Family Tree (Denison, Douglas, Harvey, Helmcken, Mackenzie, Maclean, Maclennan, McTavish, Norcross, Riley)

Founded Governer Generals Horse Guard's in 1822 as Denison's Troops

The Governor General's Horse Guards is a reserve regiment of volunteer citizen soldiers, who train during
evenings and weekends. Its illustrious history dates from the early 1800s with the formation of Button's Troop.
The direct lineage of the GGHG is traced back to 1822 when Capt. G.T. Denison formed a troop of dragoons.
Denison's Troop, as it became known, was placed on active duty during the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837.
The Denison family, from the town of Weston, commanded and financed the troop for many generations.
The troop of some sixty volunteers continued to parade during the 1840s and 1850s maintaining an
unbroken record of service. In 1866 Denison's Troop received the title "The Governor General's Body
Guard."

It grew to a squadron in 1876 and fought in the Riel Rebellion for which the GGBG earned its first battle honour.
The squadron was then expanded to a regiment in 1889.

During the Boer War (1899) the GGBG supplied volunteers to the Canadian Contingent where one of its members,
Lt. H.Z.C. Cockburn, was awarded the Victoria Cross. During WWI the GGBG supplied thousands of volunteers
to the Canadian Expeditionary Force in France.

In 1936, the Mississauga Horse, a mounted regiment raised after the Boer War; and the GGBG amalgamated to
form The Governor General's Horse Guards, fondly referred to as the "Gee-Gee's". The Regiment received its
first Standard (a form of a flag which has all the battle honors and crest of the Regiment emblazoned on it) in
1936. Fifty years ago, in World War II, the Regiment saw action in Italy and subsequently, North West Europe,
receiving nine battle honors for distinguished performance.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Taylor_Denison