The Royal 22nd Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. Known colloquially in English as the Van Doos or in French as le Vingt-deuxième, the mostly francophone regiment comprises three Regular Force battalions, two Primary Reserve battalions, and a band, making it the largest regiment in the Canadian Army. The headquarters of the regiment is at the Citadelle of Quebec in Quebec City, also the site of the regimental museum, and all three of its regular battalions are stationed at Canadian Forces Base Valcartier in Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) outside of Quebec City. The regiment is a "British-style" infantry regiment that is the spiritual home and repository of customs and traditions for a number of battalions that do not necessarily serve together operationally. It serves as the "local" infantry regiment for the province of Quebec, where it draws most of its recruits; it is the largest regiment in the province, in terms of numbers.
22nd Battalion leaving Quebec in 1915.
Émile Fayolle Marshal of France, presenting regimental colours to the Royal 22e Régiment on the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City, 1921. This had been done at the request of Maréchal Foch who had been made honorary colonel of the regiment.
The Royal 22nd Regiment parading on Parliament Hill in Ottawa in 1927
Soldiers of the Royal 22e Régiment exercising the freedom of the city in front of Quebec City's City Hall, on 3 July 2006
The Canadian Army is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also responsible for the Army Reserve, the largest component of the Primary Reserve. The Army is headed by the Commander of the Canadian Army and Chief of the Army Staff, who is subordinate to the Chief of the Defence Staff. The Army is also supported by 3,000 civilian employees from the public service.
Various uniforms used by the Canadian militia, c. 1898
Canadian soldiers en route to South Africa in 1899
The National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa houses the headquarters for the Canadian Armed Forces, including the commander of the Canadian Army.
A sign for 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group at the entrance to CFB Petawawa. The Mechanized Brigade Group is one of three maintained by the Regular Force.