Ties That Bind: The Queen’s York Rangers’ Global Regimental Connections

The Queen’s York Rangers (1st American Regiment) (RCAC) proudly maintains alliances with two regiments of the British Army and one affiliation with a Canadian regiment. In both the British Army and the Canadian Army, alliances and affiliations are formal relationships approved at the sovereign and service level. They preserve regimental friendships, recognize shared history, and promote professional ties. Alliances link units from different national armies. In our case they reflect an enduring Commonwealth partnership. Affiliations reflect shared lineage, structural connections and historic partnerships within the same army.

Our senior allied regiment is the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment (Queen’s and Royal Hampshires), part of the Queen’s Division of Infantry and the senior English regiment of line infantry. The Regiment, also known as the Tigers, is headquartered in the Tower of London. The PWRR carries forward the proud lineage of the Queen’s Regiment and the Royal Hampshire Regiment. Today it maintains a Regular light infantry battalion and two Army Reserve battalions, along with a strong cadet presence across South East England.

The alliance was granted in 1928. It originally linked the Canadian Queen’s Rangers, prior to their amalgamation with The York Rangers, and the British Queen’s Regiment. The connection reflectedshared service to the Crown and a common infantry tradition.

Our second allied regiment is the Royal Yorkshire Regiment. In 1928, George V granted an alliance between the reborn Rangers and the Green Howards. The Green Howards and two other regiments were amalgamated in 2006 to form the Yorkshire Regiment. In 2023 King Charles III granted the regiment Royal status and they were renamed the Royal Yorkshire Regiment.

The R YORKS has two Regular battalions and one Army Reserve battalion. It continues to have deep ties to Yorkshire in northeast England. The regiment was once part of the King’s Division and is now part of the Union Division. The shared historic “York” connection continues to resonate strongly in our own name and heritage.

Within Canada, our sole affiliated regiment is the 8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise’s). Now a reserve armoured regiment in New Brunswick, the VII CH traces part of its heritage to former Queen’s Rangers who settled there after the American Revolution. This creates a uniquely Loyalist bond and shared history between our units.

Together, these two alliances and the affiliation strengthen our Commonwealth and Canadian Army friendships and honour shared history. They remind us that the Rangers stand within a wider regimental family, both at home and abroad.