8th Reconnaissance Regiment (14th Canadian Hussars)
| 8th Reconnaissance Regiment (14th Canadian Hussars) | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1940–1968 |
| Country | Canada |
| Branch | Armour, activated during World War II |
| Type | Light cavalry (Light armour) |
| Role | Reconnaissance |
| Size | One battalion of about 821 men |
| Part of | 2nd Canadian Infantry Division |
| Garrison/HQ | Swift Current, Saskatchewan |
| Motto(s) | Active Service unit: First In, Last Out; Militia unit: Free and Fearless |
| Battle honours | Ypres, 1915, '17; Festubert, 1915; Arras, 1917, '18; Hill 70; Amiens; Hindenburg Line; Pursuit to Mons; Caen; Falaise; Falaise Road; Clair Tizon; The Laison; The Seine, 1944; Antwerp–Turnhout Canal; The Scheldt; Woensdrecht; South Beveland; The Rhineland; Twente Canal; Groningen; Oldenburg; North-West Europe, 1944–1945 |
The 8th Reconnaissance Regiment (14th Canadian Hussars), commonly abbreviated to 8 Recce, VIII Recce or (within the British Army) 8 Canadian Recce, was the reconnaissance arm of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division during World War II.
8 Recce was formed at Guillemont Barracks, near Aldershot in southern England, on March 11, 1941, by merging three existing squadrons within the division. Its first commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel Churchill C. Mann. Mann was succeeded as commanding officer on September 26, 1941, by Lieutenant Colonel P. A. Vokes, who was in turn followed on February 18, 1944, by Lieutenant Colonel M. A. Alway. The last commanding officer was Major "Butch" J. F. Merner, appointed to replace Alway a couple of months before the end of the fighting in Europe.
8 Recce had its roots in the 14th Canadian Light Horse, a militia unit formed in 1920. One source claims the unit was the union of the 27th Light Horse and the 14th Canadian Mounted Rifles, but the official lineage shows no amalgamation in 1920, just a renaming of the 27th Light Horse. Authoritative lists of units in the Active Militia and the Canadian Expeditionary Force show no record of a "14th Canadian Mounted Rifles" – there were only 13 regiments of mounted rifles organized in the CEF. In any event, the 14th Canadian Light Horse in the 1920s was headquartered in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. It comprised 'A', 'B' and 'C' Squadrons based at Swift Current, Swift Current and Shuanavon, respectively. In 1937 the regiment was designated a mechanized unit, and in 1940 the regiment was renamed the 14th Canadian Hussars. In 1941 an Active Service regiment was mobilized, and its members joined with other reconnaissance personnel in England to form 8 Recce.
Following the pattern used in the Reconnaissance Corps of the British Army, 8 Recce was composed of a regimental headquarters (officially 26 men of all ranks at full strength), one headquarters squadron (222 men of all ranks) and three reconnaissance squadrons identified by the letters 'A', 'B' and 'C' (191 men each of all ranks). The Headquarters Squadron contained a squadron headquarters (6 men), an administrative troop (44 men), a signal troop (40 men), an anti-aircraft troop (9 men), an anti-tank troop (79 men) and a mortar troop (44 men).
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