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The Royal
22e Régiment was an infantry regiment of the
Canadian Army created after the First World War as a
permanently established francophone infantry unit on the
order of battle, where it remained throughout the 20th Century and into the 21st.1
Lineage
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7 November 1914: 22nd
(French-Canadian) Battalion organized for service
with the Canadian Expeditionary Force.
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20 May 1919: 22nd Battalion
disbanded.
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1 April 1920: 22nd
Regiment reformed as part
of the Permanent Force.
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Redesignated Royal 22nd
Regiment 1 June 1921
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Redesignated Royal 22e
Régiment 15 June 1928
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Royal
22e Régiment |
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Headquarters:
various
Predecessors: 22nd Battalion, CEF
Perpetuates: various
Raised: 1 April 1920
Status on 31 December 1999: Active Regular
Force
Regiment with Reserve Force affiliation |
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History
The 22nd (French
Canadian) Battalion arrived in the United Kingdom on 29 March 1915
and served with the 5th Infantry Brigade of the 2nd Canadian
Division. The battalion moved to France on 15 September 1915 and
participated in every major engagement in which the 2nd Canadian
Division served. Two soldiers of the Battalion were awarded the
Victoria Cross: Corporal Joseph Kaeble, MM for action on 8-9 June
1918, and Lieutenant Jean Brillant for actions at Amiens on 8-9
August 1918.
Between the wars, the
newly reorganized 22nd Regiment was selected as one of only three
units to be kept on the order of battle of the Permanent Force,
Canada's standing regular army. In 1939, the regiment was placed on
active service and went overseas as a unit of the 3rd Canadian
Infantry Brigade of the 1st Canadian Division, arriving in the U.K.
on 17 December 1939. The unit went to Sicily in August 1943, and
landed in Italy on 3 September 1943. Acting Major Paul Triquet was
awarded the Victoria Cross for actions at Casa Berardi on 14
December 1943. In March 1945 the regiment moved to North-West Europe
as part of Operation GOLDFLAKE and ended the war in the Netherlands.
The unit returned to
Canada in September 1945. A second battalion (designated "1st
Canadian Infantry Battalion (Royal 22e Régiment)" was authorized for
use in the Canadian Army Pacific Force on 1 June 1945. The CAPF was
modelled on the 1st Canadian Infantry Division, but following the
detonation of two atomic bombs on Japan in August, and subsequent
Japanese surrender, the force was disbanded and the battalion
redesignated 2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment. The battalion still
serving in the Canadian Army (Active) was disbanded on 1 March 1946,
and the 2nd Battalion dropped the "2nd Battalion" designation from
its title.2 On 27 June 1946, the Regiment was once again
made a permanent peacetime standing army.3
The Royal 22e
Régiment was one of three Canadian infantry regiments to see active
combat service in the Korean War, making up the 25th Canadian
Infantry Brigade Group, itself a component of the 1st Commonwealth
Division. The 2nd Battalion served in Korea from 4 May 1951 to 21
April 1953, replaced by the 1st Battalion on 20 April 1952, which
served for one year until 21 April 1953. The 3rd Battalion served
from 16 April 1953 to 27 July 1953.
The final combat
deployment of the regiment during the 20th Century occurred when "C"
Company of the 1st Battalion deployed to Doha, Qatar to provide
airfield security during the Gulf War from 24 December 1990 to the
end of March 1991.
Battalions
After the Second
World War, the regiment was divided into a number of separate
battalions.
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Converted to a parachute
battalion on 7 January 1950
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2nd Battalion authorized 7
August 1950
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3rd Battalion authorized 30
November 1950
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4th Battalion created 1
September 1954 when Le Régiment de Châteauguay
amalgamated with the Royal 22e Régiment and was
redesignated 4e Bataillon, Royal 22e Régiment.
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5th Battalion created 1
September 1954 by amalgamation of Les Fusiliers du
St-Laurent and Le Régiment de Montmagmy and
redesignation as Les Fusiliers du St-Laurent (5th
Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment)
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Redesignated Les Fusiliers
du St-Laurent (5e Bataillon, Royal 22e Régiment) 2
November 1963
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Redesignated Les Fusiliers
du St-Laurent on 1 April 1968.
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6th Battalion created 2
February 1956 by amalgamation of Le Régiment de St-Hyacinthe
with Royal 22e Régiment to become 6th Battalion, Royal
22e Régiment
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On 12 August 1977, generic
unit identifiers such as "battalion" were replaced with
bilingual titles throughout the Canadian Forces.5
Perpetuations
Headquarters
Headquarters are
listed below; note the 4th and 6th Battalions were Reserve Army
battalions (as was the 5th during its brief existence as part of the
Royal 22e).
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1st Battalion:
Valcartier, Quebec
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2nd Battalion:
Quebec City, Quebec
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3rd Battalion:
Valcartier, Quebec
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4th Battalion:
Laval, Quebec
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6th Battalion:
Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec
Regimental
headquarters and a regimental museum is currently located at The
Citadel in Québec City. A regimental depot at Québec City was first
established on 19 March 1953.
Regimental Name
From the regimental
website:
The regiment
is nicknamed the Van Doos, a corruption of vingt-deux,
French for "twenty-two." ... Most units of the Canadian Forces
have official names in English and in French, but the historic
regiments are exceptions, having monolingual names for the sake
of tradition. The English name "Royal 22nd Regiment" is often
seen, but strictly speaking is incorrect: only the French form
is official.6
Battle Honours
Mount Sorrel
Flers-Courcelette
Ancre Heights
Vimy, 1917
Scarpe, 1917, '18
Ypres, 1917
Amiens
Canal Du Nord
Pursuit to Mons
Landing in Sicily
Adrano
Sicily, 1943
Potenza
Casa Berardi
Cassino II
Liri Valley
Gothic Line
Lamone Crossing
San Martino-San Lorenzo
Cesena
Apeldoorn |
Somme, 1916, '18
Thiepval
Arras, 1917, '18
Arleux
Hill 70
Passchendaele
Hindenburg Line
Cambrai, 1918
France and Flanders 1915-18
Valguarnera
Catenuova
Landing at Reggio
The Sangro
Torre Mucchio
Gustav Line
Hitler Line
Borgo Santa Maria
Rimini Line
San Fortunato
Italy, 1943-1945
North-West Europe, 1945 |
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Korea, 1950-1953 |
Note: in honour of
the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, retroactive awards of
battle honours were made in the 21st Century, to include "Defence of
Canada - 1812-1815", "Châteauguay", and "Crysler's Farm".7
In addition to being granted as a Theatre Honour, a "non-emblazonable
Honorary Distinction" also titled "Defence of Canada - 1812-1815"
was granted to the Regiment.8
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"Châteauguay" was
granted to the Royal 22e Régiment on September 14, 2012 as the
perpetuating unit of Les Chasseurs, Beauharnois Division
(1812-15) and Boucherville Division (1812-15) and to commemorate
the service of the Canadian Regiment of Fencible Infantry.
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"Crysler's Farm"
was granted to the Royal 22e Régiment on September 14, 2012 to
commemorate the service of the Canadian Regiment of Fencible
Infantry.
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The Honorary
Distinction commemorates the service of:
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7th
Battalion, Select Embodied Militia
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Beloeil
Division (1812-15)
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Chambly
Division (1812-15)
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Isle
Jésus
Division (1812-15)
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St.
Denis
Division (1812-15)
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St. Hyacinthe
Division (1812-15)
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St. Ours
Division (1812-15)
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Verchères
Division (1812-15)
Insignia
The regimental badge is described as
follows:
Description
A beaver couchant proper on a log Or bearing the motto JE ME
SOUVIENS in letters Sable, overall a pellet charged with the
1868 arms of the province of Quebec (Or on a fess Gules between
in chief two fleurs-de-lis Azure and in base a sprig of maple
leaves Vert, a lion passant guardant Or) within an annulus Gules
edged and inscribed REGIMENT CANADIEN FRANCAIS, surmounted at
the base by the number 22 Argent and ensigned by the Royal Crown
proper.
Symbolism
The beaver represents service to Canada, and the Crown, service
to the Sovereign. The shield is the coat of arms granted to the
province of Quebec in 1868. The fleurs-de-lis emphasize the
French origin of the population, the lion on a red background
recalls Quebec's ties to Great Britain and the sprig of three
maple leaves is a symbol of Canada. The number "22" and the
words "REGIMENT CANADIEN FRANCAIS" represent the 22nd Battalion
of the Canadian Expeditionary Force of the First World War. "JE
ME SOUVIENS" is the motto of the regiment and of the province of
Quebec.9
References
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The Regiments and Corps of the Canadian Army (Queen's
Printer, Ottawa, ON, 1964)
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Mazeas, Daniel Insignes de la Milice Canadienne - Canadian
Militia Badges Pre 1914
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Mazeas, Daniel Insignes Canadiens 1920-1950 - Canadian
Badges Revised Edition
Notes
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Regiments and Corps of the Canadian Army, p.117
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Ibid, p.118
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A-DH-267-000/AF-003 p.2-2-186 accessed online at
http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-dhp/his/ol-lo/vol-tom-3/par2/R22R-eng.asp
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Ibid, p.118
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A-DH-267-000/AF-003, Ibid
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http://www.vandoos.com/
index page accessed 25 August 2013
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"War of 1812 Battle Honours": Prime Minister of Canada website
and news background accessed online at
http://pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?id=5031
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"The Creation of the Commemorative Theatre Honour and Honorary
Distinction 'DEFENCE OF CANADA - 1812-1815 - DÉFENSE DU
CANADA'": Prime Minister of Canada website and news background
accessed online at
http://pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?id=5033
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A-DH-267-000/AF-003, Ibid
