Sherbrooke Hussars

 

The Canadian Army doctrine changed in the 1950s from mobilizing units in Canada for overseas service, to maintaining standing forces in Europe. As a NATO Charter signatory, Canada's focus was to support first the 27th Infantry Brigade in Germany and later 4th Canadian Mechanized Brigade. The role of reserve units changed to training individual soldiers to augment the regular force.^[2]

On 15 February 1965, the 7th/11th Hussars was amalgamated with The Sherbrooke Regiment (RCAC). The Sherbrooke Regiment's Sherman tanks were returned to stores. Regimental headquarters was established in Sherbrooke, with 'A' and 'B' Squadrons. Personnel from outlying areas were encouraged to commute for training.

On 5 July 1967, Queen Elizabeth II presented new colours (a guidon) on Parliament Hill in the presence of thousands of spectators.^[3][4][5] An editorial in The Sherbrooke Daily Record declared it a, "... a proud moment, too, for the people of Sherbrooke whose heritage includes the distinguished exploits of this military unit."^[6] Likewise in the spirit of Centennial projects that marked the country's 100th birthday was the Sherbrooke Hussars' Centennial Guard. Throughout the Eastern Townships in August, a 35-man platoon of soldiers performed 1860's style Fort Henry Guard inspired drill with period Snider Enfield rifles and bayonets.^[7]

During the decades that followed, members of The Sherbrooke Hussars deployed on Exercise Reforger 'call-outs' to Germany, including a formed Jeep light armoured reconnaissance troop attached to the 8th Canadian Hussars. Other operational deployment included individuals on United Nations missions in Middle East UNEF and UNDOF as support trades, such as drivers, Cyprus UNFICYP as peacekeepers, and extensively in the Former Yugoslavia UNPROFOR. A member of the regiment, Corporal David Galvin, attached to 12^eRBC, was killed when his Cougar armoured car rolled over on 29 November 1993.^[8][9] Several members of the regiment served in Afghanistan, including at least one soldier who was wounded by an improvised explosive device.^[10] Although individual contributions were significant, the regiment did not meet the detailed criteria for the Afghanistan theatre honours. Elsewhere, personnel served in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake.^[11]

Reserve units in Canada face constant challenges of personnel attraction and retention. Often an employer will be reluctant to allow a reservist to leave their job to attend extended training courses or an operational deployment. One effort to reward cooperative employers has been through public recognition through the Canadian Forces Liaison Council. In 2005, the Most Supportive Employer in Quebec was the federal Department of Citizenship and Immigration on behalf of their employee, Captain Simon Hallé of the Sherbrooke Hussars.^[12]

National Defence budgets have always set the tone for training and recruiting tempo. For example, in April 2010, both the Sherbrooke Hussars and les Fusiliers de Sherbrooke were required to reduce their operating funds by 40% in the middle of their training year.^[13]

In 2019, the regiment perpetuates its Eastern Township roots as a bilingual unit in the Army Reserves. As a member of the Armoured Corps, the Sher H trains for, among other things, mounted reconnaissance, convoy escort and vehicle checkpoint establishment using the TAPV and G Wagen. Its unofficial motto is "see without being seen".

Through the Strengthening the Army Through the Reserves (StAR) project, it will be assigned a mission task,^[14] which is still in the analysis stage, to acquire chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) detection expertise. Two additional Regular Force cadre were posted to Sherbrooke to facilitate the capacity. Other units across Canada have been assigned significant mission tasks in three strategic approaches. Currently validated missions include force protection, convoy escorts, Arctic response company groups, and territorial battalion groups; newly identified missions like infantry platoons, reconnaissance, direct fire support, assault pioneers, mortars, influence activities, persistent surveillance system, and long-haul trucking; and exploring future missions such as assault troop, light urban search and rescue, light engineer bridging, cyber threats.

The Sherbrooke Hussars has used a variety of operational vehicles:

• Cougar AVGP (Armoured Vehicle General Purpose);
• Canadian made GMC M135 2+1⁄2-ton Cargo ("Deuce and a Half");
• Canadian made Dodge M37 3⁄4-ton truck;
• the M38A1 1⁄4-ton truck, the M151A2 1⁄4-ton truck; and the Volkswagen Iltis 1⁄4-ton truck;
• Canadian made M35 series 2+1⁄2-ton 6×6 cargo truck known as the MLVW;
• Canadian-produced standard transmission, 12v, 4x4, 1-ton Dodge Power Wagon W200 trucks differing slightly from the American Commercial Utility Cargo Vehicle series;
• various 1+1⁄4-ton GM commercial vehicles Commercial Utility Cargo Vehicle;

The current service vehicle is the Mercedes G-Wagen 1⁄2-ton truck, and the operational support vehicle is the MilCots commercial pattern extended cab 4x4 truck. There are six assigned for the echelon as fuel can hauler, ammo truck, squadron sergeant major's resupply and canteen, 1st line mechanic, and administration sergeant in place of the retired LSVW. In fall 2017, the transition to a new vehicle began, the TAPV, 18-ton Textron Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle.^[15]

The Sherbrooke Regiment was initially formed on 21 September 1866 in Melbourne, Quebec as the Sherbrooke Battalion of Infantry, becoming the 53rd (Sherbrooke) Battalion in 1867. The regiment perpetuates the Frontier Light Infantry as well as the 1st and 4th battalions of the Eastern Township District (1812–1815) from the War of 1812. As a result, the regiment carries the theatre battle honour, Defence of Canada 1812–15, in recognition of the service rendered by the Frontier Light Infantry at the Battle of Lacolle Mills (1814).

On 22 March 1867, it was reorganized as two separate battalions designated the 53rd Melbourne Battalion of Infantry and the 54th Sherbrooke Battalion of Infantry. It was redesignated as the 53rd Sherbrooke Battalion of Infantry on 10 May 1867 and then the 53rd Sherbrooke Regiment on 8 May 1900

The regiment provided volunteers for the 12th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force in 1914. The following year, it provided men to the 117th (Eastern Townships) Battalion, CEF. After proceeding overseas the 117th was broken up to provide reinforcements for several other Canadian units serving France. In 1920, the Sherbrooke Regiment was reformed with two battalions – the 1st Battalion perpetuated the traditions of the 117th CEF. Following the Great War, the regiment was renamed The Sherbrooke Regiment on 29 March 1920 and re-roled as a machine gun battalion as The Sherbrooke Regiment (MG) on 15 December 1936

In 1940, parts of the regiment amalgamated with Les Fusiliers de Sherbrooke to form the Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment (27th Canadian Armoured Regiment) which was an armoured regiment, while the Sherbrooke Regiment continued as infantry.

After the end of the Second World War, The Sherbrooke Regiment re-roled as armour, becoming the 12th Armoured Regiment (Sherbrooke Regiment), The Sherbrooke Regiment (RCAC). In 1965, it amalgamated with the 7th/11th Hussars to become The Sherbrooke Hussars.^[16]

 

The 7th/11th Hussars was formed in 1936^[17] through the amalgamation of the 7th Hussars^[18] and 11th Hussars.^[19] In 1940, 400 men of the 7th/11th Hussars were mobilized as infantry with the 1st Battalion, Royal Rifles of Canada. It was redesignated the 2nd (Reserve) Regiment, 7th/11th Hussars on 27 February 1941. The regiment itself became the 16th (Reserve) Armoured Regiment, before being disbanded in 1943, with its personnel absorbed by the 5th Canadian Armoured Division of I Canadian Corps.

Brigade Headquarters of 5 Canadian Armoured Brigade was nicknamed "Headquarters Squadron (7th/11th Hussars)", and saw service in the Italian and Northwest Europe campaigns. Two HQ Sqn (7th/11th Hussars) members received periodic MBEs for their wartime service, Captain Robert Rutherford was brigade reconnaissance officer, and Squadron Serjeant (sic) Major Cecil Raven was de facto HQ RSM.^[20]

In 1946, the regiment was raised again in Canada, as 16th Reconnaissance Regiment (7th/11th Hussars), RCAC on 1 April 1946, redesignated the 7th/11th Hussars (16th Reconnaissance Regiment) on 4 February 1949. It converted to armour as the 7th/11th Hussars (16th Armoured Regiment) on 1 September 1954 and finally the 7th/11th Hussars on 19 May 1958.

On 15 February 1965, it was amalgamated with The Sherbrooke Regiment (RCAC) to form the Sherbrooke Hussars.^[21]

• Frontier Light Infantry and 1st and 4th battalions of the Eastern Township District (1812–1815)

• 5th Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles, CEF^[23] is perpetuated by The Sherbrooke Hussars, through the 7th/11th Hussars as explained below
• 117th (Eastern Townships) Battalion, CEF is perpetuated by The Sherbrooke Hussars
• 163rd Battalion (French-Canadian), CEF is perpetuated by Les Fusiliers de Sherbrooke^[24]

A significant number and distribution of local units were extant through the years. Their perpetuations are complex and acknowledge presence of units rather than their arm of service.

The 26th Canadian Horse "Stanstead" Dragoons originated in Coaticook on 1 April 1910: Headquarters and 'A Squadron' at Coaticook (previously known as E Squadron, 7th Hussars [No. 6 Company, 58th Compton Regiment, 1 February 1900); 'B Squadron' at Magog (D Squadron, 11th Hussars, 1 April 1905); 'C Squadron' at Stanstead ('A Squadron, 13th Scottish Light Dragoons [Troop of Cavalry at Stanstead, 23 February 1872]; and 'D Squadron' at Ayer's Cliff (E Squadron, 6th Duke of Connaught's Royal Canadian Hussars, 1 July 1903). It was redesignated: '26th Stanstead Dragoons' on 3 September 1912 and postwar as 'The Eastern Townships Mounted Rifles'. On 15 March 1920 it was reorganized as a two regiment unit with the 1st Regiment (5th Canadian Mounted Rifles Battalion, CEF) and a nul-strength reserve battalion. The latter was disbanded, and the former was converted to artillery. The perpetuation of the '5th Canadian Mounted Rifles Battalion (Eastern Townships Regiment), CEF' then transferred to the '7th/11th Hussars' and ultimately to the Sherbrooke Hussars.^[25]

On 15 December 1936 the Stanstead Dragoons were converted to artillery and redesignated '27th Field Brigade, RCA'. Then over the next years, it was successively '27th (Reserve) Field Brigade, RCA', '27th (Reserve) Field Regiment, RCA', the '27th Field Regiment, RCA', and '27th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA' on 12 April 1960. Finally, reduced to nil strength on 1 April 1970. Before 1939, the brigade included four batteries: the 72nd Coaticook, 73rd Magog, 74th Stanstead and 75th Cowansville batteries.

The guidon of The Sherbrooke Hussars has, at its centre bottom, the device of the Royal Rifles of Canada^[26] to denote the honorary distinction battle honour for Hong Kong.

 

Details of the 53rd Sherbrooke Regiment were placed on active service for local protective duty on 6 August 1914.

The 5th Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles, CEF was authorized on 7 November 1914 and raised from volunteers of the 7th and 11th (Canadian) Hussars from the Eastern Townships of Quebec. The battalion embarked for Britain on 18 July 1915. After a short period of training, it arrived in France on 24 October 1915, where it fought as part of the 2nd Brigade Canadian Mounted Rifles. On 24 December 1915 it was redesignated the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles and rolled into the 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade which was raised in December 1915 in France from six Mounted Rifles regiments that were converted into infantry units, forming four infantry battalions. After this, the brigade took part in most of the major actions fought by the Canadians on the Western Front for the next two-and-a-half years until the armistice in November 1918. 5th CMR was disbanded on 30 August 1920.

One of the most notable members of the regimental family was George Harold Baker, MP for Brome. Elected as a Conservative on 21 September 1911, in 1915 he raised the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles, took them overseas and led them into action in France. He was killed in action at Ypres on 2 June 1916. LCol Baker is the only Member of Parliament to be killed in military action while serving as an MP.^[27] Previously, George Baker was Lieutenant-Colonel of The 13th Scottish Light Dragoons.

The other notable member of the regimental family was George Randolph Pearkes, VC.^[28] Major George Pearkes was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery at Passchendaele October 30–31, 1917. George Pearkes was born in England in 1883, and immigrated to Western Canada in 1906. He joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force during WW1, and joined 5CMR in September 1916. During the Battle of Passchendaele, despite a leg wound, he led some of his men through heavy enemy fire across open ground to capture a strategically located farm. For more than a day, they fought off numerous counter-attacks. He served again during the Second World War, was later a federal cabinet minister and the Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia.^[29]

The 117th (Eastern Townships) Battalion, CEF, which was authorized on 22 December 1915, even though it began recruiting as early as 5 November and embarked for Britain on 14 August 1916. Not without protest, by mid-November 1916 the men of the 117th Battalion were being drafted, or transferred, into other battalions. In November 1916, the first draft saw over 100 men joining the ranks of 5th CMR. These would be the first 117th Battalion soldiers to serve in France and would spend Christmas Day 1916 in the trenches. A later draft saw another 165 men transferred to the 5th CMR giving them some solace in serving with a somewhat homegrown battalion, and they were initiated into the front lines by the end of January 1917. The 117th provided reinforcements until 8 January 1917 when its personnel were absorbed by the 23rd Reserve Battalion, CEF.^[30] The 117th was formally disbanded on 30 August 1920.^[31]

Battle honours in small capitals are for large operations and campaigns and those in lowercase are for more specific battles. Bold type indicates honours authorized to be emblazoned on the regimental guidon.

MOUNT SORREL 2–13 June 16, (Battle of Hill 62) was a local operation by three divisions of the British Second Army and three divisions of the German 4th Army. It was also 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade's first action. Located in the Ypres Salient, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) east of Ypres, Belgium and 1,100 m (1,200 yd) from Hill 60, the battle took place along a ridge between Hooge and Zwarteleen in a smaller area called the Wieltje Salient. It was notable that the brigade commander Brigadier General Victor Williams was captured, and 5th CMR's commanding officer Lieutenant-Colonel Baker, Member of Parliament, was killed in action. Baker is buried at Poperinghe New Military Cemetery.^[32][33]

SOMME 1916, 1 July-18 November 16, also known as the Somme Offensive, was fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place on both sides of the upper reaches of the River Somme in France. The battle was intended to hasten a victory for the Allies. More than three million men fought in the battle and one million men were wounded or killed, making it one of the deadliest battles in human history.^[34]

Flers-Courcelette 15-22 Sep 16 was two and a half months into the Battle of the Somme. By that stage, the objective was a west-east line between the villages of Courcelette and Flers. The 8th Infantry Brigade with 5th CMR were on the left of 3rd Canadian Division's front providing flank protection, and was also successful in its attack in front of Mouquet Farm. In all, Flers-Courcelette had been far more successful than any British operation during the previous two months. If the employment of tanks had been premature, work was continuing on other weapons and methods.^[35][36]

Ancre Heights 1 October-11 November 16, is the name given to the continuation of British attacks after the Battle of Thiepval Ridge from 26 to 28 September during the Battle of the Somme. The battle was conducted by the Reserve Army (renamed Fifth Army on 29 October) from Courcelette near the Albert–Bapaume road, west to Thiepval on Bazentin Ridge. 5CMR was on the extreme right of 3rd Division flanking 2nd Division. 4th and 5th CMR were to block off Regina Trench from German counter-attacks from the west. Both battalions, met heavy machine gun fire as soon as they left their own trenches. Uncut German wire was a major hindrance to the advance, and one company was virtually eliminated between the opposing trenches. Part of one company reached Regina Trench but was overwhelmed and destroyed. The left forward company of the 5th CMR managed to reach the objective also, established a blocking position, but were driven out early on the morning of 2 October by continuous counter-attacks. Another assault company was impeded by wire and machine gun fire and recorded only 15 survivors, the rest either killed or captured.^[37][38]

ARRAS, 1917, 8 Apr-4 May 17 (also known as the Second Battle of Arras) was a British offensive. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, British troops attacked German defences near the French city of Arras on the Western Front. The British achieved the longest advance since trench warfare had begun, surpassing the record set by the French Sixth Army on 1 July 1916.^[39]

Vimy Ridge, 1917, 9-12 Apr 17 was part of the Battle of Arras, in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France. The main combatants were the four divisions of the Canadian Corps in the First Army, against three divisions of the German 6th ArmyBattle of Vimy Ridge order of battle. The battle took place at the beginning of the Battle of Arras, the first attack of the Nivelle Offensive which was intended to attract German reserves from the French, before their attempt at a decisive offensive on the Aisne and the Chemin des Dames ridge further south.^[40]

HILL 70, 15–25 August 1917 was fought between the Canadian Corps and four divisions of the German 6th Army along the Western Front on the outskirts of Lens in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France between 15 and 25 August 1917. Lens is immediately north of Vimy Ridge. The lessons of Vimy Ridge were well known to the planning staff, and the battle was fought by many of the officers and men.^[41]

YPRES, 1917 31 July-10 November 17; also known as the Battle of Passchendaele, was a British campaign from July to November 1917, for control of the ridges south and east of the Belgian city of Ypres in West Flanders, as part of a strategy decided by the Allies at conferences in November 1916 and May 1917.^[42]

The First Battle of Passchendaele was fought west of Passchendaele village. The British had planned to capture the ridges south and east of the city of Ypres. Passchendaele lay on the last ridge 5 mi (8.0 km) from the railway junction at Roulers, which was an important part of the supply system of the German 4th Army. During this battle, although wounded, Major George R Pearkes, 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles, age 29 years old and an acting major earned the Victoria Cross(VC) for most conspicuous bravery and skillful handling of the troops under his command during the capture and consolidation of considerably more than the objectives allotted to him, in an attack.

AMIENS 8–11 August 1918, also known as the Third Battle of Picardy was the opening phase of the Allied offensive, later known as the Hundred Days Offensive. The push ultimately led to the end of the First World War. Allied forces advanced over 11 kilometres (7 mi) on the first day, one of the greatest advances of the war, with Gen Henry Rawlinson's British Fourth Army (with 9 of its 19 divisions supplied by the fast moving Australian Corps of Lt Gen John Monash and Canadian Corps of Lt Gen Arthur Currie) playing the decisive role.^[43]

Scarpe 1918 26–30 August 1918, was part of the Hundred Days Offensive. On the first day, 26 August, the Canadian Corps advanced over 5 kilometers and captured the towns of Monchy-le-Preux and Wancourt. Lt. Charles Smith Rutherford VC MC MM of 5 CMR performed actions that would earn him the Victoria Cross(VC). He captured a German party of 45, including two officers and three machine-guns, then captured another pill-box along with another 35 prisoners and their guns.^[44]

ARRAS 1918 26 August – 3 September 1918, also known as The Second Battle of the Somme of 1918 was fought in the basin of the River Somme. It was part of a series of successful counter-offensives in response to the German Spring Offensive, after a pause for redeployment and supply.^[45]

HINDENBURG LINE, 12 September – 9 October 1918, which included the Battle of St. Quentin Canal. As German defences collapsed and the army withdrew, the Allies planned a series of concentric attacks on the Germans (sometimes referred to as the Grand Offensive). Each axis of advance was designed to cut German lateral communications. The main German positions were anchored on the so-called Hindenburg Line, a series of defensive fortifications stretching from Cerny on the Aisne river to Arras.^[46]

The Battle of St. Quentin Canal was a pivotal battle and involved British, Australian and American forces operating as part of the British Fourth Army. Further north, part of the British Third Army, south of the Fourth Army's 19 km (12 mi) front, was the French First Army's 9.5 km (6 mi) front. The objective was to break through one of the most heavily defended stretches of the German Siegfriedstellung (Hindenburg Line), which in this sector included the St. Quentin Canal as part of its defences. The assault achieved its objectives (though not according to the planned timetable), resulting in the first full breach of the Hindenburg Line, in the face of heavy German resistance.^[47]

Canal du Nord 27 Sep 2 October 1918, was a continuation of the Hundred Days Offensive by the Allies against German positions. The battle took place along an incomplete portion of the Canal du Nord and on the outskirts of Cambrai. To prevent the Germans from sending reinforcements against one attack, the assault along the Canal du Nord was part of a sequence of Allied attacks at along the Western Front.^[48]

Cambrai, 1918 8-9 Oct 18 (also known as the Second Battle of Cambrai) was a battle took place in and around the French city of Cambrai. The battle incorporated many of the newer tactics of 1918, in particular tanks. The attack was an overwhelming success with light casualties in an extremely short amount of time.^[49]

VALENCIENNES 1-2 November 1918 was part of the Hundred Days Offensive on 1 and 2 November 1918, it resulted in the capture of Valenciennes from the Germans by Canadian and British forces. The city formed an anchor point for the so-called Hermann Line, and after it came under punishing Canadian artillery fire, over 1800 prisoners surrendered to the attacking Canadian battalions.^[50]

SAMBRE 4 November 1918, was part of the final European Allied offensives of World War I. German resistance was falling away. Unprecedented numbers of prisoners were taken in the Battle of the Selle, and a new attack was quickly prepared. The French First Army and the British First, Third, and Fourth Armies were tasked with advancing along a 30-mile (48 km) front toward Maubeuge-Mons. Together with the American forces breaking out of the forests of Argonne, the attack disrupted German efforts to reform a shortened defensive line along the Meuse. By aggressively pursuing retreating formations, two Canadian divisions were able to roll up three different defensive lines.^[51]

FRANCE AND FLANDERS 1915-18.^[52]

The Western Front was the main theatre of war for Canada during the First World War. Following the outbreak of war in August 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France.

Between 1915 and 1917 there were several offensives along this front. The attacks employed massive artillery bombardments and massed infantry advances. Entrenchments, machine gun emplacements, barbed wire and artillery repeatedly inflicted severe casualties during attacks and counter-attacks and no significant advances were made.

The unstoppable advance of the Allied armies during the Hundred Days Offensive of 1918 caused a sudden collapse of the German armies and persuaded the German commanders that defeat was inevitable. The German government surrendered in the Armistice of 11 November 1918, and the terms of peace were settled by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.

Refer to the Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment article for detailed descriptions of the Battle Honours.

The Sherbrooke Regiment mobilized the No. 1 General Base Depot, Canadian Active Service Force, on 1 September 1939, which embarked for Britain on 25 January 1940 where it provided guards for vulnerable points until disbanded on 6 July 1940. The city-based regiment then, in conjunction with Les Fusiliers de Sherbrooke, mobilized The Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment, CASF, for active service on 24 May 1940. In later years, a well-regarded senior officer described the Fusiliers in those years as perhaps the most unusual regiment in the army. While it later became entirely English-speaking, at that time it had French-speaking Catholics in two companies and English-speaking Protestants in the other two. The adjutant was Jewish. The commander could not speak French while at least one of the senior officers could not speak English.^[53][54]

It was redesignated as the "1st Battalion, The Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment, CASF", on 7 November 1940, then as the "1st Battalion, The Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment, CASF", on 15 November 1940 and upon conversion to an armoured regiment, as the "27th Armoured Regiment (The Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment), CAC, CASF", on 26 January 1942 and "27th Armoured Regiment (The Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment), RCAC, CASF" on 2 August 1945. In the case of the overseas unit 'Fusilier' is always in the singular.^[16] The regiment served overseas initially in Newfoundland from 13 August 1941 to 15 February 1942, and embarked for Britain on 27 October 1942. After selection as a tank regiment, The "Sherbrookes" as they called themselves became part of the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade.^{[55][56][57][58][59]}

Rather than detail all other units raised in the Sherbrooke area, it is worth highlighting the 2nd (Reserve) Battalion, The Sherbrooke Regiment which was designated on 7 November 1940. Across Canada, Non-Permanent Active Militia units formed a recruiting base and community focus. For example, during the Great War (1914–1918) replacement soldiers were formed into new battalions for the front. LCol Bertram Dawson Lyon (1905–1986) was already a long-serving Militia officer when he was named Commanding Officer in 1943. Typical of the expectations of the community, he supported his family through his business and also served in the Militia. When war broke out, he volunteered for active service with the Sherbrooke Regiment, and shipped out for England with the 27th Armoured. He was seriously injured in training in 1942, and repatriated to Canada as unfit for duty. However, his experience was put to use as Commanding Officer of the 2nd (Reserve) Battalion from 1943 to 1946.^[60]

Lieutenant-Colonel Melville "Mel" Burgoyne Kennedy Gordon (1905–1974)^[61] was commanding officer from 1943 to 1945. He graduated from the University of Toronto in 1926, and was in their Canadian Officers' Training Corps from 1922 to 1924. He was commissioned as a lieutenant to the Governor General's Body Guard in 1924, where he served until 1928. That year he changed affiliation to the Princess Louise Dragoon Guards in Ottawa, where he rose to captain and major. From 1931 Gordon practiced law in Ontario and Quebec, and returned to the legal profession after the war. In 1941 as a trained major, Gordon was posted to the 12th Armoured Regiment (Three Rivers Regiment) at Camp Borden, Ontario. He was officer commanding "B" Squadron in Canada and in England until January 1943. At that time, Gordon was promoted to lieutenant-colonel and given command of the 27th Armoured Regiment (Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment).

Not every soldier who enrolled in the SFR in 1940 was necessarily still on strength on 6 June 1944. With each change of arm of service from infantry to tank to armoured, the establishment expanded or contracted. Individual soldiers were examined by selection boards for their suitability or willingness to serve in the new role. Commanders paid close attention to medical standards to remove soldiers and officers who were unfit or unlikely to fully recover from accidents or illness. Some men preferred to stay in the infantry left the unit. In other cases, officers, NCOs and man whose language skills limited their employment in what became an English-speaking unit were sent to Depot. In return, replacements were taken on strength continuously, and trained in the new skills. The cycle was almost continuous.

Similar to the expectation on the soldiers and officers to excel, there was command pressure on the unit to form into a competent functioning and efficient fighting regiment. Virtually nonstop visits, inspections, testing, competitions, training courses and schools, and interminable exercises drilled the lessons into all ranks. For example, there were timed contests to load the tanks onto the LSTs and improvements were identified, such as when it was most practical to drive the tanks in reverse and who should give directions. In the beginning the exercises were learn-as-you-go with debriefs and learning conferences in the evenings or afterwards. Anyone called out for failing to improve could expect to be relieved or replaced. In the UK, neutral umpires monitored exercises and interjected changes or casualties to test reactions.

Extracted from List of armouries in Canada

Site	Date(s)	Designated	Location	Description	Image
William Street Armoury 315 William St, Sherbrooke, Quebec	1908, although parts of the central structure date from the 1830s	Canada's Register of Historic Places; Recognized – 1991 Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings[62][63][64]	Sherbrooke, Quebec	Housing The Sherbrooke Hussars and 52nd Field Ambulance. The front facing portion is the former Sherbrooke Court House, convenient to the adjacent former Winter Street Prison. The layout is a central hallway with two former courtrooms behind the front façade, offices beyond, quartermaster in the basement and a mess on the entire second floor. A large steel gable-roof drill hall is nested behind the offices, and is accessible from a large door on Winter Street.

In the early 1950s the Sherbrooke Regiment acquired a parcel of land west of Sherbrooke near the village of St-Elie-d'Orford commonly known as McBain's Farm. A hardstand and a small hangar were built to suit the tanks. It provided off-road driving experiences for trainees, from open fields and sand pits, to overgrown farm fields, to dense brush and forested areas. Over the years many Basic Training courses dug defensive trench lines and waited in the gloom of dawn to repel deliberate attacks, and practised compass marches through the swamps. In the late 2000s, when land values had made McBain's attractive to developers, a land swap was made for a 73-hectare open field 8 km further west along Quebec Route 220, named Rutherford. It is managed as a field training area by the Regular Force garrison at Farnham.

The question of maintenance on the William Street Armoury was asked of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during his town-hall visits in January 2017. In mid-February, the MP for Sherbrooke, Pierre-Luc Dusseault, sent a letter to the Minister of National Defence defending the institution of both armouries in Sherbrooke as historic buildings deserving of conservation, and signalling that the William Street Armoury is the one apparently in the poorest state of repair.^[65]

The outgoing commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel L-B Dutil, said that moving the four regiments to the Belvedere Street Armoury was unlikely to proceed, "With the growth of the reserves, with the new vehicles that have arrived, and with other factors, it means that this option may not be the best, ... (translated from French)." He also mentioned a visit in December 2017 by the Minister of National Defence, who acknowledged rushing a decision was not in anyone's interests.^[66]

Media in mid-June 2021 reported the William Street Armoury, which has sections built between 1839 and 1841, was found unsafe and would shortly be condemned. Indications were the two occupying units will have one year to move. This news came only months after orders in March to close the Belvédère Street armoury, home of the Fusiliers de Sherbrooke and the 35th Signal Regiment, which had only two months notice to evacuate. All four reserve units in Sherbrooke were abruptly looking for housing, either by saving one or both buildings or by building a brand-new building.^[67] Late in 2021, both armouries had been evacuated and barricaded, citing unsafe conditions within. Public and media interest in the buildings' future remained high. Suspicions were raised that the four units would eventually be housed in a single facility outside the central core of Sherbrooke.^[68]

Following the urgent evacuation of the William Street Armoury, the regiment moved to temporary quarters at 700 Woodward Street Sherbrooke, Quebec J1G 1W3

On 2 December 2022, then-Minister of National Defence Anita Anand announced a two-prong effort. The Department of National Defence, will restore the William Street Armoury and renovate the Belvédère Street Armoury. Community members reaffirmed the importance of the building as downtown architecture and integral to the sense of place felt by Reservists. Minister Anand stated the Department will work with heritage consultants and the City of Sherbrooke to restore the William Street Armoury in a manner that preserves its historical value. She explained an additional or third location will be acquired to accommodate the increasing needs of Sherbrooke's Reservists.^[69]

•   United Kingdom – The Queen's Royal Hussars (Queen's Own and Royal Irish)
•   United Kingdom – The Royal Anglian Regiment

Battle honours in small capitals are for large operations and campaigns and those in lowercase are for more specific battles. Bold type indicates honours authorized to be emblazoned on the regimental guidon.

War of 1812

Defence of Canada – 1812–1815 – Défense du Canada

The non-emblazonable honorary distinction Defence of Canada – 1812–1815 – Défense du Canada

First World War

• Mount Sorrel
• Somme, 1916
• Flers–Courcelette
• Ancre Heights
• Arras, 1917, '18
• Vimy, 1917
• Hill 70
• Ypres, 1917
• Passchendaele
• Amiens
• Scarpe, 1918
• Hindenburg Line
• Canal du Nord
• Cambrai, 1918
• Valenciennes
• Sambre
• France and Flanders, 1915–18

Second World War

• Normandy Landing
• Authie
• Caen
• The Orne
• Bourguébus Ridge
• Faubourg de Vaucelles
• St. André-sur-Orne
• Falaise
• Falaise Road
• Clair Tizon
• The Laison
• Antwerp–Turnhout Canal
• The Scheldt
• The Lower Maas
• The Rhineland
• The Hochwald
• Xanten
• The Rhine
• Emmerich–Hoch Elten
• Zutphen, Deventer
• North-West Europe, 1944–1945

Honorary distinction: the badge of the Royal Rifles of Canada, with the year-date 1941, was awarded as an honorary distinction to the 7th/11th Hussars for significantly reinforcing the Royal Rifles of Canada during Battle of Hong Kong^[70]

The regiment did not contribute sufficient forces to meet the minimum level of 20 per cent of effective strength to qualify for the theatre honour “Afghanistan".^[71]

When the William Street Armoury was closed in 2022 pending an architectural review, the regimental guidon which is normally kept under glass in the Officer's Mess, was displayed at Sherbrooke City Hall.

Honorary colonels^[72]

• The Sherbrooke Regiment and The Sherbrooke Hussars
  • Colonel Edward Bruen Worthington, CMG VD 1937
  • Colonel (Brigadier-General) J.H. Price, CC, OBE, MC, ED 1968
  • Colonel Douglas Bradley
  • Colonel Thomas Garfield Gould, MC
  • Colonel J. Garneau, CD 2006
  • Colonel (Lieutenant-General retired) Paul Addy, CMM, CD
  • Colonel (Maître) Sylvestre
  • Colonel David Rothschild
• The 7th/11th Hussars
  • Major-General the Right Honourable J. E. B. Seely, CB, CMG, DSO 1920

Honorary lieutenant-colonels

• The Sherbrooke Regiment and The Sherbrooke Hussars
  • Lieutenant-Colonel C.J. McCuaig 1913
  • Lieutenant-Colonel E.B. Worthington 1926
  • Lieutenant-Colonel A.A. Munster 1937
  • Lieutenant-Colonel Alfred Lloyd Penhale 1958
  • Lieutenant-Colonel (Brigadier-General) J.H. Price, CC, OBE, MC, ED
  • Lieutenant-Colonel D. Bradley
  • Lieutenant-Colonel D. Ross
  • Lieutenant-Colonel J. Garneau CD 1991
  • Lieutenant-Colonel Jacques F. Girardin CD 2006
  • Lieutenant-Colonel Jean Vaillancourt
  • Lieutenant-Colonel (Maître) Sylvestre
  • Lieutenant-Colonel David Rothschild
• The 11th Hussars
  • Colonel (Brigadier-General the Honourable) C.M. Nelles, CMG, RO 1921

Commanding officers

• Lieutenant Colonel John Blue (not to be confused with another serving officer Harry Blue)
• Lieutenant Colonel Jack Hawkins
• Lieutenant Colonel Jim Strickland (1967)
• Lieutenant Colonel Maurice "Moe" Jackson
• Lieutenant Colonel Ross Bishop (1976)
• Lieutenant Colonel Allan Marshall
• Lieutenant Colonel Gary Connors
• Lieutenant Colonel John Murray
• Lieutenant Colonel Alain Martineau, CD (to 1993)
• Lieutenant Colonel Ernie Garbutt, CD (from 1993)
• Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Braun (to 2000)
• Lieutenant Colonel Warren Sanderson (2000 to 2003)
• Lieutenant Colonel Alain Martineau (to 2008)
• Lieutenant Colonel Luc Tremblay (from 2008)
• Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Lamoureux (12^eRBC) (2013 to 2015); subsequently commanding officer of Canadian Army Influence Activities Task Force in Kingston, ON (2015); Director of Army Reserve in Ottawa (2022)
• Lieutenant Colonel Louis-Benoit Dutil (2015 to 2018)^[73]
• Lieutenant Colonel J.A. Éric Beaudoin (2018–2021), former commanding officer of Les Fusiliers de Sherbrooke (2005 to 2010)^[66][74]
• Lieutenant Colonel Paul Langlais, CSM, MSM, CD, (2021–present), former commanding officer of Les Fusiliers de Sherbrooke (2002–2005) and The Royal Montreal Regiment (2011–2015)

Regimental sergeant majors

• RSM Oxford
• RSM Moore
• Chief Warrant Officer George Lavigne
• Chief Warrant Officer Garth Bishop (1970)
• Chief Warrant Officer Ernie Kirby
• Chief Warrant Officer B.P. Bourque (1976)
• Chief Warrant Officer Jim Oakley
• Chief Warrant Officer Ryan Quinn
• Chief Warrant Officer Denis Gauthier
• Chief Warrant Officer Jeff George
• Chief Warrant Officer Christopher Galvin
• Chief Warrant Officer Brian Rowell (2002–04)
• Chief Warrant Officer Jacques Madore (2004–2008)
• Chief Warrant Officer Éric Decubber (2008–11)
• Chief Warrant Officer Sebastian Landry
• Master Warrant Officer J.S.B.M. (Mathieu) Giard (2015–18),^[73] promoted chief warrant officer and appointed regimental sergeant major of 2 Canadian Ranger Patrol Group^[74]
• Chief Warrant Officer David Lapalme-Robitaille (2018–2021)^[74]
• Chief Warrant Officer Justin Dohler (2021–2024)^[75]

• Major (Retd) Edson Warner, CD QM5 [Sherbrooke Regiment, Sherbrooke Hussars 1949 – 1973] – Canadian Olympian, rifle and pistol shooter, member of Canadian Forces Sports Hall of Fame, Dominion of Canada Rifle Association Target Rifle and Service Rifle Halls of Fame.^[76][77]

Sixth of 18 Canadian reserve armoured regiments.

• The Royal Canadian Armoured Corps, an illustrated history, by John Marteinson and Michael R McNorgan, published by the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps Association, 2000. ISBN 1-896941-17-6
• The Postwar Sherman in Canadian Service by Rod Henderson, Service Publications, Ottawa, 2012 ISBN 978-1894581-76-9
• 'Hughes, David The British Armies in World War Two: An Organisational History Volume Six: The Canadian Army (The Nafziger Collection, Inc., West Chester, OH, 2003) ISBN 1-58545-105-3
• Lieutenant-Colonel H.M. Jackson, The Sherbrooke Regiment (12th Armoured Regiment), (n.p., 1958). Limited print run.
• Garneau, Grant, The Royal Rifles of Canada in Hong Kong, 1941–1945, Baird O'Keefe Pub Inc, (Sherbrooke, 2001), ISBN 9781894439053
• List of military operations in the West European Theater during World War II by year#Western Front
• Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War, Volume III, THE VICTORY CAMPAIGN
• The Operations in North-West Europe 1944–1945 by CP Stacey [1]
• War Diaries held by Library and Archives Canada "27th Armoured Regiment" reels 14823 (1940 and 1941), 14824 (1940 and 1941); 14825 (1942 and 1943), 14826 (1943 and 1944), 14827(1943 and 1944), 14828 (1944 and 1945), 14829 (1945) and 14830 (1945). Not digitized or available on line as of May 2018.

• Official website  
• Audio recording of Normandy veterans Gary Gould
• Armoured lineages and official history
• Order of Precedence
• Canadian War Museum