Armoury to Be Renamed in Honour of Major-General Charles Basil Price
Westmount, Quebec – 14 November 2025: The highlight of the RMR’s Armoury Centennial Dinner on Friday 07 November 2025 came when the RMR’s Commanding Officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Kevin Langlois, rose to deliver a long-awaited piece of historic news. Before a packed dining hall of serving soldiers, veterans, dignitaries, and four descendants of Major-General Charles Basil Price, the CO announced that the Ste-Catherine Street Armoury will be formally renamed the Major-General C.B. Price Armoury. The moment was met with a standing ovation—an emotional acknowledgement that this honour was not only fitting, but overdue.
The renaming marks the culmination of a detailed proposal submitted earlier this year by Lieutenant-Colonel (ret’d) Colin Robinson, President of the RMR Foundation. The case laid out was compelling in both historical fact and moral weight: no individual has contributed more to the founding, survival, physical home, and spirit of The Royal Montreal Regiment than Major-General Charles Basil Price.
Price’s connection to the Regiment began in 1914 under circumstances that still inspire serving ranks today. Already an officer in the Victoria Rifles of Canada, Price voluntarily relinquished his commission to help fill the senior NCO positions needed to stand up the newly formed 14th Battalion (RMR), becoming its first Regimental Sergeant-Major (RSM). When a more experienced soldier arrived, Price surrendered even that new appointment—choosing merit over ego, and embedding the ethic of servant-leadership into the RMR’s DNA from its very first days. His leadership under fire at the Second Battle of Ypres earned him both the Distinguished Conduct Medal and a battlefield commission. Multiple wounds, a Distinguished Service Order, and further wartime distinctions followed.
After the war, Price played a decisive role in ensuring the Regiment’s long-term survival. As Second-in-Command and later Commanding Officer, he led the post-war reorganization that brought the RMR into Westmount and spearheaded the effort to secure a permanent home. Serving as Secretary of the Armoury Association, Price negotiated the 99-year lease from Westmount for the Ste-Catherine Street property at a dollar per year, he coordinated the financing, and oversaw the project to completion. The Armoury—built at no cost to the taxpayer—stands today because of his determination. Every soldier who has walked its halls has done so through efforts he led.
His service did not end there. Price commanded 3rd Canadian Infantry Brigade at the outbreak of the Second World War, later commanded the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, then served as Dominion President of the Royal Canadian Legion, became Honorary Colonel of the RMR, and was appointed Colonel Commandant of the Canadian Infantry Corps. Through all ranks—from rifleman to Major-General—he exemplified humility, merit, courage, and lifelong devotion to service.
Renaming the Armoury in his honour ties past to present in the most tangible way. It preserves the Regiment’s heritage, strengthens its identity, and reminds every member—especially young NCOs and recruits—that greatness in the RMR has always been earned through character, not privilege.
As the CO noted in his announcement, the Armoury was built by Price, sustained by generations who followed him, and continues to serve both the Regiment and the Westmount community one hundred years later. Now, it will finally bear the name of the man who made it possible.
Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense.
