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Guarding the Coast
During World War II the shores along the St. Lawrence were protected mainly by army reserve units and radar installations. The Fusiliers du Saint-Laurent played a key role in guarding the St. Lawrence shores and in locating any suspicious presence in the river. For their part, the Royal Canadian Engineers (RCE) looked after the installation of radar stations along the coast to detect German submarines.
The Fusiliers du Saint-Laurent
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During a tour of inspection Brigadier Blais shoulders a machine-gun and fires a few rounds into the river.
Collection La Régie du Régiment. Les Fusiliers du St-Laurent
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Following the first torpedo attacks in the St. Lawrence in 1942, and in light of the fears expressed by the river communities, the government called upon the reserve battalion of the Fusiliers du Saint-Laurent to look after defending the region. Since 1940 the Fusiliers were already supplying three active service units to monitor the coast, mainly in Gaspé and Matapédia. In the spring of 1942 they started recruiting volunteers ineligible for conscription. These included men who had to remain in their war-effort jobs, the handicapped, older citizens, students and teachers. They all followed basic training, learning to handle modern weapons, drive and service military vehicles, read maps and carry out patrols.
These reservists had to cover the entire Lower St. Lawrence and the Gaspé region, as well as monitoring the main communications networks, power grids, telephone and telegraph relay stations, bridges and highways. Following blackout measures imposed in September of 1942 on residents along the coast, reservists of the Fusiliers du Saint-Laurent made sure they were respected.
Faced with a huge response from volunteers, military authorities had to a third Reserve Battalion to the already-existent 1st Active Battalion and the 2nd Reserve Battalion of the Gaspé region.
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Inspection by Brigadier Blais of a machine-gun post overlooking the river.
Collection La Régie du Régiment. Les Fusiliers du St-Laurent
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News reporter Lucien Desbiens of Le Devoir described, in the summer of 1943, one of the protective measures put in place during World War II that the reservists of the Fusiliers du Saint-Laurent to apply:
" On the bridge in the picturesque village of Isle-Verte there is more eloquent proof of the protective measures taken by the military: armed guards check your Identification Card. At various points along the roads of Gaspé, roadblocks are set up and controlled by army reservists, the Provincial Police and the Civil Protection Committee.
Everywhere you turn, on the coast or in the interior, these guards, along with the RCMP and the Aircraft Detective Corps, cooperate in defending the country."
In a radio broadcast from Quebec on July 31st, 1943, Lieutenant-Colonel
Pineault, commandant of the 3rd Reserve Battalion of the Fusiliers du
Saint-Laurent, praised his soldiers' efforts: "And
so I take this opportunity to pay homage to all members of the Reserve
Army of Gaspé for their magnificent accomplishments. After having
seen several ships torpedoed near their shores, they realized the menace
and I would like to have more time to mention many examples of huge
sacrifice undertaken by these men: fishermen, shopkeepers, factory workers,
professional workers and others, in order to learn modern tactics and
weapon handling in case of necessity."
Excerpt from Antonio Lechasseur's article, Le Régiment de
Gaspé-Bonaventure,le lieutenant-colonel Joseph Pineault et la
défense des côtes gaspésiennes durant la seconde [sic] Guerre mondiale
in the Revue d'histoire du Bas Saint-Laurent.
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Winter 1943: Inspection of a platoon of the Third Battalion of the Fusiliers du St-Laurent, in northeastern Gaspé.
Collection La Régie du Régiment. Les Fusiliers du St-Laurent
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In addition to these brave soldiers who ensured the protection of the coast during World War II, we must not forget the many policemen, civil protection volunteers, air detective corps volunteers and lighthouse keepers.
Lighthouse keepers also had an important role to play in guarding the coast: "In addition to issuing special orders, it goes without saying that the Department of National Defence urged all lighthouse keepers to be ever-vigilant and to report the slightest appearance of suspicious vessels in their area."
Excerpt from Normand Lafrenière's Gardien de phare dans le Saint-Laurent : un métier disparu, p. 51.
Radar Installations in the Gaspé Region
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At Grande-Rivière a suspected spy, who was handled a bit roughly but carefully protected, receives medical attention from the regional ambulance crew.
Collection La Régie du Régiment. Les Fusiliers du St-Laurent.
Canadian Army Photo (Negative No.: 1033)
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Radar installations in the Gaspé region were set up in 1943
between the spring and the beginning of winter. Between Saint-Ulric
de Matane and Cap Gaspé, the 5th Company of the Royal
Canadian Engineers installed nine radar stations able to detect German
submarines cruising in the St. Lawrence.
Captain Lafond, in charge of installations, described in an article
published in the Revue d?histoire de la Société historique
Nicolas-Denys that radar equipment was mounted on metal chassis
weighing about sixteen tons. Prefabricated cabins with semi-circular,
corrugated metal roofs and concrete floors were erected for operators.
The task of the Royal Canadian Engineers consisted first in unloading
and storing all the gear arriving in Matane. Then they built access
roads to selected sites and built military camps with electrical outlets
and a drinking water supply. They also looked after transporting supplies
and equipment to radar sites and setting up detection equipment. Afterward,
these radar sites were manned by the Royal Canadian Artillery.
In the summer of 1944 part of the 5th Battalion of the Royal
Canadian Engineers, still under the command of Captain Lafond, received
the order to dismantle all radar sites, deliver the equipment to Matane
and load it onto flatcars for eventual delivery to Camp Borden in Ontario.
Today, all that remains of these radar installations is the odd base
or two dotting the Gaspé coast.
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June 1943: a soldier stands guard in Cap-aux-Os.
Collection La Régie du Régiment. Les Fusiliers du St-Laurent. Canadian Army Photo (Negative No.: 989)
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Everyone contributes to coastal defense. Brigadier Blais greets the mayor of Grande-Vallée.
Collection La Régie du Régiment. Les Fusiliers du St-Laurent
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During his tour of the Gaspé, Brigadier
Blais assesses the efficiency of the various observation posts
installed throughout the area. Here he is with a signaler, talking
to guards from other observation posts.
Collection La Régie du Régiment. Les Fusiliers
du St-Laurent. Canadian Army Photo (Negative No.: 1004)
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Marsoui. A father surrounded by four of his sons who, like him, belong to the Third Battalion of the Fusiliers du St-Laurent. Collection La Régie du Régiment. Les Fusiliers du St-Laurent. Canadian Army Photo (Negative No.: 986)
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Members of the Reserve Battalion of the Fusiliers du St-Laurent learn to reconcile military obligations with civilian occupations. Here we see a soldier with his son.
Collection La Régie du Régiment. Les Fusiliers du St-Laurent. Canadian Army Photo (Negative No.: 990)
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During the entire conflict, the Second and Third Battalions of the Fusiliers du St-Laurent patrol the highways of eastern Quebec.
Collection La Régie du Régiment. Les Fusiliers du St-Laurent
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