Editing Governor General's Body Guard (section)

=== Early history ===

The regiment dates as far back as 1822 in [[York, Upper Canada]] (now [[Toronto]]). For the remainder of the 19th century this troop was recognized as the cavalry of the city of Toronto. It has links to the '''1st York Light Dragoons''' formed in 1810 by [[Captain (OF-2)|Captain]] (later [[Major (rank)|Major]]) [[John Button (soldier)|John Button]] or '''Button's Troop''' (commanded until 1831). Also known as 'Denison's Troop', it began as the '''York Dragoons''' under the command of [[Captain (land)|Captain]] [[George Taylor Denison I]]. Under the Militia Act of 1793, service in the militia was mandatory for all healthy male citizens aged 16 to 60 years. Like most militia in Canada during this period, the Dragoons were raised and financed by wealthy gentry, in this case the Denison family, as volunteers were not part of a regular army. The Dragoons began as a local mounted infantry [[company (military unit)|company]] linked to the parent '''West York Regiment of Militia'''. This peculiar organization was a practice that started during the American Revolution with the Loyalist militia regiment the "Queen's York Rangers". Light cavalry was needed to provide dispatch duty, scouting, flank protection and picketing for the infantry battalion.  Full militia cavalry regiments were too expensive to operate and large scale cavalry operations were of little use in the dense forests of eastern North America. The cavalry troop was sufficient to serve the purpose and militia infantry were allowed to raise cavalry troops under the Militia Act of 1808. This unit, like many local military units, was made up of volunteers and formed to supplement the presence of [[British Army]] units in [[Upper Canada]]. The company or troop broke from the parent infantry battalion and became an independent troop of cavalry in 1839.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Governor General's Horse Guards - History and Uniform|url=https://www.militaryheritage.com/gghg.htm|access-date=2021-12-08|website=www.militaryheritage.com}}</ref>[[File:Canada. Governor General's Bodyguard Band Regiment Camp, Toronto, 1909.jpg|thumb|The Governor General's Body Guard Band at a regimental camp in [[Toronto]], 1909.]]The troop was one of only two fully uniformed militia units to rally to the flag with the threat of unrest and rebellion within the colony, in 1837.  The troop was given new uniforms, fully armed and redesignated the "'''Queens Light Dragoons'''" (QLD). Operating alongside the local Markham Troop, forming a squadron, the QLD participated in a number of actions during the rebellion to include Gallows Hill, Navy Island and Town of Scotland.  The Toronto troop was on active service for several months during this crisis.<ref name=":1" />

In 1866, the troop was the only cavalry in Upper Canada to be placed on active duty, engaged and employed against the Fenian Irish Republican Army invasion from the United States. The troop lead Col Peacock's Column to meet the Fenian force along the Niagara Peninsula as scouts. The troop was the first unit to enter and relieve the town of Fort Erie - capturing several Fenians before they escaped across the Niagara River. The Fenian force was defeated and many of its members arrested by Canadian and American authorities.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1" />

By the mid-19th century, [[United Kingdom|Britain]] began to pull its army out of Canada for the Crimea War and the need to establish a Canadian army became clear. With the enactment of the Militia Act of 1855, the Canadian Militia Department was established. Under the act, the Canadian Militia unit establishment was drafted by the new department. Local militia units for the first time were recognized as standing units to become a more critical part of the defence of Canada. In 1847 the unit was gazetted and became known as the '''1st Toronto Independent Troop of Cavalry'''. It was renamed again in 1855 as the '''1st Troop of Volunteer Militia Cavalry of the County of York''' and placed on the Militia list 27 Sept 1855. In 1866 it was renamed '''1st York Troop The Governor General's Body Guard for Upper Canada''' and in 1867 became '''The Governor General's Body Guard for Ontario'''.  After British forces completely left Canada in 1870 the Canadian Government raised a small regular force and began to look at reorganizing the Militia cavalry into full regiments. Most of the independent troops across the country were amalgamated into numbered regiments of dragoons or hussars during the 1870s. The GGBG was the only non-numbered corps and was expanded to squadron strength in 1876. With a final rationalization of the Canadian Cavalry Corps in 1889, the GGBG was brought to full regimental strength with the amalgamation of the local Markham and Oak Ridges Troops of the 2nd Regiment of Cavalry (later the [[2nd Dragoons (Canada)|2nd Dragoons]]). The name was changed a final time in 1895 to '''The Governor General's Body Guard of Canada'''.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1" />