Royal Scots of Canada Highlanders - Electric Scotland

Some Notable Regimental Happenings
Durins^ the past twenty-three years the career of the
regiment has been a decidedly active one. No opportunity
has been lost to keep up the interest of all ranks.
Since 1880 the Royal Scots have in addition to the ordinary
regimental work at headquarters, made a number
of trips of considerable interest to places more or less
distant from Montreal, for the sake of an outing or to
return the compliment of a friendly visit of an outside
corps to the commercial metropolis.
In 1880 the 5th Royal Fusileers under command of
[Jeut.-Colonel Crawford, took part in the Queen's Birthday
review on the Plains of Abraham, Quebec, before
H.R.H. the Duke of Albany, H.R.H. the Princess Louise,
and the Marquis of Lome. Nearly 3,000 troops, including
besides the Quebec and Montreal corps, the 62nd
Fusiliers of St. John, N.B., were on parade upon this
occasion.
In 1884,
the regiment proceeded by train to Toronto,
the officers and men participating in an excursion to
Niagara Falls before returning to Montreal. This visit
had an important influence on the movement which
resulted in the organization of the Royal Scots' sister
regiment at Toronto, the 48th Highlanders, and we find
on page 28 of the regimental history of that regiment
the following recognition of the fact:— "The organization
of such a regiment—a militia corps mainly composed of
Scotsmen, wearing the Highland dress, and having a
band of pipers—had been discussed occasionally for some
years prior to 1891, when the idea took definite form.
The existence of the 5th Royal Scots in Montreal was a
constant incentive to Toronto, and the visit of that
corps to Toronto in 1884 stirred the desire for a like
regiment there. In the minutes of the Toronto Gaelic
Society for 1884, reference is made to a discussion of the
subject at a meeting of the society, when an enquiry
was ordered as to the cost of raising and equipping a
Highland regiment."
The 48th was embodied by a General Order dated
October l6th, 1891. (l)
In 1885, the regiment visited Ottawa, Ont., in 1886,
Cornwall, Ont., in 1888, St. .lohns, in 1889, London,
Ont., and in 1891, Ottawa again.
(1) Toronto had .1 Highland Company, raised in 1856, which, ujjon the
organi/.ation of the independent companies of Toronto into tlie .Second
Battalion Qneen's Own Rifles in May, is6o. became No. 4 company of that
battalion ;
but subsequently it became the left flank company, No, 10. As the
company was later refused permission to wear the kilt, the men declined
re-enrollment under the Militia Act cf 1S68, and so the company became
extinct
March 25th, 1899, the pipe band of the Royal Scots
proceeded to New Vork to assist Lieut. Dan Godfrey's
English military band, and the 7th Regiment (N.G.N.Y.)
band in a monster musical festival typifying the unity
of the Anglo-Saxon race. During the festival an American
and British march specially composed for the
occasion was rendered by the massed bands under the
baton of IJeut. Godfrey.
In 1903 the Royal Scots were invited to send a
detachment of 40 or 50 men to participate in the New
York military tournament, but the officers were unable
to make the necessary arrangements in time.
An event which will always stand out prominently
in the annals of the 5th Royal Scots was the visit to
Portland, Maine, in July 1898. Portland was celebrating
with the national holiday, the 4th of July, the fiftieth
anniversary of the completion of the Grand Trunk Railway,
which event had had a most important influence
upon the commercial development of the city. As the
celebration was of an international significance, the Dominion
Government was appealed to to send a representative
Canadian regiment to Portland to participate
in the celebration, and more particularly in the military
demonstration which had been decided upon as one of
the main features of the holiday. The government
accepted the invitation, and the 5th Roj'al Scots was
selected and detailed to proceed to Portland to represent
Canada. The regiment, never looked better and was
never in better shape than when it left Montreal on the
evening of July 2nd on this important official mission of
goodwill to the great kindred nation across the lines.
The parade state showed 368 present of all ranks, the
officers
being as follows:
Lieut. -Colonel E. B. Ibbotson, commanding.
Majors George W. Cameron and John Carson.
Major W. M. Blaiklock, Quartermaster; Captain F.
Meighen, Adjutant; Major C. E. Gault, Paymaster;
Surgeon-Major Rollo
Campbell, Surgeon-Lieut. Brown.
No. I Company, Captain K. Campbell, Lieutenant
Cleghorn.
Dodds.
No. 2 Company, Captain J. G. Ross, Lieut. W.
No. 3 Company, Captain George Oliver, Lieutenant
A. F. Gault.
No. 4 Company, Captain G. W. Cantlie, Lieutenant
Armstrong.