The Governor General's Body Guard was royal guard regiment of the Canadian Army that formed part of the country's Household Division. The Body Guard was the senior regiment of the Canadian Army and the equivalent of the British Army's Life Guards and Royal Horse Guards. In 1936 the regiment amalgamated with the Mississauga Horse to become The Governor General's Horse Guards. Lineage The Governor General's Body Guard Originated in 1810 as Button's Troop Formed on 16 August, 1822 as the York Dragoons from the 1st West York Regiment of Volunteer Infantry Redesignated in 1837 as the Queen's Light Dragoons for duty during the 1837 rebellion Separated in 1839 as an independent unit from its parent infantry battalion Redesignated on 27 December, 1855 as the 1st Toronto Troop of The Volunteer Militia Cavalry of the County of York Redesignated on 27 April, 1866 as The Governor General's Body Guard for Upper Canada Redesignated on 1 July, 1867 as The Governor General's Body Guard for Ontario Reorganized on 5 May, 1876 as a two troop squadron Reorganized on 17 May, 1889 as a full regiment Redesignated on 13 July, 1895 as The Governor General's Body Guard Amalgamated on 15 December, 1936 with The Mississauga Horse and redesignated as The Governor General's Horse Guards History Early History The regiment dates as far back as 1822 in York, Upper Canada (now Toronto). For the remainder of the 19th century this troop was recognized as the cavalry of the city of Toronto. It has links to the 1st York Light Dragoons formed in 1810 by Captain (later Major) John Button or Button's Troop (commanded until 1831). Also known as 'Denison's Troop', it began as the York Dragoons under the command of Captain George Taylor Denison I. Under the Militia Act of 1793, service in the militia was mandatory for all healthy male citizens aged 16 to 60 years. Like most militia in Canada during this period, the Dragoons were raised and financed by wealthy gentry, in this case the Denison family, as volunteers were not part of a regular army. The Dragoons began as a local mounted infantry company linked to the parent West York Regiment of Militia. This peculiar organization was a practice that started during the American Revolution with the Loyalist militia regiment the "Queen's York Rangers". Light cavalry was needed to provide dispatch duty, scouting, flank protection and picketing for the infantry