62nd (Shawinigan) Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery
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The 62nd (Shawinigan) Field Regiment, RCA (French: 62e (Shawinigan) Régiment d'artillerie de campagne, ARC) is a militia unit of the Canadian Army, that has its own military band and is located in Shawinigan, Quebec. It recruits primarily in Shawinigan, Joliette and Victoriaville. [1]
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[edit] Origin
Its oldest and most notable subunit is the 81st Field Artillery Battery, which was founded in the Eastern Townships in 1912 and relocated in Shawinigan, Mauricie in 1936.
[edit] World War II
The battery was called to active duty during World War II. Its members were trained in Ontario and the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1944. In 1944-45, the 81st Battery contributed to the Allies' effort in the Normandy Landings, which led to the Liberation of France.
[edit] Anti-aircraft Unit
In 1946-48, members of the Shawinigan-based C Company of the Régiment de Joliette joined those of the 81st Battery to form the 62nd Regiment. From that moment until 1961, the newly formed unit served in an anti-aircraft capacity.
[edit] Field artillery
Since 1961, the regiment has been a field artillery unit. Its equipment consists of 105 mm towed howitzers. Its armoury is currently located at 5315 Boulevard Royal, Shawinigan. [2]
A substantial number of the 62nd Regiment reservists attend Collège Shawinigan.
Every year on Remembrance Day weekend, members of the regiment gather near the Monument des Braves cenotaph and conduct a ceremony to commemorate soldiers who died on the field of honour. They also parade in the streets of downtown Shawinigan and Grand-Mère.
[edit] Contributions since World War II
Even though the 62nd Regiment has not served in active duty since World War II, it provided personnel for a number of operations, including: [3]
- United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP);
- the Oka Crisis in Montérégie;
- United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) in Former Yugoslavia;
- the War in Afghanistan.
[edit] Well-Known Members of the Regiment
Well-known members of the regiment are:
- Gabriel Chrétien, brother of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien;
- Jacques Duchesneau, Chief of Police of the Montreal Urban Community from 1994 to 1998 and Honorary Lieutenant Colonel of the regiment since 2005;
- Gérard Dufresne, Mayor of Shawinigan from 1963 to 1966 and Honorary Colonel of the regiment from 1966 to 2005;
- Yves Duhaime, Provincial Cabinet Member from 1976 to 1985;
- Antonio Lamer, Chief Justice of Canada from 1990 to 2000 and Honorary Lieutenant Colonel of the regiment from 1992 to 1998;
- Ben Weider, Co-founder of the International Federation of BodyBuilders (IFBB), Jewish businessman from Montreal and Honorary Colonel of the regiment since 2005.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ J.J. Bellemare, 60 ans d'artillerie en Mauricie, Shawinigan
- ^ 62e Régiment d’artillerie de campagne, Shawinigan, Quebec, The Royal Regiment of Artillery
- ^ Un bel hommage aux soldats du 62e RAC de retour d'Afghanistan, L'Hebdo Mékinac des Chenaux, April 20, 2008
