Queen's Own Rifles Memorial

Location: In front of St. Paul's Anglican on Bloor, east of Church

Date photo taken: 6 January 2019

This Cross of Sacrifice is dedicated to the honoured dead of the Queen's Own Rifles. It is made of granite and sits atop an octagonal base on which are inscribed the various battles in which the regiment has taken part. While the initial plan was to erect this monument in Queen's Park, the decision was ultimately made to place it in the church yard of St. Paul's Anglican, which is the Rifles' regimental church. Inside the church can be found another memorial to the regiment. A glass-topped bronze casket contains a Book of Remembrance, which includes the names of all Queen's Own Riflemen who have died while on active service. Entries stretch from the Fenian Raid in 1866 to the Korean War in 1955.

Queen's Own Rifles at St. Paul's

Location: In front of St. Paul's Anglican on Bloor, east of Church

Date photo taken: 6 January 2019

St. Paul's Anglican on Bloor is the regimental church of the Queen's Own Rifles, Canada's oldest continuously serving infantry regiment. It explains why the fence surrounding the church yard bears their cap badge. It might also explain why Cody Hall, built on the property in the 1920s, included a rifle range in the basement along with the gym and bowling alley.

Formed in 1860, the Queen's Own Rifles have taken part in every Canadian military campaign. The two on their badge is a nod to the original designation of the regiment - the 2nd Battalion, Volunteer Militia Rifles of Canada - and their motto, In pace paratus means "Prepared in Peace". 

According to a nearby plaque, the fence was erected by the Queen's Own Rifles and the wife of Colonel Charles Osborne Dalton, DSO, KStJ, ED, as a memorial to those who served the regiment from the parish of St. Paul. It was dedicated April 26, 1989.