page_title: The Grey and Simcoe Foresters
section_title: Early history through World War I
hierarchical_section_title: The Grey and Simcoe Foresters / History / Early history through World War I
caption_attribution_description: English: This memorial stone is erected in St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Barrie, Ontario, Canada. It commemorates the first regular Canadian Soldier to die overseas.
context_page_description: The Grey and Simcoe Foresters is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces. Within the Canadian Army, it is part of the 4th Canadian Division's 31 Canadian Brigade Group. Due to the restructuring of the British Army, The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment was amalgamated into The Mercian Regiment, as its 2nd Battalion, leaving The Grey and Simcoe Foresters as the only remaining unit in the Commonwealth of Nations known to be distinctly designated as a regiment of Foresters.
context_section_description: The 31st Grey Battalion of Infantry was organized and formed from six independent and rifle companies located in Owen Sound, Meaford, Leith, Durham and Flesherton, and was gazetted on 14 September 1866.  These companies had been created in the 1850s.  Lieutenant-Colonel W.D. Pollard was the first commanding officer of the 31st Greys.  Concurrently in Simcoe County, the independent infantry and rifle companies in Barrie, Collingwood, Cookstown, Bradford, Oro, and Orillia were organized into the 35th Battalion of Infantry (Simcoe Foresters), which was also Gazetted on 14 September 1866.  Lieutenant-Colonel A.R. Stephen commanded this new battalion.  Prior to their formal organization into this new battalion structure, these independent companies from Grey and Simcoe counties had deployed from 1864–66 to guard strategic points along the Canada-USA border in response to the Fenian Raids.
  In 1885, Lieutenant-Colonel W.E. O'Brien, 35th Simcoe Foresters, took command of the York-Simcoe Battalion, which was formed from four companies of the 35th Simcoe Foresters and four companies of the 12th York Rangers to counter the Riel Rebellion in western Canada. In recognition of this contribution, 35th Simcoe Foresters received its first battle honour "North West Canada 1885".
  During the Second Boer War the regiments contributed men to the Canadian contingents sent to assist the British Army.  While attached to the 2nd (Special Service) Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment at the Battle of Paardeberg, Private James Halkett Findlay from the 35 Simcoe Foresters, became one of the first Canadians and the first Forester to be killed-in-action on Feb 18th, 1900.
  During the First World War, the 31st and 35th regiments recruited men for four battalions (the 147th, 157th, 177th, and 248th (Grey) Battalion) and supplied quotas for two more, the 4th and 15th Battalions, CEF.
  The Great War brought with it the creation of Camp Borden, where the Barrie, Ontario and Collingwood, Ontario companies of the 157th Simcoe Foresters were ordered to begin construction of the new camp in May 1916. In June, another company from Barrie arrived to help speed-up the construction.  As such the 157th, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel D.H. MacLaren, became the founding battalion of Camp Borden, which it constructed to accommodate 40 infantry battalions in 10 brigades. Before the Camp was opened the remainder of the 157th and the entire 177th, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel J.B. McPhee, arrived.  By that summer, Camp Borden was home to 36 CEF battalions in 9 brigades before they embarked overseas, including the 147th, which had been training at Camp Niagara.  One 157th Simcoe Forester would later become the Premier of Ontario for four terms of office, the Honourable Leslie Frost of Orillia. In 1917, Private Thomas William Holmes of the 147th Grey Battalion became Canada's youngest winner of the Victoria Cross, while assigned to the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles. By war's end, the Grey and Simcoe counties had contributed over 6,000 soldiers, of whom several hundred were killed-in-action.  The Grey's Roll of Honour alone lists 342 killed-in-action.
caption: This memorial stone is currently housed at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, 47 Owen St, Barrie, ON, Canada
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