Sixty-one officers and nearly four thousand N.C.O.’s and men of the Queen’s Own served with this 3rd Battalion during the war, and it was always commanded by one of the regiment’s own officers.
In October, 1914, it was decided that Canada should furnish a second division, and one complete company of the 19th Battalion, serving with this, was furnished by the Buffs’ Allied Corps. This division reached France in September, 1915.
On the 14th November twelve extra mounted rifle battalions were authorized for war, and one of them was raised in Toronto and subsequently fed with drafts from our regiment. These were originally intended for mounted troops, but were transformed into ordinary infantry when it was found that that arm was the one most in request.
The men generally went to France as drafts for existing units, but the 4th and 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles became two battalions of the 3rd Canadian Division which was formed in France in the spring of 1916 and placed under the command of Major-General M. S. Mercer, C.B.
The 35th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force was raised in 1915 and it also contained a company of the Queen’s Own Rifles, and indeed in course of time 17 officers and 650 men of the regiment passed through this particular unit.
Then, again, it was strongly represented in the 58th, 74th, 75th, 83rd, 95th, 166th and 255th Battalions, some of which were draft-finding units, and others served complete in the war.
In fact, officers and men of the Queen’s Own Rifles found their way into all units and services of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, which fought in nearly all the considerable battles on the Western front from the Second Battle of Ypres up to the armistice; and wherever it fought it is safe to affirm that some, at any rate, of the Queen’s Own fought too.
It seems, therefore, almost as impossible to give a list of engagements the men were present at as it always has been in the case of the Royal Artillery, which corps, it is well known, is obliged to fall back on the single word “Ubique” instead of a battle-roll.
The following is a summary of the work done by our Canadian Allied Regiment and the honours its members won:—
| Total enlistments for service overseas | 9,104 |
| Killed or died of wounds or disease | 1,324 |
| Wounded | 3,198 |
| Prisoners of war | 117 |
| Granted commissions in the field | 257[27] |
| Number of officers who served in theatre of war | 205[28] |
| Number of officers killed or died of wounds | 47 |
| Decorations | |
|---|---|
| Victoria Cross | 1 |
| Commander of the Bath | 2 |
| Companion St. Michael and St. George | 2 |
| Distinguished Service Order | 12 |
| Bar to D.S.O. | 5 |
| Military Cross | 51 |
| Bar to M.C. | 11 |
| Commander British Empire | 1 |
| Order British Empire | 6 |
| Member British Empire | 2 |
| Croix de Guerre (French) | 10 |
| Croix de Guerre (Belgium) | 5 |
| Legion of Honour | 2 |
| Médaille Militaire | 1 |
| Distinguished Conduct Medal | 29 |
| Bar to D.C.M. | 6 |
| Military Medal | 175 |
| Bar to M.M. | 14 |
| 2nd Bar to M.M. | 3 |
| Meritorious Service Medal | 13 |
| Distinguished Flying Cross | 2 |