During the Northwest Canada Expedition in 1885 the Regiment faced its baptism of fire in the Battles of Fish Creek and Batoche. The story is that during the battle, an adversary was baffled as to who were the dark-coated men (referring to the regiment’s dark green coats) fighting alongside the red-coated Canadian militia. He asked, “I know who those red coats are, but who were those little black devils?”

The moniker stuck and the motto “HOSTI ACIE NOMINATI” (Named by the Enemy Force) and the rampant devil are emblazed on the Regiment’s cap badge. Since then, the members of the regiment proudly call themselves “Little Black Devils". (Although Hostium Acie Nominati is the grammatically correct Latin translation of the Regimental Motto, Hosti Acie Nominati has been in common use since 15 April 1913 and the Regiment has opted to continue to use this historically significant version vice the grammatically correct version.)

A Brief History

WORLD WAR I

During World War I (1914-1918), because of the battalion numbering system adopted by the Canadian Expeditionary Force, the regiment was authorized as the 8th Canadian Battalion (90th Winnipeg Rifles). The Little Black Devils entered the maelstrom of war during the Second Battle of Ypres in April 1915. It fought alongside the other Canadian battalions during the 1916 battles of Mount Sorrel and the Somme, the 1917 battles of Vimy Ridge, Hill 70, Passchendaele, and the 1918 battles at Amiens and the Last 100 Days. Following the war, the Canadian Expeditionary Force demobilized and the Regiment was renamed the Winnipeg Rifles. In 1933, it was granted the name Royal Winnipeg Rifles.

WORLD WAR II

World War II began in September 1939 and in June 1940 the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division was created to meet Canada’s growing war needs. In July 1940, recruiting began for the Canadian Active Service Battalion to be known as the Royal Winnipeg Rifles. The Little Black Devils trained at Camp Shilo, Manitoba, three months later they were transferred to Debert Camp, Nova Scotia and in September 1941, 36 officers and 860 other ranks of the Little Black Devils arrived in England. By June 1944, the young soldiers of the 3rd Canadian Division were fit, trained and ready for the great battle to liberate Europe. The Royal Winnipeg Rifles War Diary entries of 5 and 6 June 1944, reads,

The sea was rough, and the landings looked difficult, but the operation was on!... The Battalion during this day, D-6 June 44, not one man flinched from his task, no matter how tough it was-not one officer failed to display courage and energy and a degree of gallantry.

The Little Black Devils gained honour fighting its way through Normandy, North-West France, Belgium, into Germany and fought their last battles during the 1945 liberation of the Netherlands.

THE FALLEN

In the two world wars of the 20th century, nearly 10,000 men served with Winnipeg’s Little Black Devils. The Regiment suffered over 7000 casualties, with 2000 dead. The men who made the ultimate sacrifice are remembered on the wall of The Fallen in the Royal Winnipeg Rifles Museum.

TODAY

Members of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles continue to support Canada’s military obligations, being stationed in Germany during the Cold War, serving in peace-keeping and training missions around the world, as well as during the wars in the former Yugoslavia and Afghanistan.