The Regiment was founded on 16 January 1863 as the
14th Battalion Volunteer Militia Rifles, Canada. On 3 July 1868, the Battalion was renamed
the 14th Battalion, Princess of Wales' Own Rifles in honour of Alexandra, Princess of
Wales, whose marriage had taken place on 10 March 1863. During the Fenian troubles in
Canada the 14th contributed a company to the Niagara frontier in 1864; the whole battalion
was called-out to Cornwall in 1866; and half the battalion was placed on active duty in
Kingston in 1870. A Drum Major's mace that was presented to the Battalion by a number of
officers "In Remembrance of Cornwall" is in the Regimental Museum. During the
Northwest Rebellion the PWOR was placed on active service to garrison Fort Henry from
April 1885 to September 1886. Twenty-one volunteers from the PWOR served overseas in the
South African War, earning the Regiment its first battle honour.
At the outbreak of the First World War in August
1914, the PWOR was called-out to guard vital points in Kingston, a duty that lasted until
October 1917. In the meantime, the Regiment became a recruiting base for the Canadian
Expeditionary Force (CEF). A company was sent to the 2nd Canadian Infantry Battalion, CEF,
which went overseas in October 1914. On 3 November 1914, the 21st Battalion, CEF, was
raised by the PWOR, which supplied numerous officers and men, including its commanding
officer, LCol W. St Pierre Hughes. For its contribution, the PWOR was entrusted with the
18 battle honours won by the 21st in France. In addition, the Regiment supplied the
commanding officers and many officers and men to the 59th, 146th and 253rd Battalions,
CEF.
In 1920, the PWOR changed from a rifle to a line
regiment to have Colours to display the Battle Honours of the 21st Battalion, CEF. In
1936, the Regiment received its first set of Colours from Lord Tweedsmuir, Governor
General of Canada.
During the Second World War the PWOR contributed a
company in 1940 to the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders. Led by LCol G.H.
Christiansen, a former PWOR officer, the Glens went ashore on D-Day as part of the 9th
Canadian Infantry Brigade, commanded by Brigadier D.G. Cunningham, another former PWOR
officer. In June 1942, the Regiment formed, for active service, the 1st Battalion,
commanded by LCol E. Cockburn. It was disbanded in October 1943 in Debert, Nova Scotia to
provide reinforcements for units already overseas. Altogether, the PWOR supplied nearly
1,500 officers and men to all three services during the war.
In 1963, the Regiment celebrated its centennial by
receiving a second set of Colours. Affixed to the Regimental Colour was the Regimental
Badge of the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders and the year 1944-45. The
PWOR also was granted the Freedom of the City of Kingston.
In 1985, Diana, Princess of Wales became the
Colonel-in-Chief of the Regiment, a title she held for 11 years. In 1991, she visited the
PWOR. In her honour, a third set of Colours with her Cypher and Coronet emblazoned on each
corner of the Regimental Colour was presented to the Regiment in 2002.
The PWOR continues to serve Canada as part of the
Primary Reserve, and in recent years has sent both men and women to serve overseas in the
former Yugoslavia and Afghanistan.
The museum has for sale copies of Kingston's Own, a
complete history of the PWOR by BGen (Retired) William J. Patterson, OMM, CD.
