Royal 22nd Regiment

Arthur Mignault, founder of the Royal 22nd Regiment

A photograph of the 22nd Battalion leaving Quebec in 1915.

While the Royal 22^e Régiment commemorates the history and traditions of the Canadian Regiment of Fencible Infantry from the War of 1812 (also carrying resultant battle honours from the War of 1812), the modern ancestor of the regiment was formed in the early days of the First World War as part of the British Army, when volunteers from all over Canada were being massed for training at Valcartier, Québec, just outside Quebec City. The first contingent of 30,000 volunteers, which became the 1st Canadian Division of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, were grouped into numbered battalions, regardless of origin. The existing reserve regiments were not mobilized, due to the belief of the Defence Minister, Sam Hughes, that a new "efficient" structure was required. Once again the new structure did not contain French-speaking units, such as those that had existed in the reserves. Over 1000 French-Canadian volunteers were scattered into different English-speaking units. This was not an oversight as Ontario (Hughes's political base) was in the process of outlawing both the teaching of French, as well as in the French language in their school system (Regulation 17) The predictable outrage in French Canada created a lack of support for the war of "King and Country", perceived as a mechanism to entirely annihilate the Francophone community in Canada.

The second contingent was more logically based on battalions raised and trained in the various military districts in which they were recruited, but remained using an impersonal numerical basis (with the exception of those with a Highland or Irish identity). Considerable political pressure in Quebec, along with public rallies, demanded the creation of French-speaking units to fight a war many viewed as being right and necessary, despite Regulation 17 in Ontario.

Mignault communicated with Prime Minister Robert Borden, leading to the creation of the Royal 22^e Régiment

In September 1914, French Canadian pharmaceutical entrepreneur Arthur Mignault communicated with Prime Minister Robert Borden, to incite the formation of a solely French Canadian regiment. Mignault offered the government $50,000 to pursue this end.[10] Borden had recently committed his country into the providing of half a million soldiers to the Allied cause, and was just realising how demanding honouring this promise would show. Borden eagerly accepted Mignault's proposal[11] and accordingly, on 14 October 1914, the 22nd Battalion (French Canadian), CEF, was authorized. Mignault participated in the recruitment campaign, which resulted in a remarkable success; the ranks of the battalion were filled in less than a month. Arthur Mignault is as such considered the founder of the 22nd regiment.[12][13][14][15][16]

The 22nd went to France as part of the 5th Canadian Brigade and the 2nd Canadian Division in September 1915, and fought with distinction in every major Canadian engagement until the end of the war. While other French speaking units were also created, they were all broken up upon arrival in France to provide reinforcements for the 22nd, which suffered close to 4000 wounded and killed in the course of the war. Two members of the 22nd were awarded the Victoria Cross in that war, Lieutenant Jean Brillant and Corporal Joseph Kaeble.

Émile Fayolle Marshal of France, presenting regimental colours to the Royal 22^e Régiment on the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City, 1921. This had been done at the request of Maréchal Foch who had been made honorary colonel of the regiment.

The Royal 22nd Regiment parading on Parliament Hill in Ottawa in 1927

After the war, the 22nd Battalion was disbanded on 20 May 1919, sharing the fate of other numbered battalions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. However, in the post-war reorganizations of the army, public pressure, such as resolutions by the Legislative Assembly of Quebec as well as the City Council of Quebec City, demanded that a permanent French-language unit be created in the peace-time Regular Force, and accordingly a new regiment was created, made up of veterans of the 22nd Battalion, on 1 April 1920. Initially the regiment, which was given the guard of the Citadelle of Quebec, was simply the 22nd Regiment, but in June 1921 King George V approved the renaming of it as The Royal 22nd Regiment. In 1928, the anomaly of a French-language unit with an English name was resolved, and the regiment became the Royal 22^e Régiment in both languages.[17] While in the Canadian Armed Forces, unit names are generally translated into the language of a text, traditional combat arms regiments are identified only in the single language of their troops, either English or French. However, the English version of the R22^eR is still seen occasionally, but strictly speaking it is incorrect; only "Royal 22^e Régiment" has been official in either language since 1928.[18]

In 1940, the regiment became the first Francophone Canadian unit to mount the King's Guard in London and was the first of the three current Regular Force infantry regiments to do so.

Soldiers of the Royal 22^e Régiment exercising the freedom of the city in front of Quebec City's City Hall, on 3 July 2006

In the Second World War, the regiment was part of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Brigade and the 1st Canadian Infantry Division and was involved in intense combat in Italy, (where Captain Paul Triquet earned the Victoria Cross) and later in the Netherlands and northwest Germany.

During the Korean War, 1951–1953, the regiment expanded to three battalions, each serving in turn as part of the Canadian brigade in the 1st Commonwealth Division. Thus the "Van Doos" represented one-third of Canada's infantry contingent throughout the war.

During the Cold War the regular battalions of the regiment served, in turn, in West Germany as part of 4 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group, with the 1^er Battalion serving permanently from 1967 until the withdrawal in 1993.

Batiste X, mascot of the regiment

The regiment also served during the Oka Crisis. During the life of the Canadian Airborne Regiment (1968–1995) the 1^er Commando was manned as a French-speaking sub-unit by soldiers of the Royal 22nd Regiment.

In the 1950s, the Canadian Army promoted a scheme of administratively associating reserve infantry regiments with a regular one. Although this project did not make much progress in most of the army, three reserve regiments did join the Van Doos, becoming battalions of the Royal 22^e Régiment:

3rd Battalion, Royal 22^e Régiment CFB Valcartier

In the case of Les Fusiliers du S^t-Laurent, the battalion designation was in a subsidiary title, but it became nevertheless, administratively, part of the Royal 22^e Régiment. However, in 1968, Les Fusiliers du S^t-Laurent dropped the subsidiary title, and ended their administrative association with the R22^eR.

Je me souviens (1989) Royal 22^e Régiment memorial by André Gauthier (sculptor) at Quebec City Armoury

Royal 22^e Régiment memorial (1914–1964)

A stone shaft was erected on the grounds of Royal Military College Saint-Jean on 26 September 1964 to commemorate the founding of the Royal 22nd Regiment; the regiment trained at Fort Saint-Jean in 1914. The monument lists the regiment's battle honours.[23]

Je me souviens (1989) by André Gauthier, a 6-by-9-foot (1.8 m × 2.7 m) bronze haut-relief bronze and granite wall memorial, was erected at Place George V in front of the Grande Allée Armoury in Quebec City. Unveiled on 11 November 1989, the sculpture honours the memory of the soldiers from the Royal 22^e Régiment who were killed during the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War. The sculptor was inspired by A.T.C. Bastiens' painting L'Avance at the Canadian War Museum. The names of soldiers are inscribed in granite on the monument.[24]

There is a group of 28 gravestones of members of the Royal 22^e Régiment who died between 1929 and 1960 in the Notre Dame de Belmont Cemetery in Quebec City. Four gravestones, dated 1929, 1935, 1938, 1938 feature a crown, beaver and regimental motto. Seven gravestones, dated 1939, 1941, 1941, 1942, 1942, 1942, 1947 feature the Maple Leaf and Canadian Forces cross. Seven gravestones feature the Canadian Forces cross dated 1954, 1954, 1955, 1955, 1955, 1954, 1960.[25]

Battle honours in small capitals are for large operations and campaigns and those in lowercase are for more specific battles. Bold type indicates honours emblazoned on regimental colours.

War of 1812

• Defence of Canada – 1812–1815 – Défense du Canada[27]
• Châteauguay
• Crysler's Farm (awarded in commemoration of the Canadian Fencible Infantry)[28]

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

First World War

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

Second World War

• Landing in Sicily
• Valguarnera
• Adrano
• Catenuova
• Sicily, 1943
• Landing at Reggio
• Potenza
• The Sangro
• Casa Berardi
• Torre Mucchio
• Cassino Ii
• Gustav Line
• Liri Valley
• Hitler Line
• Gothic Line
• Borgo Santa Maria
• Lamone Crossing
• Rimini Line
• San Martino–San Lorenzo
• San Fortunato
• Cesena
• Italy, 1943–1945
• Apeldoorn
• North-West Europe, 1945

United Nations Operations – Korea

Korea, 1951–1953[29]

South-West Asia

Afghanistan[30]

The non-emblazonable honorary distinction DEFENCE OF CANADA - 1812-1815 - DÉFENSE DU CANADA.[19]

Major Paul Triquet wearing Victoria Cross ribbon bar

• Corporal Joseph Kaeble† – 22nd Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force – Neuville-Vitasse, France – 8 June 1918[31]
• Lieutenant Jean Brillant† – 22nd Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force – near Amiens, France – 8–9 August 1918[31]
• Major Paul Triquet – Royal 22^e Régiment – Casa Berardi, Italy – 14 December 1943

† – Awarded posthumously

Regular Force:

Reserve Force:

•  United Kingdom – The Royal Welsh
•  United Kingdom – 4th Battalion, Mercian Regiment

The Royal 22^e Régiment exercises its freedom of the city annually in Quebec City on 3 July of each year. Quebec cities that have granted freedom of the city to the regiment include: Quebec City, Saint-Hyacinthe, Saint-Jérôme, Farnham, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Drummondville and Val-Bélair. Foreign cities that have granted freedom of the city to the regiment include: Werl, Germany; Lahr, Germany and Ortona, Italy on 14 April 1993.[33]

The Van Doos are the subject of a 2011 National Film Board of Canada documentary Le 22^e Régiment en Afghanistan (English: The Van Doos in Afghanistan).[34] The documentary was filmed in Afghanistan in March 2011. On 9 November 2011, the film was previewed for the families of 26 soldiers who had died during their mission in Afghanistan, at a ceremony at the Valcartier base. A commemorative mural by Canadian artist Dave Sopha was also unveiled.[35]

Hyena Road is a 2015 Canadian war drama film shown in the Gala Presentations section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. The title comes from route Hyena built in Afghanistan in 2010–2011 by 1 R22^eR Battle Group.[36] The film features an English-speaking Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry battle group, reflecting the language of the target audience.

The song L'immortel 22ème Canadien-français by Paul Ravennes (music), and Léon Chevalier (words) was published by J.E. Belair, Montreal. The first line is: Gloire au vailland 22ème, a lui la palme de vainqueur; Refrain: Vaillants soldats, vos noms dans notre histoire.[37]

• Jean F. Pierret, conductor "La Citadelle; la musique du Royal 22^e Régiment" (1975 Trans-Canada Musique Service Inc., 7033, route Transcanadienne, Saint-Laurent, Québec H4T 1S2)
• Victor Falardeau & Jean Parent, conductor "La musique du Royal 22^e Régiment: 50 ans d'histoire, 1922-1972" (Québec: Editions Garneau, 1976)
• Capt. J.P. Armand Ferland, conductor "The Van Doos: the band of the Royal 22^e Régiment" (RCA Victor Canada International, PCS-1007)
• "Recueil de chants du Royal 22^e Régiment" (Val-Cartier: s.n., 197-?)

• The Canadian Crown and the Canadian Forces
• List of Canadian organizations with royal patronage

• Ducimus, The Regiments of the Canadian Infantry. St. Hubert, Quebec, Canada: Mobile Command Headquarters, Canadian Armed Forces. 1992. ISBN 0-9696421-0-5.
• Bernier, Serge Le Royal 22^e Régiment, 1914–1999 (Québec-Livres, 2185, autoroute des Laurentides, Laval, QC H7S 1Z5 Montréal: Art Global, 1999)
• Bernier, Serge; translated by Phillips, Charles The Royal 22^e Régiment, 1914–1999 (Montreal: Art Global, 2000)
• Boissonnault, Charles-Marie; Lamontagne, Léopold, Histoire du Royal 22^e Régiment (Région du Royal 22^e Régiment, La Citadelle, Québec: Éditions du Pélican, 1964)
• Cantin, Robert Le sacrifice du Royal 22^e Régiment (de 1914 à 1999) (Sainte-Foy, Québec: Société de généalogie de Québec, 2004)
• Castonguay, Jacques Les bataillons et le dépôt du Royal 22^e Régiment: vingt ans d'histoire, 1945–1965 (La Citadelle, Québec: Régie du Royal 22^e Régiment, 1974)
• Carpentier, Pierre 6^e Bataillon, Royal 22^e Régiment, 1956–2006 (Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec: Corporation de l'arsenal inc., 2011) Canadiana: 20120088282
• Chantal, Denise & Rasmüssen, Louis Armand Hébert, le plus grand mutilé du Royal 22^ième Régiment de la guerre 1939–1945 (La Baie, Québec: Denise Chantal, 1995)
• Chauveau, Charles Soixante-cinq ans d'histoire: notes historiques sur le Royal 22^e Régiment (Québec: s.n. 1983).
• Corriveau, Paul, Le Royal 22^e Régiment: 75 ans d'histoire, 1914–1989 (Québec: Régie du Royal 22^e Régiment, 1989)
• Dagenais, Maxime. "'Une Permission! ... C'est bon pour une recrue.' Discipline and Illegal Absences in the 22nd (French-Canadian) Battalion, 1915–1919". Canadian Military History 18, No. 4 (Autumn 2009): 3–16.
• Madill, D. S. Le 2^e Bataillon, Royal 22^e Régiment et la Batterie 'Q', 5^e Régiment d'artillerie légère du Canada (Chypre: 1975 Presses Zavallis)
• Poulin, J. G. 696 heures d'enfer avec le Royal 22^e Régiment: récit vécu et inspiré d'un journal tenu tant bien que mal au front (Québec: Éditions A-B, 1946)
• Poulin, J. G. Des héros connus, inconnus et méconnus du Royal 22^e Régiment: 1939–1945 et la Corée (Québec: s.n., 1946)
• Royal Régiment, 22^e. Mess des officiers du 2^e Bataillon, Royal 22^e Régiment: statuts et réglements. (Le Régiment, 1975)
• Serge Bernier, translation Terry Liston, "The Van Doos", Québec, Les éditions GID, 2013, 215 p.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Royal 22e Régiment.

• Royal 22^e Régiment (Regimental website) (in French)
• Royal 22^e Régiment on Facebook (in French)
• Le Royal 22e Régiment Canada avec la Fanfara Bersaglieri Italia on YouTube
• Hommage: Le Royal 22e Regiment
• Changing of the Guard: La Citadelle