The 12^th Canadian Armoured Regiment

Jean-Victor-Allard armoury
574 St-François-Xavier
Trois-Rivières, Québec
G9A 1R6
Tel. : (819) 371-5290
http://www.army.gc.ca/12rbc_milice

Mission

Reconnaissance

The Role of Reconnaissance

To collect and transmit information about the enemy and the terrain. The art of reconnaissance is described as the ability to see without being seen.

History

The Regiment’s origins date back to the early days of the French colony, with the creation of the first militia company in Canada by the governor of Trois-Rivières, Pierre Boucher. Over the centuries, the Trois-Rivières region has provided volunteers to fight first the Iroquois, then the British and lastly the Americans. The unit was founded on March 24, 1871, by bringing together four rural companies (Trois-Rivières, Louiseville, Berthierville and Saint-Gabriel-de-Brandon). In almost a century and a half of existence, it has had many names, the best known of which are 86e Régiment, 12th Canadian Armoured Regiment, Three Rivers Regiment, Régiment de Trois-Rivières and, today, 12e Régiment blindé du Canada (12 RBC).

The Regiment was not mobilized during World War I, although it did contribute to the mobilization of the 178th Battalion (French-Canadian) overseas. The 178th was dissolved on arrival in England to provide reinforcements to units already in the field; they took part in the Battle of Amiens in France. An infantry unit since its foundation, the Regiment became a unit of the Canadian Armoured Corps when it was created in 1936. As the 12th Canadian Armoured Regiment, it participated in World War II, fighting in Sicily, Italy and northwest Europe (the Netherlands). It performed brilliantly during several campaigns and great battles, notably at Adrano, Ortona, Cassino, the Trasimene Line and the Liri Valley. The 12th CAR earned 23 battle honour citations, ten of which are displayed on its guidon.

On May 6, 1968, the Government of Canada announced the formation of the 12e Régiment blindé du Canada as a Regular Force unit based at Valcartier, near Quebec City. Since then, the 12e Régiment blindé du Canada has been made up of two units: a Regular Force unit at Valcartier and a Reserve Force unit in Trois-Rivières. Both uphold the customs and traditions of the Régiment de Trois-Rivières. 12 RBC is the only Francophone armoured unit in Canada.

Since 1968, many members from both 12 RBC units have served in various UN or NATO peacekeeping missions, notably in Cyprus, Cambodia, the former Yugoslavia (Croatia and Bosnia), Bosnia and recently in Afghanistan. In addition to these missions of the Regiment and its sub-units, individual members have contributed to a number of missions around the world, notably in Indochina, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Pakistan, Western Sahara, Nicaragua, Iraq, Zaire and Haiti. 12 RBC has also been involved in operations to assist the Canadian civilian population, as was the case during the January 1998 ice storm in Quebec.