166-year-old rifle regiment honoured Saturday with parade in Whitby

Who doesn’t love a parade?

Spice it up with a few ceremonial volleys of gunfire and you have a celebration befitting Canada’s longest continuing serving infantry regiment and one that has served in every Canadian military campaign since before there was a Canada.

The Queen’s Own Rifles, which formed in 1860 as the Volunteer Rifle Company of Whitby, will be honoured Saturday with a parade from Civic Park in Whitby to the police station on Taunton Road.

The Town of Whitby has officially proclaimed July 18 as The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada Day and the regiment is inviting residents to line the 4.5-kilometre route and show support, with the event starting at 10:30 a.m.

Regiment members will muster at Civic Park at nine a.m. before marching east on Rossland Road where a volley will be fired before heading north on Garden Street to Taunton Road (more volleys will be fired) before heading east to the police station at Anderson Road at noon.

The Volunteer Rifle Company of Whitby was renamed the Queen’s Own Rifles in 1866 when they became part of the same battle group as the Ontario Regiment in Oshawa.

The Queen’s Own Rifles joined with the Ontario Regiment last month for ‘Exercise Paratus Rendezvous’ at the Oshawa Executive Airport.

“We are deeply honoured by this recognition,” the regiment said on their socials in inviting the community out for the celebration. “Come out and celebrate with The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada as we mark this special day in a town that holds an important place in our regimental story.”