdmontonRegimentWithRadioOrtona1943.jpg, Infantrymen of The Loyal Edmonton Regiment operating a No. 18 wireless set outside Regimental Headquarters, Ortona, Italy, December 21, 1943

Post-War: Korea and NATO

On 4 May 1951, the regiment mobilized two temporary Active Force companies designated "E" and "F" Companies. "E" Company was reduced to nil strength when its personnel were incorporated into the 1st Canadian Infantry Battalion (later the 3rd Battalion,

The Canadian Guards The Canadian Guards (officially known as the Regiment of Canadian Guards) was an infantry regiment of the Canadian Army that served in the same role as the five regiments of foot guards in the British Army. The regiment was formed on 16 October ...

) for service in Germany with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It disbanded on 29 July 1953. "F" Company was initially used as a reinforcement pool for "E" Company. On 15 May 1952, it was reduced to nil strength, when its personnel were absorbed by the newly formed 2nd Canadian Infantry Battalion (later the 4th Battalion, The Canadian Guards) for service in Korea with the United Nations. "F" Company disbanded on 29 July 1953.

Afghanistan

The regiment contributed an aggregate of more than 20% of its authorized strength to the various Task Forces which served in Afghanistan between 2002 and 2014. It suffered three dead and numerous injured during this war.

Recent activities

The unit continues to carry out individual and small unit training locally and across Canada. The L EDMN R has continued to support NATO, UN, and Canadian domestic operations with multiple individual and group deployments. The regiment expanded to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, with the establishment of C Company, The Loyal Edmonton Regiment, in August 2009. In the summer of 2018, The Loyal Edmonton Regiment and Calgary Highlanders were tasked with standing up a mortar platoon that deployed to the Forward Presence Battle Group in Latvia in early 2020. This was the first Primary Reserve mortar platoon to deploy overseas.

Lineage chart

Alliances

*: The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's Lancashire and Border)

Battle honours

In the list below, battle honours in capitals were awarded for participation in large operations and campaigns, while those in lowercase indicate honours granted for more specific battles. Those battle honours followed by a "+" are emblazoned on the regimental colour. File:LER colour.jpg, The Regimental Colour

Great War

*+, 2–13 June 1916 *+, 1 July–18 November 1916 * Flers–Courcelette+, 15–22 September 1916 * Ancre Heights, 1 October–11 November 1916 *, 9 April–4 May 1917 * Vimy, 1917+, 9–14 April 1917 *+, 15–25 August 1917 *, 31 July–10 November 1917 * Passchendaele+, 12 October 1917 or 26 October–10 November 1917 *+, 8–11 August 1918 *+, 26 August–3 September 1918 * Scarpe, 1918+, 26–30 August 1918 *+, 12 September–9 October 1918 *

Canal du Nord The Canal du Nord (, literally ''Canal of the North'') is a long canal in northern France. The canal connects the Canal latéral à l'Oise in Pont-l'Évêque to the Sensée Canal in Arleux. The French government, in partnership with coal-min ...

, 27 September–2 October 1918 *+, 11 November 1918 *

Second World War

*+, 9–12 July 1943+ *

Piazza Armerina Piazza Armerina (Gallo-Italic of Sicily: ''Ciazza''; Sicilian: ''Chiazza'') is a ''comune'' in the province of Enna of the autonomous island region of Sicily, southern Italy. History The city of Piazza (as it was called before 1862) developed ...

, 16–17 July 1943 *

, 21–22 July 1943 *

Agira Agira (; ; ) is a town and municipality (''comune'') in the province of Enna in the region of Sicily in Italy. It is located in the mid-valley of the River Salso, from Enna. Until 1861 it was called San Filippo d'Argiriò, in honour of its sa ...

, 24–28 July 1943 *+, 29 July–7 August 1943+ * Troina Valley, 2–6 August 1943 *, 9 July 1943 – 17 August 1943 *

Colle d'Anchise Colle d'Anchise is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Campobasso in the Italian region Molise, located about southwest of Campobasso. Colle d'Anchise borders the following municipalities: Baranello, Bojano, Campochiaro, San Polo Mat ...

, 22–24 October 1943 * The Gully, 10–19 December 1943 *

Ortona Ortona ( Abruzzese: '; ) is a coastal town and municipality of the Province of Chieti in the Italian region of Abruzzo, with some 23,000 inhabitants. In 1943 Ortona was the site of the bloody Battle of Ortona, known as "Western Stalingrad". ...

+, 20–28 December 1943+ *+, 18–30 May 1944+ *

Hitler Line The Hitler Line was a German Army defensive line in central Italy during the Second World War. The strong points of the line were at Piedimonte, Pontecorvo, and Aquino. In May 1944, the line was renamed the Senger Line, after General Fridoli ...

, 18–24 May 1944 *+, 25 August–22 September 1944+ *

Monteciccardo Monteciccardo is a ''frazione'' of Pesaro, and former ''comune'', in the Province of Pesaro e Urbino in the Italy, Italian region Marche, located about northwest of Ancona and about southwest of Pesaro. It was a separate ''comune ''until 2020. ...

, 27–28 August 1944 * Monte Luro, 1 September 1944 *+, 14–21 September 1944+ * Pisciatello+, 16–19 September 1944+ * San Fortunato, 18–20 September 1944 * Savio Bridgehead+, 20–23 September 1944+ * Naviglio Canal+, 12–15 December 1944+ * Fosso Munio, 19–21 December 1944 *, 3 September 1943 – 22 April 1945 *

Apeldoorn Apeldoorn (; Dutch Low Saxon: ) is a municipality and city in the province of Gelderland in the centre of the Netherlands. The municipality of Apeldoorn, including the villages of Beekbergen, Loenen (Apeldoorn), Loenen, Ugchelen and Hoenderloo ...

, 11–17 April 1945 *+

War in Afghanistan

* +

Victoria Cross recipients

* Private Cecil John Kinross, VC * Private John Chipman Kerr, VC

Regimental badge

The maple leaves symbolise service to Canada and the regiment's perpetuated units, the 51st and 63rd Battalions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, and the crown, service to the Sovereign. The number 49 represents the service of the perpetuated unit, the 49th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, and the windmill sails allude to the battlefields in Flanders on which the battalion fought in the First World War. The coyote's head commemorates "Lestock", a prairie coyote presented to the regiment as a mascot prior to the 49th Battalion's departure for overseas service in 1915. The red rose came from the badge of the former allied regiment The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) (now, through amalgamation, the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment). "THE LOYAL EDMONTON REGIMENT" is a form of the regimental title.

Loyal Edmonton Regiment Military Museum

The Loyal Edmonton Regiment Military Museum is in

in the Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre, the building where the regiment was based from 1920 to 1965. The building also houses the City of Edmonton Archives and the

Telephone Historical Centre This list of museums in Alberta, Canada contains museums which are defined for this context as institutions (including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, s ...

. The museum features two galleries and several smaller exhibits, and displays include historic firearms, uniforms, souvenirs, memorabilia, military accoutrements, and photos. The museum features an exhibit on the role of the

49th Battalion, CEF The 49th Battalion (Edmonton Regiment), CEF, was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the Great War. History The 49th Battalion was authorized on 7 November 1914 and embarked for Great Britain on 3 June 1915. It dise ...

in Canada's

Hundred Days Offensive The Hundred Days Offensive (8 August to 11 November 1918) was a series of massive Allied offensives that ended the First World War. Beginning with the Battle of Amiens (8–12 August) on the Western Front, the Allies pushed the Imperial Germa ...

Media

* ''A City Goes to War: History of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment (3PPCLI)'' by Lieut-Colonel G. R. Stevens (1964) * ''Our Quarrel with the Foe: Edmonton's Soldiers 1914-1918'' by Ian Edwards (2020)

Order of precedence

Notes

References

External links

Loyal Edmonton Regiment Military Museum
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Loyal Edmonton Regiment (4th Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry) Loyal Edmonton Regiment Loyal Edmonton Regiment Organizations based in Edmonton Military units and formations of Alberta Military units and formations of Northern Canada Infantry regiments of Canada in World War II Military units and formations established in 1908