Compendium of Canadian Regiments: A Civilian's Perspective

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

The subtitle for this book is an acknowledgement that, to the
non-military outsider, Canada’s centuries-old army regimental system
is a bewildering jungle of arcane customs, obscure jargon, one-of-a-kind
designations, myths, facts, and contradictions. Gregory has attempted to
hack a trail through this jungle with a single concise, factual,
readable book. For the most part, he has succeeded very well.

The content is divided into three main sections. The first,
“Regiments in Context,” explains the last 400 years of Western
warfare as it relates to Canada; chapters include “Settlement,”
“War in General,” “Tactics and Strategy,” “Words,”
“Weapons, Time and Place,” and there is even a chapter on military
apparel. The second section is an overview of how the various armies in
Canada have been organized; chapters include “Glossary of Army
Terms” (including abbreviations), “Military Demographics,”
“Organization Charts,” and definitions of “isms” from heroism to
cynicism. The third section contains hundreds of brief summaries of
Canadian regiments that have served in Canada from colonial times to the
present. Accompanying the text are black-and-white sketches of cap
badges and military uniforms, as well as an index for quick reference.

Although Gregory’s efforts have been monumental, there are minor
omissions that nitpickers will pounce on. For example, Gregory does
mention that the nickname for the 48th Highlanders of Canada is the Red
Watch, but omits that they were also known as the Glamour Boys and the
Four Dozen. A few proofreading errors have also sneaked into the book.
But Gregory is humbly prepared to stand corrected; his mailing address
and email along with a request for additional information is printed on
the first page.