The 63rd furnished 109 officers and men for service during the Northwest Rebellion. Major Walsh was in command, with Capts. Hechler, Cunningham and Fortune and Lieutenants Silver, James, Twining, McKie, Fletcher and Fiske. Captain Corbin was appointed Quartermaster of the Provisional Battalion. They entrained for the West on April 4, 1885, and returned to Halifax and rejoined their Unit July 24 of the same year. The Regiment also furnished sixty-one officers, non-commissioned officers and men for service in the South African War.
On the declaration of the Great War, August 4, 1914, the 63rd Regiment, Halifax Rifles was ordered out for service in defence of the Fortress of Halifax. One hundred men under the command of Capt. H. N. Clarke, with Capt. J, W. Logan, Lieut. E. R. Dennis and Lieut. F. H. M. Jones, proceeded at once to Wellington Barracks, and the remainder of the Unit was at once mobilized and proceeded under command to the various war stations assigned to it.
By August 5, 1914, the mobilization of the Unit being completed, the Regiment paraded in full strength under Lieut.-Col. I. W. Vidito, with Major W. E. Thompson Second in Command, and Capt. D. R. Turnbull, Adjutant, and proceeded to their new quarters, Wellington Barracks, where the Composite Company under Capt. H. N. Clarke was absorbed, the officers and men rejoining their old Companies.
On August 12th “B” Company proceeded to McNab’s Island under the command of Capt. C. A. Mumford, with Lieuts. C. N. Bennett and W. E. Doane. “D” Company, under Capt. H. F. Adams and Lieut. C. J. Roche, proceeded to York Redoubt. On August 18th “G” and “H” Companies proceeded to the Eastern Camp Site, Dartmouth. These two Companies were under the command of Major W. H. Conrod. “G” Company (Capt. E. A. Vossnack, Lieuts. G. S. Kinley and G. C. Sircom) occupied York Farm; “H” Company (Capt. H. N. Clarke and Lieuts. E. C. Phinney and J. W. Grant) occupied Kuhn’s Farm. On August 25th “D” Company under Capt. H. F. Adams moved from York Redoubt to Camperdown, and on the same date “A” Company (Capt. F. C. Kingdon, Lieut. R. C. McDonald); “C” Company (Capt. H. G. DeWolfe, Lieut. H. J. Stech) and “F” Company (Capt. J. W. Logan, Lieuts. G. M. Sylvester and F. H. Jones) moved to McNab’s Island. “E” Company (Capt. E. K. McKay, Lieuts. O. Vossnack and E. R. Dennis) moved to Lawlor’s Island. The last four Companies were under the command of Major W. E. Thompson. On August 30th headquarters and regimental details moved to McNab’s Island.
Immediately on arrival at their stations each Company started the work of digging trenches, placing wire entanglements, constructing blockhouses, dugouts, etc. The men were driven at top speed at this work, officers and men working all day as well as doing picquet duty at night.
During the early days of the War H.M. ship Suffolk, then engaged in hunting for the enemy cruiser Karlsruhe, called at Halifax in urgent need of coal, and was coaled in record time by the 63rd Regiment.
On August 22nd the first Overseas draft was called for and twenty-four non-commissioned officers and men under command of Lieuts. A. F. Major and G. L. Stairs, proceeded to Valcartier Camp. On November 25, 1914, forty-eight non-commissioned officers and men were transferred to the 25th Battalion, C.E.F., which was then being organized, and on December 6th Major W. H. Conrod, Lieuts. L. N. B. Bullock, G. C. Sircom and J. A. Grant were transferred to that Battalion.
Major W. E. Thompson was called in by Headquarters Military District No. 6 in December, 1914, to take over the work of Inspector of Outposts and Detachments throughout the district, with the rank of Lieut.-Colonel.
On May 20, 1915, Capt. Wm. Taylor, Lieuts. C. J. Roche and J. A. Watters, with thirty-three other ranks proceeded to Jamaica on military duty. On August 13, 1915, thirty-six other ranks were transferred to the 40th Battalion, then in training at Valcartier. In September, 1915, an Overseas Company was formed to which officers and men given permission to go Overseas were attached for training. From this time, all drafts from the 63rd for Overseas Units were taken from this Company.
An Overseas draft of 100 other ranks with Lieuts. W. D. Simpson, H. D. Hilton and C. D. Llwyd were struck off the strength of the 63rd Regiment on February 25, 1916.