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In 1866, the 43rd Battalion of Infantry (otherwise known as the Carleton Blazers) was formed in Bells Corners (now part of Ottawa ) with companies in many of the surrounding companies. Their first call to service came in 1870 when they were deployed to the Prescott area to defend Canada against Fenian raids. They saw no action there and quickly returned to Ottawa. Because they were so spread out, maintaining troop strength was difficult and in 1875, the regiment was disbanded. In 1881, the unit was stood up again but this time as the '''43rd "Ottawa and Carleton" Battalion of Rifles'''. Over the next 20 years, its members would see action in the North-West (Riel) Rebellion and in the Second Boer War . However, the Camerons sent only volunteers and never formed units. It was in the Boer War that Private R.R. Thompson won a Queen's Scarf (a scarf knitted by Queen Victoria for bravery) for his actions saving wounded soldiers. In 1902, the regiment so impressed the Duke of Cornwall (later King George V ) that he became the Camerons' first honorary colonel and allowed the regiment to bear his name. The new name for the regiment was the 43rd Regiment, Duke of Cornwall's Own Rifles. In 1914 when World War I began, the unit was mobilized for action. However, once again, the unit did not go overseas as a unit. Instead, the unit was used to recruit and train soldiers mostly for the 2nd , 38th , and 207th Battalions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force . The Camerons perpetuate the 38th and 207th battalions. The 38th saw action in France from 1916 to 1918 and received many battle honours. The members who served were also well decorated. The 207th left in June 1917 for France and were used as a reserve force for many units. Between the two wars, the Camerons were repeatedly reorganized and ended up in 1933 as the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa (M.G.), the name they hold to this day. "M.G." stands for Machine Gun , as they were a machine gun regiment. In July 1940, the unit (as the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa) left for garrison duty in Iceland , which ended in April 1941 when they sailed to England. On 6 June 1944, the Camerons were the only Ottawa regiment to land on D-Day . The 1st Battalion of the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa consisted of three machine gun companies and one mortar company. Following the landing on D-Day, the regiment fought in almost every battle in the northwestern Europe campaign. However, the soldiers were often attached as platoons and companies in support of other units, so the regiment never fought as an entire entity. During this time, the 2nd Battalion of the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa recruited and trained soldiers in Canada for overseas duty. The 3rd Battalion of the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa was formed in July 1945 as a part of the Canadian Army Occupation Force in Germany. Since World War II, the regiment has remained in Ottawa. It is now a light infantry regiment. Starting in 1985, the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa have sent soldiers on many UN and NATO missions such as Cyprus , Croatia , Israel , Lebanon , Bosnia-Herzegovina , Kosovo , Congo , and Afghanistan . The Camerons train regularly at Connaught Ranges in West Ottawa and at CFB Petawawa . Members of the unit can expect to train a minimum of one night a week (at the Cartier Square Drill Hall in downtown Ottawa) and one weekend a month. Often, the pace of training requires soldiers to parade more often. The Camerons are proudly known as Ottawa's regiment. They hold the Freedom of the City of Ottawa. ORDER OF PRECEDENCE
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