The 3rd Battalion has tended to shoulder the main burden of Army reorganizations inflicted upon the regiment, with a 3rd Battalion of the regiment having been raised for full-time service on three occasions: the first, from 25 March 1900 to 1 October 1902 to replace the British Army’s Prince of Wales’s Own Leinster Regiment at the Halifax Citadel. The second occasion, on 10 January 1951 was for service in Korea, with the battalion re-badging on 1 September 1954 to become the 1st Battalion of the Canadian Guards, subsequently re-badging its members back to The RCR once again on 6 July 1970. On the third occasion, 3 RCR was re-constituted in 1996 from the Light Infantry Battalion formed at the time of the Airborne Regiment’s disbandment in 1995.
More recently, the 3rd Battalion provided a cadre for the stand-up of the Canadian Special Operations Regiment at its formation in 2006.
Today, the 3rd Battalion is the Regiment’s light infantry battalion, specializing in airborne, airmobile and amphibious infantry operations. With a deserved reputation for physical fitness and battlefield aggression, the battalion’s cheerful and infectious optimism is characteristic of airborne and light infantry forces wherein the battalion takes great pride in its soldiering abilities. Uniquely in the Regiment, 3 RCR’s parachute trained soldiers are permitted to wear the maroon beret of airborne forces and the battalion is not shy to own this privilege. The Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers and soldiers of the battalion are first-class soldiers – alert, keen and professional in the service of Canada.
The 3rd Battalion may be contacted by writing to the Commanding Officer at the following address:
Commanding Officer
3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment
Foulkes Barracks
PO Box 9999, Station Main
Petawawa, ON K8H 2X3
Additional information is available at the following Government of Canada website: http://www.army-armee.forces.gc.ca/en/3-rcr/index.page
Access the Battalion’s Facebook page.
