Regina Rifles given $40,000 provincial grant for D-Day anniversary tour

The 80th anniversary of Operation Overlord — known as D-Day and considered a turning point in the Second World War — is taking place in June.

Published Apr 07, 2024 • Last updated 13 hours ago • 2 minute read

Troops from the Royal Winnipeg Rifles and Regina Rifles on Juno Beach on June 6, 1944, watch as tanks of the 1st Hussars land to join the fight to free western Europe from Nazi occupation. Photo by National Archives of Canada /SUPPLIED

The Government of Saskatchewan is providing a $40,000 grant to support The Royal Regina Rifles Trust’s Battlefield Tour of Honour for the 80th anniversary of Operation Overlord — known as D-Day — taking place in June.

Then called the Regina Rifle Regiment, they were one of the first infantry brigades to storm Juno Beach as part of the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944. The seminal Second World War battle, which saw Allied forces storm German soldiers on the beaches of France and remains the largest seaborne invasion in history, is considered a turning point in the Second World War.

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The Rifles — the only Canadian regiment to secure a beach in the invasion — landed on the western side of Juno, destroying gun positions and successfully clearing the village of Courseulles-sur-Mer before pushing further inland.

Nicknamed “The Johns”, the regiment was made up of young men from across the province. The Rifles lost 458 members in Second World War battles in Europe, and the regiment recorded 108 casualties on D-Day.

According to “Breakout from Juno” by Mark Zuehlke, this National Archives of Canada photo shows Regina Rifle infantrymen and a dispatch rider (in long jacket) engaged in house-clearing operations in Caen, France on July 10, 1944. Photo by National Archives of Canada /SUPPLIED

“The Royal Regina Rifles have a proud history and linkage to our past. It is important to honour our veterans and keep the memories alive of our fallen heroes,” Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Laura Ross said in a news release.

To commemorate the anniversary, the trust commissioned a bronze statue by Alberta sculptor Don Begg, which will be erected in Normandy at on the seawall where the Rifles landed.

Depicting a rifleman carrying a Bren gun, a group of active and retired Rifles will accompany the statue to France, where its unveiling will be part of the 10-day battlefield tour, stopping at significant places in France, as well as Holland and Belgium. Regina Mayor Sandra Masters will also travel to France for the anniversary celebrations.

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The trust named the initiative Operation Calvados after the potent apple cider that the regiment found in abundance in Normandy.

“This grant contributes significantly to our efforts to honour the sacrifice of men from across the province who stormed Juno Beach … and to recognize the service of the members of the Regiment who proudly carry on the traditions of the Royal Regina Rifles today,” lead planner Lieutenant-Colonel (Retired) Ed Staniowski, OMM, CD said in the release.

The statue was previewed during a commemorative service at the Saskatchewan War Memorial on April 6, and will then travel to Peepeekisis Cree Nation in the southern part of the province before travelling to France. More than 40 members of the Peepeekisis First Nation served in the Second World War.

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