Lord Strathcona Horse Regiment | 360 Degree Interactive Tour - Military Museums of Calgary
168I had the pleasure of attending a personal tour of the The Military Museums of Calgary, in Alberta which is the largest tri-service museum in Western Canada and the second largest military museum in the country. The Museum is now OPEN for visitors. This was one of many exhibits the museum had to offer. Alberta proud! 41 Brigade for the win! ;-)
Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) (LdSH[RC]) is a regular armoured regiment of the Canadian Army. Currently based in Edmonton, Alberta, the regiment is part of 3rd Canadian Division's 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group. Members of the regiment are commonly called Strathconas or Straths as a short form. It was one of the last regiments in the British Empire to be created and raised by a private individual, Donald Alexander Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal.
The regiment is currently composed of a regimental headquarters and four primary squadrons: A, B, Reconnaissance ('Recce') and Headquarters. In September 2006, B Squadron deployed to Afghanistan using the Leopard C2, the first NATO deployment of main battle tanks (MBTs) to Afghanistan.
Each year the squadron that distinguishes itself with the highest efficiency rating in the regiment earns the title "Prince of Wales Squadron" for the year. The regiment has seven affiliated cadet corps in Alberta and British Columbia.
Lord Strathcona's Horse operates with 40 Leopard 2's (20 A4's, 9 A4M's and 11 2A6M's) and 12 Coyote Reconnaissance Vehicles. Due to a change in Canadian army doctrine in the early 2000s away from heavy armour to more infantry-centred operations, Lord Strathcona's Horse was for several years the only regular armoured regiment to operate MBTs. This was until the 2006 announcement that the Royal Canadian Dragoons would be re-equipped with a squadron of Leopards.
The regimental motto is "Perseverance". The current commanding officer is Lieutenant-Colonel Eric Angell CD and the regimental sergeant major is Chief Warrant Officer K. King MMM, CD. The colonel-in-chief of the regiment is Charles, Prince of Wales, while the honorary colonel of the regiment is Col (Ret'd) Greg Hug.