| Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry | |
|---|---|
 Cap badge | |
| Founded | 10 August 1914 |
| Country | Canada |
| Branch | Canadian Expeditionary Force Canadian Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Mechanized infantry (two battalions) Light infantry (one battalion) |
| Size | Three battalions |
| Part of | Royal Canadian Infantry Corps |
| Garrison/HQ | |
| Nickname(s) | The Pats, Patricia's, The Patricia's, VP, The Picklies or Princess Pat's, Dirty Patricias, The Vicious Patricias |
| Colours | 2nd Battalion entitled to wear US PUC streamer on regimental colour |
| March | Quick: "Has Anyone Seen the Colonel/Tipperary/Mademoiselle from Armentières" (medley) Slow: "Lili Marlene" 1st Battalion: "The Maple Leaf" 2nd Battalion: "March Winnipeg" 3rd Battalion: "Imperial Echoes" |
| Engagements | First World War Second World War Korean War Croatian War of Independence War in Afghanistan |
| Decorations | 
|
| Battle honours | See #Battle Honours |
| Website | www |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel-in-Chief | Adrienne Clarkson |
| Colonel of the Regiment | Brigadier-General R.R. Romses |
| Abbreviation | PPCLI |
Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI, generally referred to as the Patricias)[a 1] is one of the three Regular Force infantry regiments of the Canadian Army of the Canadian Armed Forces. Formed in 1914, it is named for Princess Patricia of Connaught, daughter of the then-Governor General of Canada.[2] The regiment is composed of three battalions, for a total of 2,000 soldiers. The PPCLI is the main lodger unit of Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Edmonton in Alberta and CFB Shilo in Manitoba, and attached to 3rd Canadian Division; as such, it serves as the "local" regular infantry regiment for much of Western Canada. The Loyal Edmonton Regiment (LER), a Reserve Force battalion, is affiliated with the PPCLI but is not formally part of it. As part of this affiliation, the LER carries the designation '4th Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry'.
The PPCLI is a "British-style" Regiment which serves as the spiritual home and repository of customs and traditions for a number of battalions that do not necessarily serve together operationally. Its three battalions are independent operational entities, within 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (1 CMBG). The regimental title is honorific: two of the battalions are mechanized infantry and the unit has never been organized as a traditional light infantry regiment.[a 1]
The PPCLI was raised on the initiative of Captain Andrew Hamilton Gault in 1914 as part of the British Empire's war effort for the First World War. It was the first Canadian infantry unit to enter the theatre of operations, arriving in France on December 21, 1914. The regiment served with both the British and Canadian Expeditionary Forces, and was retained as a regular infantry regiment after the war. The regiment mobilized again in the Second World War, provided three battalions in succession for the Korean War, and most recently fought in the War in Afghanistan. The regiment has also provided units for numerous NATO operations and United Nations peacekeeping missions.[b 1] The regiment has received 39 battle honours, three Commander-in-Chief Unit Commendations and the United States Presidential Unit Citation.[b 1]
- ^ https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/news-and-media/articles-veterans-and-families/forgotten-fights-battle-medak-pocket
- ^ Treble, Patricia (26 February 2019). "Princess Patricia: The first modern princess". Maclean's. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
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