3RCR to get colours
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CFB PETAWAWA – Dundonald Hall was the site of more pomp and circumstance on Friday than soldiers pumping iron during PT – although that was happening too.
Decked out in full scarlet ceremonial uniforms, members of the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (3RCR) ran through a dress rehearsal for their upcoming parade and demonstration in Toronto on April 27, part of an event commemorating the Battle of York.
One aspect to the event will be the chance for the battalion to show off their prowess with weapons and insertion techniques, and their drill abilities. The other will be the reception of new battalion colours, replacing their storied and honoured standard last presented in 1973.
The presentation and consecration of new colours has been an event long in the making.
“The battalion has been focused on this event for almost two years,” says 3RCR commanding officer Lt.-Col. David Quick, “to find a venue, certainly to get the prince (Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the Royal Canadian Regiment’s Colonel-in-Chief) and other dignitaries to come, so it’s been a labour of love for a couple of years.”
More than just a ceremonial flag, Quick describes the battalion colours as an almost sacred symbol for 3RCR, but they have been in disrepair for the past few years.
“The colours have been damaged,” he says, “sadly, for over seven years. It’s a very important product of our battalion and our regiment; the colours are really the cornerstone of the field battalion. So to focus our attention and efforts on preparing to receive them in the right way speaks to the way it resonates with the soldiers.
“The colours are representative of the heartbeat of the battalion. It’s always there. Soldiers get posted in and out, and some fall, sadly, but the colours remain. It’s a tangible symbol the soldiers see every time they walk in and out of the building, and they pay respects. They salute those colours.”
Friday morning’s event was one of the last chances for the battalion to work on the dress rehearsal.
“The soldiers are great – I need some work. It’s like the NHL playoffs: We don’t want to peak too soon,” Quick quipped.“We’ve got a couple more days for some locker room chats to get ourselves prepped, but we’ll be peaking at the right time,” Quick added.
For his part, Cpl. Evan Smith is looking forward to the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take part in such an important ceremony.
“[I’m] very excited,” he says. “I volunteered for this, and I couldn’t wait to do it. It’s a lot of practice, but it’s worth it. It looks really good.”
In addition to the years of high-level preparation that Quick alluded to, the battalion has spent the last two weeks engaged in intensive training, but Smith says that it’s already been worth it.
“It’s been pretty intense,” he says. “They’ve got us going all day. The other day we were in the rain doing some drill, practising just in case it does rain on the parade, but it’s a lot of fun.”
Ryan Paulsen is a Daily Observer multimedia journalist. Follow him on Twitter @PRyanPaulsen.