Halifax Rifles (RCAC)

Mi'kmaq militias	1677–1779
Acadian militias	1689–1761
40th Regiment of Foot	1717–1757
Louisbourg Garrison	1717–1758
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84th Regiment of Foot	1775–1784
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1st Field Artillery	from 1791
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Halifax Rifles	from 1860
Princess Louise Fusiliers	from 1867
78th Highland	1869–1871
Cape Breton Highlanders	from 1871
Nova Scotia Rifles	1914–1919
No. 2 Construction Battalion	1916–1919
West Nova Scotia	from 1916
Nova Scotia Highlanders	from 1954

Battle of Port Royal	1690
Siege of Port Royal	1710
Battle of Winnepang	1722
Northeast Coast Campaign	1745
Battle of Grand Pré	1747
Dartmouth Massacre	1751
Bay of Fundy Campaign	1755
Siege of Louisbourg	1758
Royal Naval Dockyard, Halifax	1758
Halifax Treaties	1760–1761
Battle of Fort Cumberland	1776
Raid on Lunenburg	1782
Establishment of New Ireland	1812
Capture of USS Chesapeake	1813
‪Battle of the Great Redan	1855
‪Siege of Lucknow	1857
CSS Tallahassee escape	1861
‪Halifax Provisional Battalion	1885
‪Battle of Witpoort	1899
‪Battle of Paardeberg	1899
Imprisonment of Leon Trotsky	1917
Jewish Legion formed	1917
Sinking of Llandovery Castle	1918
Battle of the St. Lawrence	1942–1944
Sinking of Point Pleasant Park	1945
Halifax VE-Day riot	1945

The Halifax Rifles (RCAC)
The Halifax Rifles (RCAC)
Active	1860–1965, 2009–present
Country	Nova Scotia 1860–1867; Canada 1867–present;
Branch	Canadian Forces Primary Reserve
Type	Cavalry
Role	Armoured reconnaissance; Influence activities including psychological operations and civil-military co-operation;
Part of	Royal Canadian Armoured Corps
Garrison/HQ	Willow Park Armoury, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Motto(s)	Cede nullis (Latin for 'Yield to none')
March	"Huntsman's Chorus"
Engagements	Fenian Raids; North-West Rebellion; Second Boer War; First World War; Second World War; War in Afghanistan;
Battle honours	See #Battle honours
Insignia
NATO Map Symbol	;

The Halifax Rifles (RCAC) is a Canadian Army regiment that served between the years of 1860 and 1965 before being reduced to nil strength and placed on the Supplementary Order of Battle.^[1] The regiment was reactivated on May 10, 2009,^[2] as a reserve force unit performing the role of armoured reconnaissance. It is the first and only regiment since the 1960s to be reactivated from the Supplementary Order of Battle.

The unit draws its history from the 19th century Halifax Volunteer Battalion which was active at the time of the Fenian Raids. It received its current name in May 1958.

History

Fenian Raids

The Halifax Volunteer Battalion was called out on active service on 6 June 1866. The battalion, which guarded the Halifax Dockyard, was removed from active service on 31 July 1866.^[3]

North West Rebellion

The 63rd The Halifax Battalion of Rifles mobilized three companies for active service on 10 April 1885 which served with the Halifax Provisional Battalion in the Alberta Column of the North-West Field Force. The companies were removed from active service on 24 July 1885.^[3]

South African War

The 63rd The Halifax Battalion of Rifles contributed volunteers for the Canadian Contingents during the South African War.^[3]

Great War

Details of the 63rd Regiment "Halifax Rifles" were placed on active service on 6 August 1914 for local protective duty.^[3]

The 40th Battalion (Nova Scotia), CEF, was authorized on 7 November 1914 and embarked for Britain on 18 October 1915. The battalion provided reinforcements to the Canadian Corps in the field until 4 January 1917, when its personnel were absorbed by the 26th Reserve Battalion, CEF. The battalion was disbanded on 17 July 1917.^[3]

Second World War

Details from the regiment were called out on service on 26 August 1939 and then placed on active service on 1 September 1939 as The Halifax Rifles, CASF (Details), for local protection duties. which were disbanded on 31 December 1940. The regiment mobilized the 1st Battalion, The Halifax Rifles, CASF for active service on 1 January 1941. It was converted to armour and redesignated as the 23rd Army Tank Battalion (The Halifax Rifles), CAC, CASF, on 26 January 1942 and the 23rd Army Tank Regiment (The Halifax Rifles), CAC, CASF, on 15 May 1942. It embarked for Britain on 17 June 1943 as a unit of the 2nd Army Tank Brigade, 4th Canadian Armoured Division, where it provided reinforcements to units of the Canadian Corps in the field. The overseas regiment was disbanded on 1 November 1943.^[3]

War in Afghanistan

The regiment contributed personnel to the various task forces which served in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2014.^[4]

Mission task

Since 2015, Army Reserve units have been assigned specific mission tasks,^[5] in addition to traditional military duties. Trained and promoted in the traditional officer and non-commissioned member streams of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps, regiment members are additionally trained to be fully integrated, as a formed entity, into similarly assigned Regular Force units. The mission task for the Halifax Rifles is called Influence Activities. By their Canadian Forces organization order (CFOO),^[6] a squadron of up to 52 members will be trained in the employment of population group influence techniques, including psychological operations and civil-military co-operation, to provide behavioural and psychological effects on those populations in support of a commander’s intent or mission.

Lineage

The Halifax Rifles (RCAC)

Source:^[1]

Originated 14 May 1860 in Halifax, Nova Scotia as the Halifax Volunteer Battalion
Redesignated 28 May 1869 as the Halifax Volunteer Battalion of Rifles
Redesignated 5 November 1869 as the 63rd The Halifax Volunteer Battalion of Rifles
Redesignated 13 May 1870 as the 63rd The Halifax Battalion of Rifles
Redesignated 8 May 1900 as the 63rd Regiment "Halifax Rifles"
Redesignated 15 May 1920 as The Halifax Rifles
Redesignated 1 January 1941 as the 2nd (Reserve) Battalion, The Halifax Rifles
Redesignated 15 September 1944 as The Halifax Rifles (Reserve)
Redesignated 30 November 1945 as The Halifax Rifles
1 April 1946 converted to armour and redesignated as the 23rd Armoured Regiment (Halifax Rifles), RCAC'
Redesignated 4 February 1949 as The Halifax Rifles (23rd Armoured Regiment)
Redesignated 19 May 1958 The Halifax Rifles (RCAC)
Reduced to nil strength and transferred to the Supplementary Order of Battle on 31 January 1965
Removed from the Supplementary Order of Battle and reactivated as a Canadian Army Reserve Force regiment on 28 July 2009^[3]

Lineage chart

Lineage chart^[3]

1859		Independent rifle coys

1860		Halifax Volunteer Bn

1869		Halifax Volunteer Bn of Rifles

1869		63rd The Halifax Volunteer Bn of Rifles

1870		63rd The Halifax Bn of Rifles

1885	Halifax Provisional Bn

1885	Disbanded

1900		63rd Regt "Halifax Rifles"

1914	40th Bn, CEF

1917	Absorbed by 26th Reserve Bn, CEF

1920		1st Bn (40th Bn, CEF), The Halifax Rifles	2nd Bn,^[a] The Halifax Rifles

1936		The Halifax Rifles	Disbanded

1941	1st Bn, The Halifax Rifles, CASF	2nd (Reserve) Bn, The Halifax Rifles

1942	23rd Army Tank Bn (The Halifax Rifles), CAC, CASF

1942	23rd Army Tank Regt (The Halifax Rifles), CAC, CASF

1943	Disbanded

1944		The Halifax Rifles (Reserve)

1945		The Halifax Rifles

1946		23rd Armd Regt (Halifax Rifles), RCAC

1949		The Halifax Rifles (23rd Armd Regt)

1958		The Halifax Rifles (RCAC)

1965		To Supplementary Order of Battle

2009		To Primary Reserve

Perpetuations

Great War

40th Battalion (Nova Scotia), CEF^[3]

Alliances

United Kingdom - None at present

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.^[3]

War of 1812

Honorary distinction: The non-emblazonable honorary distinction DEFENCE OF CANADA – 1812–1815 – DÉFENSE DU CANADA (awarded in commemoration of the Nova Scotia Fencible Infantry).