The Governor General's Horse Guards

The Governor General's Horse Guards is an armoured reconnaissance regiment in the Primary Reserve of the Canadian Army, part of 4th Canadian Division's 32 Canadian Brigade Group. Based in Toronto, it is the most senior reserve regiment in Canada, and the only Household Cavalry regiment of Canada's three Household units.

Structure
The regiment maintains a traditional structure, with squadrons and units for deployment and active duty, training, ceremony, cadets, and administration.

Field Squadron
The Field Squadron is the operational squadron and is manned by trained and deployable soldiers. It provides soldiers for Canadian Forces missions outside of Canada, and is expected to mobilize in national emergencies. The Field Squadron maintains no fewer than two armoured reconnaissance troops, using the military variant of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class Wagon, and also maintains a functional Squadron Headquarters and Administrative Echelon.

Training Support Squadron
The Training Support Squadron develops new soldiers skills to enable them to join the Field Squadron. This includes personal development through the completion of preliminary trade courses. Training Support Squadron staff also support operational planning and exercises by taking the role of an enemy unit against members of the Field Squadron in unit-level training.

Regimental Support Group
The Regimental Support Group is commanded by the Regular Force Cadre Operations Officer, and provides administrative facilities to the regiment.

Band
The full brass and reed military band provides concerts and music for regimental functions, other military events, and civilian enagements. The band includes three specialized musical sub-units: the Fanfare Trumpeters, the Brass Quintet, and the Woodwind Quintet.

Cavalry Squadron
The Cavalry Squadron provides a horse-mounted ceremonial presence at public and regimental events, to perpetuate Canadian cavalry traditions. Although it is under the command and control of the regimental commanding officer, it is privately funded by the Governor General's Horse Guards Cavalry and Historical Society Inc, a charitable organization incorporated and registered in 2012 explicitly for the purposes of supporting and promoting the traditions of the GGHG.

Cadets
The 748 Royal Army Cadet Corps and 2402 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps are affiliated to the regiment, and provides Canadian youth from 12 to 19 years of age with leadership training in a military setting.

Battle honours

 * North West Canada 1885, South Africa 1900
 * World War I: Mount Sorrel, Somme 1916, Flers-Courcelette, Ancre Heights, Arras 1917 '18, Vimy 1917, Hill 70, Ypres 1917, Passchendaele, Amiens, Scarpe 1918, Hindenburg Line, Canal du Nord, Cambrai 1918, Valenciennes, Sambre, France and Flanders 1915-18
 * Second World War: Liri Valley, Melfa Crossing, Gothic Line, Lamone Crossing, Misano Ridge, Fosso Munio, Italy 1944-45, IJsselmeer, North-West Europe 1945

Lineage
The Regiment perpetuates the history of its originating Troops from Markham and Toronto. The Markham Troop was active during the War of 1812, and both troops were active during the 1837 Rebellion and Fenian Raids of 1866.
 * Button's Troop - 1810 (founded in Markham, Ontario by Captain John Button)
 * Denison's Troop - 1822 (founded in Toronto by George Taylor Denison)
 * Oak Ridges Troop - 1853 (founded in Richmond Hill by Norman T McLeod)
 * Governor General's Body Guard - 1866
 * The Mississauga Horse - 1901
 * The Governor General's Horse Guards - 1936 (formed by amalgamation of the Governor General's Body Guard and the Mississauga Horse)

Affiliated regiment

 * The Royal Canadian Dragoons

Alliances

 * 🇬🇧 - The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons)
 * 🇬🇧 - 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards

Perpetuated and incorporated units
Perpetuated units:
 * 4th Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles, CEF


 * 7th Regiment, Canadian Mounted Rifles, CEF

Incorporated units:
 * 216th "Overseas" Battalion, CEF
 * Governor General's Body Guard
 * Mississauga Horse

Notable members

 * Capt Sir Frederick Grant Banting, KBE, MC, FRS, FRSC. Discoverer of insulin, Nobel Laureate for Medicine, voted 4th Greatest Canadian in history
 * Hon Col Bill Graham, PC QC. Minister of Defence, then interim Leader of the Opposition in Canada's federal Parliament
 * Hon Col HNR Jackman, OC, O.Ont, CD. Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
 * Maj Hampden Zane Churchill Cockburn, VC. Boer War, with Royal Canadian Dragoons
 * Sgt TW Holmes, VC. WWI, with 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles
 * Lt Col George Taylor Denison III, Led the regiment against the Fenian Raids and the North West Rebellion
 * Lt Col Frederick Charles Denison, CMG. Commanded the Canadian Voyageurs on the 1884 Nile expedition
 * Air Marshal William Avery "Billy" Bishop, VC, CB, DSO & Bar, MC, DFC, ED. World War 1 fighter pilot ace

Order of precedence
Note: The Governor General's Horse Guards is first in precedence of Reserve regiments. Regular regiments maintain a separate precedence list.