Unit Listings - 1939

This is a listing of the units of the Canadian Army in 1939.

Permanent Active Militia (Permanent Force)

Cavalry

• Royal Canadian Dragoons

  • Mobilized for CASF 1 Sep 1939

• Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians)

  • Mobilized for CASF 1 Sep 1939

Infantry

• The Royal Canadian Regiment

  • Mobilized for CASF 1 Sep 1939

• Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry

  • Mobilized for CASF 1 Sep 1939

• Royal 22e Regiment

  • Mobilized for CASF 1 Sep 1939

Non-Permanent Active Militia

Cavalry

• The Governor General's Horse Guards

• 1st Hussars

  • Mobilized for CASF 1 Sep 1939

• 2nd/10th Dragoons

• 4th Princess Louise Dragoon Guards

• 6th Duke of Connaught's Royal Canadian Hussars (Armoured Car)

• 7th/11th Hussars

• 8th Princess Louise's New Brunswick Hussars

• The Prince Edward Island Light Horse

• 7th/11th Hussars

• 12th Manitoba Dragoons

• King's Canadian Hussars (Armoured Car) (Converted to Artillery 15 Aug.)

• 16th/22nd Saskatchewan Horse

• 17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars

• The Manitoba Mounted Rifles

• 19th Alberta Dragoons

• 14th Canadian Light Horse

• The British Columbia Dragoons

• The British Columbia Hussars (Armoured Car)(Converted to artillery and designated 1st Searchlight Regiment, RCA 15 May.)

• The Fort Garry Horse

  • Mobilized for CASF 1 Sep 1939

• 15th Alberta Light Horse

Infantry

• The Governor General's Foot Guards

• The Canadian Grenadier Guards

• The Queens Own Rifles of Canada

• Victoria Rifles of Canada

• The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada

  • Mobilized for CASF 1 Sep 1939

• The Royal Rifles of Canada

• Les Voltigeurs de Quebec

• The Royal Regiment of Toronto Grenadiers (Redesignated The Royal Regiment of Canada 11 Feb.)

  • Mobilized for CASF 1 Sep 1939

• The British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught's Own Rifles)

• The Irish Fusiliers of Canada (Vancouver Regiment)

• The Queen's York Rangers (1st American Regiment)(MG)

• The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (Wentworth Regiment)

  • Mobilized for CASF 1 Sep 1939

• The Princess of Wales' Own Regiment (MG)

• The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment

  • Mobilized for CASF 1 Sep 1939

• The Argyll Light Infantry (Tank)

• Le Regiment de Levis

• The Lincoln and Welland Regiment

• The Canadian Fusiliers (City of London Regiment)(MG)

• The Lorne Scots (Peel, Dufferin and Halton Regiment)

  • Mobilized No. 1 Infantry Base Depot CASF (The Lorne Scots (Peel, Dufferin and Halton Regiment)) 1 Sep 1939

• The Essex Scottish

  • Mobilized for CASF 1 Sep 1939

• The Oxford Rifles

• The Kent Regiment (MG)

• The Elgin Regiment

• The Middlesex and Huron Regiment

• The Perth Regiment (MG)

  • Mobilized for CASF 1 Sep 1939

• The Highland Light Infantry of Canada

• The Grey and Simcoe Foresters

• The Ontario Regiment (Tank)

  • Mobilized for CASF 1 Sep 1939

• The Dufferin and Haldimand Rifles of Canada

• The Midland Regiment (Northumberland and Durham)

• The Brockville Rifles

• The Lanark and Renfrew Scottish Regiment

• The Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders

• The Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury Regiment (MG)

• The Sherbrooke Regiment (MG)

  • Mobilized No. 1 General Base Depot CASF (The Sherbrooke Regiment) 1 Sep 1939

• Les Fusiliers de Sherbrooke

• The Prince of Wales Rangers (Peterbororugh Regiment)(MG)

• The Royal Montreal Regiment (MG)

  • Mobilized for CASF 1 Sep 1939

• The King's Own Rifles of Canada (MG)

• Le Regiment Montmagmy

• The St. John Fusiliers (MG)

• The Halifax Rifles

• Le Regiment de Chateauguay (Mit)

• Les Fusiliers Mont Royal

  • Mobilized for CASF 1 Sep 1939

• The Princess Louise Fusiliers (MG)

• The Carleton and York Regiment

• The West Nova Scotia Regiment

  • Mobilized for CASF 1 Sep 1939

• Le Regiment de Hull

• The North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment

• The New Brunswick Rangers

• The Pictou Highlanders

• The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada

  • Mobilized for CASF 1 Sep 1939

• The North Nova Scotia Highlanders (MG)

• The Prince Edward Island Highlanders

• Regiment de Joliette

• Le Regiment de St. Hyacinthe

• Le Regiment de Maisonneuve

  • Mobilized for CASF 1 Sep 1939

• The Three Rivers Regiment (Tank)

  • Mobilized for CASF 1 Sep 1939

• Le Regiment de Quebec (Mit)

• Fusiliers du St. Laurent

• The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa (MG)

  • Mobilized for CASF 1 Sep 1939

• The Royal Winnipeg Rifles

• 48th Highlanders of Canada

  • Mobilized for CASF 1 Sep 1939

• Le Regiment de Saguenay

• The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's) (MG)

• The Lake Superior Regiment

• Le Régiment de la Chaudière (Mitrailleuses)

  • Mobilized for CASF 1 Sep 1939

• The Cape Breton Highlanders

• The Regina Rifle Regiment

• The South Saskatchewan Regiment

  • Mobilized for CASF 1 Sep 1939

• The Algonquin Regiment

• The Winnipeg Grenadiers (MG)

  • Mobilized for CASF 1 Sep 1939

• The Edmonton Regiment

  • Mobilized for CASF 1 Sep 1939

• The Edmonton Fusiliers (MG)

• The Rocky Mountain Rangers

• The Calgary Highlanders

  • Mobilized for CASF 1 Sep 1939

• The Calgary Regiment (Tank)

• The Prince Albert and Battleford Volunteers

• The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada

  • Mobilized for CASF 1 Sep 1939

• The Winnipeg Light Infantry (MG)

• 1st Battalion The Canadian Scottish Regiment

• 2nd Battalion, The Canadian Scottish Regiment (MG)

• The Scots Fusiliers of Canada

• The Irish Regiment of Canada (MG)

• The Toronto Scottish Regiment (MG)

  • Mobilized for CASF 1 Sep 1939

• The South Alberta Regiment

• The Saskatoon Light Infantry (MG)

  • Mobilized for CASF 1 Sep 1939

• The Westminster Regiment (MG)

  • Mobilized for CASF 1 Sep 1939

• The Irish Fusiliers of Canada (Vancouver Regiment)

• The Essex Regiment (Tank)

• The New Brunswick Regiment (Tank)

Canadian Active Service Force

On 1 Sep 1939, the Canadian Active Service Force, a field force established for service in the Second World War, was mobilized. Complete listings of the Canadian Active Service Force can be found on other pages of this site.

In Aug 1939, several units were mobilized for local protective duties and coastal protection. Ten infantry battalions mobilized active details, which remained active until the battalions were mobilized on 1 Jan 1941:

• The Cape Breton Highlanders (Sydney, NS)

• The Halifax Rifles (Halifax, NS)

• The Irish Fusiliers of Canada (Vancouver, BC)

• The New Brunswick Rangers (Sussex, NB)

• The Pictou Highlanders (Stellarton, NS)

• The Prince Edward Island Highlanders (Charlottetown, PEI)

• The Princess Louise Fusiliers (MG) (Halifax, NS)

• The Rocky Mountain Rangers (Kamloops, BC)

• The St. John Fusiliers (MG) (St. John, NB)

• 2nd Battalion, The Canadian Scottish (Nanaimo, BC)