The 62nd Field Artillery Regiment, RCA (French: 62e 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][2]

62nd Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery
Active1961 as Field Artillery Regiment
CountryCanada
BranchRoyal Regiment of Canadian Artillery
RoleField Artillery

Origin

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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.[citation needed]

World War II

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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.[citation needed]

Anti-aircraft Unit

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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.[citation needed]

Field artillery

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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.[3]

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.

Contributions since World War II

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Even though the 62nd Regiment has not served in active duty since World War II, it provided personnel for a number of operations, including:[4]

Well-known members

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Well-known members of the regiment are:

See also

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ Defence, National (2019-01-28). "62nd Field Artillery Regiment, RCA". www.canada.ca. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
  2. ^ J.J. Bellemare, 60 ans d'artillerie en Mauricie, Shawinigan
  3. ^ "62e Régiment d'artillerie de campagne, Shawinigan, Quebec, The Royal Regiment of Artillery". Archived from the original on 2007-06-30. Retrieved 2007-07-01.
  4. ^ Un bel hommage aux soldats du 62e RAC de retour d'Afghanistan, L'Hebdo Mékinac des Chenaux, April 20, 2008
  5. ^ Isabelle Légaré, Un Prix du premier ministre Harper pour Jean-Pierre Frigon, Le Nouvelliste, October 10, 2009
  6. ^ Yanick Poisson, Victoriaville rendra hommage au major Yannick Pépin, La Tribune, September 15, 2009

Precedence

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Preceded by 62nd Field Artillery Regiment, RCA Succeeded by