Governor General's Horse Guards
The Governor General's Horse Guards is a reserve regiment of volunteer citizen soldiers whose illustrious history dates to 1822.
Governor General's Horse Guards
The Governor General's Horse Guards is a reserve regiment of volunteer citizen soldiers whose illustrious history dates to 1822.
GG Horse Guards
The Markham Troop, which was formed in 1810 and served in General Brock’s Army during the War of 1812, was one of the troops amalgamated into the Horse Guards when they became a Regiment in 1889.
The GGHG also served in the Fenian Raids, the Riel Rebellion, the Boer War and both World Wars. They also contributed a Special Service Force to Korea in 1950. They became an armoured regiment in 1941 and continue to serve with Canadian NATO contingents on peacekeeping operations worldwide.
Colonel Peter Hunter
Colonel Peter W. Hunter CD was born in Toronto, Canada on July 26, 1930. He completed his secondary education at the University of Toronto Schools and attended the Royal Military College of Canada where he graduated in 1951. He later joined the Governor General's Horse Guards (GGHG) of the army reserve in 1952, and with the exception of a two-year business transfer to London, Ontario, served with the regiment continuously afterwards.
Colonel Peter Hunter was a great friend and ardent supporter of both the GGHG Riding Club and Cavalry Squadron. Under his command the Squadron participated in a number of prestigious rides including the Queen’s Plates, Openings of Legislatures and the Royal Winter Fair. He also travelled with a group of Horse Guards to the States to attend and perform an escort at the 1964 Preakness, the year that Northern Dancer won the race.
Col Hunter commanded the Horse Guards in 1965-67 and during the next 23 years was a member and later chairman of the regimental trust; he was honorary lieutenant-colonel 1992-2001 and honorary colonel 2002-04. Col Hunter is a founder of Reserves 2000, an organization of individuals concerned about the future of the militia, that hopes to influence land force reserve restructure. He had been co-chair since 1994.
On October 22, 2005, Col Hunter became the 12th Colonel Commandant Royal Canadian Armoured Corps (RCAC) following a distinguished business and military career. During his three-year term, Col Hunter was responsible for advising the army commander on matters affecting the Corps. As the senior officer of the RCAC, Colonel Hunter traveled widely to obtain the views of all ranks in the Corps, and frequently attended military policy conferences, ceremonies and unit celebrations.
Col Hunter made his civilian career in the commercial advertising industry, heading several prominent Canadian firms. He was also vice-president and director of corporate affairs for Citibank Canada, president of the Zoological Society of Metropolitan Toronto and chairman of the Province of Ontario Advertising Review Board. He had been active also in the broader community and served as board member and/or chairman of an extensive variety of public service and fraternal organisations.
In all, Col Hunter served his regiment for 56 years. He is remembered for his motivation, his gentle nature and sense of humour. His contributions and dedication to the Regiment truly made Col Hunter the epitome of the Regiment's motto, "Nulli Secundus" - Second to None.