Les Fusiliers de Sherbrooke

64, Belvédère South
Sherbrooke (Québec)
J1H 4B4
Tel. : (819) 564-5940
http://www.army.gc.ca/fusdesher

Mission: the mission of the Infantry is to get close to the enemy and destroy them. The role of the infantry regiments is to furnish battle-ready troops for deployment. Infantry soldiers are the pillars of any fighting force. Their role is to establish contact with the enemy and destroy them. With the artillery, armour and combat engineers, the infantry forms part of the combat arms team.

History

The origins of the Regiment date back to the authorization on 1 April 1910 of the 54e Régiment Carabiniers de Sherbrooke. This unit perpetuates the 163rd Battalion of the Sherbrooke Expeditionary Corps, on 1 April 1920. The current designation was adopted on 15 January 1933.

The history of the Regiment began on 1 April 1910. On that day, the organization of a regiment of riflemen comprising eight companies was authorized. This unit, called the 54th Regiment, Carabiniers de Sherbrooke, has its regimental and company headquarters in Sherbrooke.

The first commanding officer was Lieutenant-Colonel J. P. Pelletier. The headquarters of the Regiment is on Marquette Street, on the spot where the National Monument now stands. The unit shares the Belvédère Street Armoury with the 53rd Regiment. During the summer of 1911, the 53rd moved into the former courthouse on William Street, leaving the 54th Regiment as the only occupant of the Belvédère Street Armoury.

When Canada declared war on Germany on 6 August 1914, the 54th did not go to war as a regiment, but furnished reinforcements to the Canadian Expeditionary Corps, in particular to its 163rd Battalion. In September 1914, the Battalion contributed significantly to the formation of the 12th Battalion of the Expeditionary Corps, the Royal 22e Régiment and the 41st, 69th and 178th Battalions, as well as to the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles. The war honours won at Amiens, emblazoned on the flag of the Fusiliers de Sherbrooke, testify to the brilliant actions of the members of the 54th Regiment serving in the 163rd Battalion. In all, 68 members of the 54th Regiment lie forever under the fields of France and Belgium.

In 1934, the Regiment took an active part in the festivities marking the Royal Jubilee of Their Majesties, King George V and Queen Mary. It received its colours in 1937 and 1939 was twinned with the British Army's famous Dorsetshire Regiment.

In 1939, shortly after the affiliation with the Dorsetshire Regiment, the Second World War began. In 1940, the Minister of Defence decided to organize a regular Army regiment in the Eastern Townships. This was formed by amalgamating the two units of the Sherbrooke Militia, the former 53rd and 54th Regiments. By amalgamating the names, this new regiment became the Sherbrooke Fusiliers Regiment. In 1942, the regiment resumed its role as an armoured unit, becoming the 27th Armoured Regiment. Sixty-five percent of the recruits of this armoured regiment were French-speaking.

The Sherbrooke Fusiliers Regiment, also called the 27th Armoured Regiment, covered itself with glory during World War II. On D Day, it landed in Normandy with the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade and took part in the first armoured battle on French soil. It was the spearhead of 1st Canadian Army's thrust along the road from Caen to Falaise, and its tanks were the first to enter the city.

The Regiment subsequently fought in the battle of the Trun breakthrough and took an effective part in the destruction of the German 7th Army. Apart from a day's rest from time to time, it was continually in action from the start of the invasion. Its success is conclusively demonstrated by its battle statistics, which include the destruction of 115 German tanks. This is one of the highest figures of all the allied regiments that served in France. For their gallantry during the war, the Sherbrooke Fusiliers received 22 battle honours. Eleven of them decorate the regimental flag.

This armoured unit was dissolved on 15 February 1946. The regiment also mobilized the Sherbrooke Fusiliers, CASF, on 18 March 1942. This unit served in Canada until 10 January 1945, when it embarked for the United Kingdom, where it was dissolved on the 18th of that month. A second battalion was created in the Reserve Force to provide reinforcements for combat units.

Today, the Sherbrooke Fusiliers continue to be one of the most active reserve units in the Canadian Forces.