# RCH - 7 Recce Regt - WW2 History



## TCBF (17 May 2005)

One of my wife's uncles  - now deceased - was in the RCH (the Div Recce Regt for 3 Cdn Inf Div) in WW2, and was with them from somewhere in Belgium to VE Day plus.  Does anyone has any applicable formal history articles, books, or documents with nominal rolls, squadron routes and so on?  I have in laws who are going to Europe in a week or so, and would like to see some of the places he fought.

Tom


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## Michael Dorosh (17 May 2005)

TCBF said:
			
		

> One of my wife's uncles  - now deceased - was in the RCH (the Div Recce Regt for 3 Cdn Inf Div) in WW2, and was with them from somewhere in Belgium to VE Day plus.  Does anyone has any applicable formal history articles, books, or documents with nominal rolls, squadron routes and so on?  I have in laws who are going to Europe in a week or so, and would like to see some of the places he fought.
> 
> Tom



The correct name is 17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars - RCH are a postwar amalgamation.

The University of Calgary has a copy of the regimental history, but I don't know if you can get it by interbranch loan by then.  At least you know, however, that a history was published.  Have you contacted the Regiment in Montreal?


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## BDG.CalgHighrs (17 May 2005)

Michael Dorosh said:
			
		

> The correct name is 17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars - RCH are a postwar amalgamation.
> 
> The University of Calgary has a copy of the regimental history, but I don't know if you can get it by interbranch loan by then.   At least you know, however, that a history was published.   Have you contacted the Regiment in Montreal?



_Bash On Recce!_ is the name of the book.

LC Call Number: D811 .S728 1997

The item circulates for 2 weeks and is available for Interlibrary Loans (ILL). This usaly takes about 5-10 days, depending on priority.

For ILL privaleges you will need current or alumni privaleges at a postsecondary institution, or participating corporate or government institution. 

If none of this helps you, send me an email, and I'll see what I can do in terms of getting you some of that information from the text.

(My day job is filling corporate requests at the library, so I might be able to arrange something)


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## TCBF (17 May 2005)

Thank you both, PMs to follow.

Tom


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## BDG.CalgHighrs (17 May 2005)

Ok, I grabbed the book and read the only pertenant chapter in it (it's a personal memoir, so alot of the information has to do with general life in the UK before D-day). 

Battle honours: 17th Hussars/7th Recce regiment (Reconnaisance regiment of the 3rd Canadian division)

Caen and Falaise (acting as infantry rather than dedicated recce), The Laison, The Scheldt, Breskens Pocket, The Rhineland, The Rhine, Emmerich-Hoch Elten, Zutphen, Deventer.

(Chapter VII p. 133-157)

The following links might be of some use. 
http://www.rcaca.org/r-17H.htm
http://www.members.shaw.ca/junobeach/juno-4-9.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Royal_Canadian_Hussars_(Montreal)


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## TCBF (17 May 2005)

Thanks!  I read the links.  He joined them in Belgium, and I just wanted to give my inlaws a list of a few towns or villages they moved through on the way through Belgium and Holland.  Does the book have a list of what soldiers were in what Sqns, and where some of these sqns moved?  He would be listed as Tpr Albert Munro.

Thanks again!

Tom


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## BDG.CalgHighrs (18 May 2005)

TCBF said:
			
		

> Thanks!   I read the links.   He joined them in Belgium, and I just wanted to give my inlaws a list of a few towns or villages they moved through on the way through Belgium and Holland.   Does the book have a list of what soldiers were in what Sqns, and where some of these sqns moved?   He would be listed as Tpr Albert Munro.
> 
> Thanks again!
> 
> Tom



Unfortunatly it did not, and the best I have been able to find is a list of awarded decorations which, if I am not mistaken, was in one of the links. Like I said. The Book is more along the lines of a personel narration (the type of thing CBC likes to make into a 'documentary-come-vigniette'). I am turning up alot of blanks on the name. Hopefuly Michael has more luck. He's alot better at this sort of thing than I am.


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## TCBF (18 May 2005)

What about the names of some of the towns and villages in Belgium, Holland and Germany that the Regiment went through?


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## BDG.CalgHighrs (18 May 2005)

TCBF said:
			
		

> What about the names of some of the towns and villages in Belgium, Holland and Germany that the Regiment went through?


 I'll see what I can do...

That took less time than I thought...

France:
Caen-Falaise-Orbec-Elbouf-Rouen-Totes-Abbeville-Boulogne-Calais
Belgium:
Poperinge-Ghent - - Detour to the Sheldt - - Antwerp
Holland:
Eindhoven-Hertogenbosch-Nijmegen-Tiel
Germany:
Reichswald Forest-Kleeve-Rhein crossing at Rees
back to Holland:
Zutphen-Deventer-Zwolle-Meppel-Heerenveen-Leeeuwarden-Groningen-Winschoten
Germany again:
Across the Ems River near Leer, halt at Aurich (near Emden)


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## George Wallace (18 May 2005)

Tom

try this site of the Public Archives:

http://data4.collectionscanada.ca/netacgi/nph-brs?s1=Royal+Canadian+Hussars&s2=&s9=RG24&l=20&Sect1=IMAGE&Sect2=THESOFF&Sect4=AND&Sect5=FINDPEN&Sect6=HITOFF&d=FIND&p=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.collectionscanada.ca%2Farchivianet%2F02010502_e.html&r=0&f=S

{EDIT}  Unfortunately, I haven't figured out how to access the data in those files.

George


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## TCBF (18 May 2005)

Thanks George - AC 90 is 'open files' but I can't access them either.

Tom


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## Randall (8 Jun 2005)

My father served with this regiment during WW2.
There is a museum of the 17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars and a sister Hussar regiment located  in Montreal in the Cotes Des Nieges armoury.
For more info, please feel free to email me rklein@on.aibn.com

Randall


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## dfuller52 (24 Feb 2009)

I haven't seen it yet but there is another unit history written in 1948 by Walter G. Pavy titled An historical account of the 7th Canadian reconnaissance regiment : (17th Duke of York's royal Canadian hussars) in the world war, 1939-1945.

I too am researching this regiment, specifically 'C' Sqn and Acting Cpl. Cameron Leander Jones, who was killed 9 Jul 1944. He was qualified as a driver and had signals training but I can't determine yet what kind of vehicle he was in.


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## YZT580 (24 Feb 2009)

www.canadamuseum.be/museum  Suggest to them that they try the Canada war museum (link supplied for directions) here in Belgium.  The folks there are up on the Canucks who served in this area.  Also it is a very interesting place if you want a human aspect to the war in Flanders.  Also to try, on the main square in Ypres there is a book store that sells a lot of WW2 related books and the owner/operator (as if 2 years ago) is a Canadian who came here a couple of decades ago.  He is an amateur historian who has specialised in our history here and has had the opportunity to spend a lot of time looking around.


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