34 Combat Engineer Regiment (34 CER)
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3 FER is the Combat Engineer unit supporting 34 Canadian Brigade Group (34 CBG) in Quebec. 3 FER was formed in 1948.
3 Field Engineer Regiment is a unit of the Canadian Military Engineers located in Montreal, QC. The Regiment is domiciled at the Hillside Armoury.
Current Information Address: 3 Hillside Lane, Westmount, QC Telephone: 514-283-7428 [edit]
History of 3 FER
The Montreal Engineer Company
On December 21st, 1862, the Montreal Engineer Company was raised and the following year a second one was raised. The two companies were later amalgamated into a single unit. This unit supported the militia throughout the 1870s and 1880s. The Montreal Engineer Company is disbanded on 16 December 1892, five days short of its 31st birthday.
4 Field Company Canadian Engineers
On February 1st, 1903, a new field company in Montreal was raised. Recruiting for the company was conducted in the downtown area and in Westmount. In August 1904 the unit was officially named No 4 Field Company Canadian Engineers. At the outbreak of World War One, 4th Field Company Canadian Engineers went overseas as part of the 2nd Canadian Division. The unit arrived in France after training in England in September 1915 where it was immediately sent to the front. 4th Field Company experienced the misery of trench warfare first hand as it slogged through the winter months.
The company saw its first major action at the St. Eloi craters in April 1916. The sappers went forward to help the infantry defend a series of craters blown under the German lines, but the terrain soon turned into a mud bath as rain poured down for days. The Germans were quick to counter-attack, and during this battle, 4th Field Company distinguished itself time and again.
The company supported operations during the Somme offensive and later in the fall at Courcelette. Throughout the battles, the sappers enabled the Canadian Corps to live, move and fight in the field, in spite of terrible enemy artillery and machine-gun fire. During the first months of 1917, the company assisted in numerous raids against the German lines, and later took part in the assault of Vimy Ridge. In 1918, the company fought at Arras, Amiens, the Drocourtqueant Line and the Canal du Nord.
At the Canal de l'Escaut, the newly formed 4th Battalion Canadian Engineers won the first and the only Victoria Cross in the engineer corps. While moving forward to secure the bridges across the Canal, Captain C.N. Mitchell MC, raced onto a bridge under the most severe enemy machine-gun fire, and ignoring a group of Germans trying to counter-attack, and another group trying to destroy the bridge, he ripped out the wiring and the charges before they could be detonated.
The 4th Field Company returned to Montreal after the war to continue its service as a militia unit. At the outbreak of World War Two, it was once more off to Europe, this time as part of the 1st Canadian Infantry Division. The company served in Italy for most of the war, returning to Northwest Europe near the end.
16 Field Coy Royal Canadian Engineers
Following the invasion of France and the Battle of Britain, 16 Field Coy was formed on 2nd July 1940 in Montreal
The Canadian engineers landing at D-Day consisted of 5th, 6th, 16th and 18th Field Coys, Royal Canadian Engineers and the 3rd Field Park Coy. The 16th Field Coy was assigned along with 6th Field Coy to support 7th and 8th Canadian Infantry Brigades landing at "Mike" and "Nan" beaches.
The Royal Canadian Engineers uses the motto "First in... Last out", and this is said with absolute truth and distinct pride. Before the first infantry and tanks could make their way onto the beaches in Normandy, the Royal Canadian Engineers was put ashore to clear the way. Landing at H-Hour, 16th Field Coy was responsible for clearing mines and obstacles while in water up to their waists and under direct fire from German positions inland. As the infantry overran the enemy positions, 16th Field Coy moved inland to support their operations. Enemy snipers were the worst problem. While traveling between clearance parties in the mid-afternoon,
3 Field Engineer Regiment
On April 30th, 1945, the war in Europe was over. Both 4th Field Company and 16th Field Company had ended the war in northwest Europe, and were soon returned to Canada where the two companies were demobilized. In deciding the post-war makeup of Canada's army, the Minister of National Defense wanted to ensure that all units which had active counterparts in the war had a continuing role at home. As such, Headquarters 3rd Divisional Engineers was formed in Montreal from the pre-war Headquarters 4th District Engineers.
In 1947, the 4th and 16th Field Companies was brought under the command of the 3rd Division Royal Canadian Engineers HQ, which became the origin of the present day regiment. The following year, the unit officially acquired the status of regiment, becoming the 3rd Field Engineer Regiment
The Korean War
During the Korean War, the regiment had many of its members join the Canadian Army Special Force (CASF), which formed the 25th Canadian Infantry Brigade. Among those was the Captain N.E. Cooke who served with distinction for two years, being once mentioned-in-dispatches (MiD). He will later take command of the regiment in 1966. During the 1950s, Canada embarked on a plan of civil defense, using the militia as the base of the plan. The regiment participated in this plan, sometimes with mixed feelings, but nevertheless continued its support of the city of Westmount and Montreal. In 1954,
Crisis in Quebec
On the night of 16-17 May 1963, fifteen bombs were placed in mailboxes throughout Westmount, as part of the increasing FLQ crisis in Montreal. For his courage, SSM Walter Leja was awarded the George Medal by Queen Elizabeth II.
In the Present Day
On September 27th, 1981, the City of Westmount presented 3rd Field Engineer Regiment with the privileges of it's Freedom of the City. In June 2004 the City of Montreal presented 3rd Field Engineer Regiment with the privileges of it's Freedom of the City
Information source
drawn from the Regimental web site. http://www.34gbc3fd.ca/
