THE REGIMENTAL MANUAL

(an exerpt from the Foreward)

The Regimental Manual - Second Edition (revised July 2004) 

The purpose of the Regimental Manual is to record the customs and traditions of the Regiment with a view to providing a source of corporate memory for Strathconas of all generations: serving, retired and future.

The Regimental Manual, then, provides a record for all to show how we should conduct ourselves as Strathconas and the reasons why we do so. Our customs and traditions embody attention to the historical roots of the Regiment and the underlying principles that we feel are important and that should guide our conduct. As such, our customs and traditions contribute in a positive way to the esprit de corps of the Regiment and the extended Strathcona family.

It must be recognized, however, that while many of the underlying principles do not change, customs and
traditions cannot prevent the normal healthy development of the Regiment and its members. Change
must be accepted to ensure that the Regiment and the wider family continue to be contemporary and to
attract the same high quality members and devotion in the future as we have in the past.

This Second Edition of the Regimental Manual builds on the excellent foundation provided by the First
Edition and together the editions reflect considerable effort by a large number of individual Strathconas
whom I thank on behalf of all. Two aspects of this edition deserve particular note. First, the environment
in which the Regiment serves at the turn of the century has changed significantly from earlier times. The
Canadian Forces and the Army are changing; the most dramatic result for Strathconas being that the home
of the Regiment is now Edmonton. A number of customs and traditions have had to be adjusted as a
consequence. Second, the advent of more advanced production capabilities has provided improved
opportunities to present the Manual and its material. These capabilities should also assist us in keeping
the document current, as amendments will be easier to incorporate.