The First Colonel-In-Chief

Princess Victoria Patricia Helena Elizabeth of Connaught and Strathearn, was born 17 March, 1886. She resided in Canada with her father, the Duke of Connaught, during his term as Governor General from 1912 to 1916. During the illness of the Duchess of Connaught, Princess Patricia acted as hostess at Rideau Hall, Ottawa. She endeared herself to Canadians by her simple, natural manners, her lack of stiff etiquette, and her love of our Canadian games and outdoor sports. The Princess won all hearts by her charm.

Princess Patricia, after consenting to the use of her name by the Regiment, made a "camp" colour of her own design and which incorporated her personal cypher. This colour was presented to the Regiment on 23 August, 1914 at a parade in Lansdowne Park, Ottawa.

On 28 January, 1919 it was consecrated as the PPCLI Regimental Colour. The Colour is commonly referred to as the RIC-A-DAM-DOO and is now located in The Hall of Honour in the Museum of the Regiments in Calgary.

At a farewell parade at Bramshot, England, on the 21st February, 1919 Princess Patricia decorated her Colour with a wreath of Laurel in silver gilt (known as the "Wreath of Immortelles". A fascimilie of the wreath of laurel is now carried on the pike of all three Regimental Colours. The original wreath is also on display with the original RIC-A-DAM-DOO.

Princess Patricia was appointed Colonel-in-Chief of the Regiment on 22 February, 1918 an appointment which she retained until her death on the 12th of January 1974.

On her marriage to Commander, the Honourable Alexander R.M. Ramsay, GCVO, KCB, DSO, RN, the Princess was granted authority to relinquish her titles and adopt the new title of Lady Patricia Ramsay.

Lady Patricia was a Lady of the Imperial Order of the Crown of India, a member of the Royal Order of Victoria and Alberta and a Dame of Justice of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. She was also awarded the Canadian Forces Decoration in recognition of her services to the Canadian Army and the Patricias in particular.

Top of Page

The Second Colonel-In-Chief

Patricia Edwina Victoria Mountbatten was born in London on 14 February, 1924. Her father was born Prince Louis Francis of Battenberg, however when all members of the British Royal Family relinquished their German names and titles at the King's request in 1917, her father became Louis Mountbbatten, Marquess of Milford Haven, known as Lord Louis Mountbatten. Her mother was Edwina Ashley (1901-1960), daughter of Colonel Wilfred Ashley, Lord Mount Temple. Through her paternal grandmother, Princess Victoria of Hesse, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, she is a first cousin of Princess Patricia our first Colonel-in-Chief.

On 26 October, 1946 Patricia Mountbatten married Captain The Lord Brabourne, Coldstream Guards.

Lady Mountbatten was educated in Malta, England and New York. In 1943, she entered the Women's Royal Naval Service as a Signal Rating and served in Combined Operations bases in the U.K. In 1945, she was commissioned as a third Officer in the WRNS and served in the Supreme Allied Headquarters, South East Asia, where she first met Lord Brabourne, who was serving as an aide to her father.

In 1973, Lady Mountbatten received the honour of being appointed Deputy Lieutenant for the County of Kent. She is also a serving Magistrate and is connected with numerous service organizations.

On 15 June, 1974 Lady Mountbatten was appointed Colonel-in-Chief of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. In this capacity, she succeeded her cousin, the Lady Patricia Ramsay, and continued the close association which the Regiment has enjoyed with her family.

On 27 August, 1979 Lady Mountbatten's father, Lord Louis, Earl Mountbatten of Burma, was assassinated by a bomb planted on his yacht by the Irish Republican Army. Also killed was Lady Mountbatten's son Nicholas, her mother-in-law and a 15-year-old farm boy. After the death of her father, Lady Mountbatten succeeded to his titles and is now Countess Mountbatten of Burma, CBE, CD, JP, DL. However, to the Officers and Men of her Regiment, she prefers to be addressed as Lady Patricia.

Top of Page

The Present Colonel-In-Chief

Born in Hong Kong in 1939, Madame Clarkson came to Canada as a refugee with her family, during the war in 1942. She received her early education in the Ottawa public school system and later obtained an Honours B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature from the University of Toronto. She also did post-graduate work at the Sorbonne in France and became fluently bilingual.

A leading figure in Canada's cultural life, Madame Clarkson had a rich and distinguished career in broadcasting, journalism, the arts and the public service. During her career Madame Clarkson received numerous prestigious awards both in Canada and abroad in recognition for her outstanding contribution in professional and charitable endeavours. She was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1992, and upon her appointment as Governor General in 1999, she became Chancellor and Principal Companion of the Order of Canada. Madame Clarkson was the 26th Governor General of Canada from October 7, 1999 to September 27, 2005. The Right Honourable Madame Adrienne Clarkson became the first Canadian Colonel-in-Chief of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) at a ceremony in Edmonton, on March 17 2007. Madame Clarkson, whose predecessor was the Right Honourable Lady Patricia Brabourne, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, becomes the third Colonel-in-Chief in the regiment's 93-year history.

Colonel-In-Chief visits troops