Identity area
Type of entity
Corporate body
Authorized form of name
Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. 1st Battalion
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
- First Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
Other form(s) of name
- 1 PPCLI
- 1PPCLI
- 1 VP
- 1VP
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1950-
History
The 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (abbreviated as 1PPCLI, 1 PPCLI, 1VP or 1 VP) was designated as such 30 November 1950 when a 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry was raised as part of the Canadian Army Special Force for active service in Korea. The Battalion technically already existed as part of the permanent force maintained by the Canadian Army following the Second World War. Trained as a parachute battalion and mobile striking force, members of the 1st Battalion provided basic training to men recruited for the 2nd and 3rd Battalions. It provided non- commissioned officers and officers for both the 2nd and 3rd Battalions during their tours in Korea before relieving the 2nd Battalion in Korea in October 1951. The Battalion was involved in Operation Pepperpot and spent much of their tour in Korea patrolling the Sami-Ch'on valley and defending the Jamestown Line, The "Hook", and Line "Kansas" until they were relieved by the 3rd Battalion 3 November 1952. The 1st Battalion was presented with its own Colours (replacing the Regimental Colours) 17 July 1959 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in Victoria, British Columbia and new Colours on 8 May 1977 by the Colonel-In-Chief, the Countess Mountbatten of Burma. The Battalion was stationed at Currie Barracks, Calgary, Alberta until 1955 when it replaced the 2nd Battalion at Fort MacLeod, Germany. When it returned to Canada in 1957 it was stationed at Victoria, British Columbia for the first time since 1939. The Battalion returned to Germany in 1963 until 1966 when they were stationed for the first time at Griesbach Barracks, Edmonton. The First Battalion then moved back to Currie Barracks in Calgary in 1968 and finally returned to Edmonton Garrison (Namao) in 1997. They served 6 month United Nations peacekeeping tours in Cyprus in 1968, 1971, 1978, 1984 and 1991 and in Croatia in 1994 as part of Operation Harmony. B Company also served with the Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) Battle Group both in Bosnia in 1994 during Operation Cavalier and as part the NATO Kosovo Force in July 1997 until January 1998. The 1st Battalion also served with NATO SFOR in Bosnia from September 2002 until April 2003. The 1st Battalion participated in NATO operations in Afghanistan from 2002 to 2014.