Canadian military unit
Military unit
The Sherbrooke Hussars is a Primary Reserve armoured regiment of the Canadian Forces 
The regiment was formed in 1965 by amalgamation of the 7th/11th Hussars with the Sherbrooke Regiment (RCAC)
It perpetuates the Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment of the Second World War.
Sherbrooke Hussars.
The Canadian Army doctrine changed in the 1950s from mobilizing units in Canada for overseas service, to maintaining standing forces in Europe. As a NATO Charter signatory, Canada's focus was to support first the 27th Infantry Brigade in Germany and later 4th Canadian Mechanized Brigade. The role of reserve units changed to training individual soldiers to augment the regular force.
On 15 February 1965, the 7th/11th Hussars was amalgamated with The Sherbrooke Regiment (RCAC). The Sherbrooke Regiment's Sherman tanks were returned to stores. Regimental headquarters was established in Sherbrooke, with 'A' and 'B' Squadrons. Personnel from outlying areas were encouraged to commute for training. 
On 5 July 1967, Queen Elizabeth II presented new colours (a guidon) on Parliament Hill in the presence of thousands of spectators. An editorial in The Sherbrooke Daily Record declared it a, "... a proud moment, too, for the people of Sherbrooke whose heritage includes the distinguished exploits of this military unit." Likewise in the spirit of Centennial projects that marked the country's 100th birthday was the Sherbrooke Hussars' Centennial Guard. Throughout the Eastern Townships in August, a 35-man platoon of soldiers performed 1860's style Fort Henry Guard inspired drill with period Snider Enfield rifles and bayonets. 
During the decades that followed, members of The Sherbrooke Hussars deployed on Exercise Reforger 'call-outs' to Germany, including a formed Jeep light armoured reconnaissance troop attached to the 8th Canadian Hussars. Other operational deployment included individuals on United Nations missions in Middle East UNEF and UNDOF as support trades, such as drivers, Cyprus UNFICYP as peacekeepers, and extensively in the Former Yugoslavia UNPROFOR. A member of the regiment, Corporal David Galvin, attached to 12eRBC, was killed when his Cougar armoured car rolled over on 29 November 1993. Several members of the regiment served in Afghanistan, including at least one soldier who was wounded by an improvised explosive device. Although individual contributions were significant, the regiment did not meet the detailed criteria for the Afghanistan theatre honours. Elsewhere, personnel served in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake.
Reserve units in Canada face constant challenges of personnel attraction and retention. Often an employer will be reluctant to allow a reservist to leave their job to attend extended training courses or an operational deployment. One effort to reward cooperative employers has been through public recognition through the Canadian Forces Liaison Council. In 2005, the Most Supportive Employer in Quebec was the federal Department of Citizenship and Immigration on behalf of their employee, Captain Simon Hallé of the Sherbrooke Hussars.
National Defence budgets have always set the tone for training and recruiting tempo. For example, in April 2010, both the Sherbrooke Hussars and les Fusiliers de Sherbrooke were required to reduce their operating funds by 40% in the middle of their training year.
In 2019, the regiment perpetuates its Eastern Township roots as a bilingual unit in the Army Reserves. As a member of the Armoured Corps, the Sher H trains for, among other things, mounted reconnaissance, convoy escort and vehicle checkpoint establishment using the TAPV and G Wagen. Its unofficial motto is "see without being seen".
Through the Strengthening the Army Through the Reserves (StAR) project, it will be assigned a mission task, which is still in the analysis stage, to acquire chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) detection expertise. Two additional Regular Force cadre were posted to Sherbrooke to facilitate the capacity. Other units across Canada have been assigned significant mission tasks in three strategic approaches. Currently validated missions include force protection, convoy escorts, Arctic response company groups, and territorial battalion groups; newly identified missions like infantry platoons, reconnaissance, direct fire support, assault pioneers, mortars, influence activities, persistent surveillance system, and long-haul trucking; and exploring future missions such as assault troop, light urban search and rescue, light engineer bridging, cyber threats.
The Sherbrooke Hussars has used a variety of operational vehicles:
The current service vehicle is the Mercedes G-Wagen ;templatestyles src="Fraction/styles.css" / ;1⁄2-ton truck, and the operational support vehicle is the MilCots commercial pattern extended cab 4x4 truck. There are six assigned for the echelon as fuel can hauler, ammo truck, squadron sergeant major's resupply and canteen, 1st line mechanic, and administration sergeant in place of the retired LSVW. In fall 2017, the transition to a new vehicle began, the TAPV, 18-ton Textron Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle.
Lineage.
The Sherbrooke Regiment.
The Sherbrooke Regiment was initially formed on 21 September 1866 in Melbourne, Quebec as the Sherbrooke Battalion of Infantry, becoming the 53rd (Sherbrooke) Battalion in 1867. The regiment perpetuates the Frontier Light Infantry as well as the 1st and 4th battalions of the Eastern Township District (1812–1815) from the War of 1812. As a result, the regiment carries the theatre battle honour, Defence of Canada 1812–15, in recognition of the service rendered by the Frontier Light Infantry at the Battle of Lacolle Mills (1814).
On 22 March 1867, it was reorganized as two separate battalions designated the 53rd Melbourne Battalion of Infantry and the 54th Sherbrooke Battalion of Infantry. It was redesignated as the 53rd Sherbrooke Battalion of Infantry on 10 May 1867 and then the 53rd Sherbrooke Regiment on 8 May 1900
The regiment provided volunteers for the 12th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force in 1914. The following year, it provided men to the 117th (Eastern Townships) Battalion, CEF. After proceeding overseas the 117th was broken up to provide reinforcements for several other Canadian units serving France.
In 1920, the Sherbrooke Regiment was reformed with two battalions – the 1st Battalion perpetuated the traditions of the 117th CEF. 
Following the Great War, the regiment was renamed The Sherbrooke Regiment on 29 March 1920 and re-roled as a machine gun battalion as The Sherbrooke Regiment (MG) on 15 December 1936
In 1940, parts of the regiment amalgamated with Les Fusiliers de Sherbrooke to form the Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment (27th Canadian Armoured Regiment) which was an armoured regiment, while the Sherbrooke Regiment continued as infantry.
After the end of the Second World War, The Sherbrooke Regiment re-roled as armour, becoming the 12th Armoured Regiment (Sherbrooke Regiment), The Sherbrooke Regiment (RCAC). In 1965, it amalgamated with the 7th/11th Hussars to become The Sherbrooke Hussars.
7th/11th Hussars.
The 7th/11th Hussars was formed in 1936 through the amalgamation of the 7th Hussars and 11th Hussars. In 1940, 400 men of the 7th/11th Hussars were mobilized as infantry with the 1st Battalion, Royal Rifles of Canada. It was redesignated the 2nd (Reserve) Regiment, 7th/11th Hussars on 27 February 1941. The regiment itself became the 16th (Reserve) Armoured Regiment, before being disbanded in 1943, with its personnel absorbed by the 5th Canadian Armoured Division of I Canadian Corps.
Brigade Headquarters of 5 Canadian Armoured Brigade was nicknamed "Headquarters Squadron (7th/11th Hussars)", and saw service in the Italian and Northwest Europe campaigns. Two HQ Sqn (7th/11th Hussars) members received periodic MBEs for their wartime service, Captain Robert Rutherford was brigade reconnaissance officer, and Squadron Serjeant (sic) Major Cecil Raven was de facto HQ RSM.
In 1946, the regiment was raised again in Canada, as 16th Reconnaissance Regiment (7th/11th Hussars), RCAC on 1 April 1946, redesignated the 7th/11th Hussars (16th Reconnaissance Regiment) on 4 February 1949. It converted to armour as the 7th/11th Hussars (16th Armoured Regiment) on 1 September 1954 and finally the 7th/11th Hussars on 19 May 1958.
On 15 February 1965, it was amalgamated with The Sherbrooke Regiment (RCAC) to form the Sherbrooke Hussars.
Eastern Townships' military legacies.
A significant number and distribution of local units were extant through the years. Their perpetuations are complex and acknowledge presence of units rather than their arm of service.
The 26th Canadian Horse "Stanstead" Dragoons originated in Coaticook on 1 April 1910: Headquarters and 'A Squadron' at Coaticook (previously known as E Squadron, 7th Hussars [No. 6 Company, 58th Compton Regiment, 1 February 1900); 'B Squadron' at Magog (D Squadron, 11th Hussars, 1 April 1905); 'C Squadron' at Stanstead ('A Squadron, 13th Scottish Light Dragoons [Troop of Cavalry at Stanstead, 23 February 1872]; and 'D Squadron' at Ayer's Cliff (E Squadron, 6th Duke of Connaught's Royal Canadian Hussars, 1 July 1903). It was redesignated: '26th Stanstead Dragoons' on 3 September 1912 and postwar as 'The Eastern Townships Mounted Rifles'. On 15 March 1920 it was reorganized as a two regiment unit with the 1st Regiment (5th Canadian Mounted Rifles Battalion, CEF) and a nul-strength reserve battalion. The latter was disbanded, and the former was converted to artillery. The perpetuation of the '5th Canadian Mounted Rifles Battalion (Eastern Townships Regiment), CEF' then transferred to the '7th/11th Hussars' and ultimately to the Sherbrooke Hussars.
On 15 December 1936 the Stanstead Dragoons were converted to artillery and redesignated '27th Field Brigade, RCA'. Then over the next years, it was successively '27th (Reserve) Field Brigade, RCA', '27th (Reserve) Field Regiment, RCA', the '27th Field Regiment, RCA', and '27th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA' on 12 April 1960. Finally, reduced to nil strength on 1 April 1970. Before 1939, the brigade included four batteries: the 72nd Coaticook, 73rd Magog, 74th Stanstead and 75th Cowansville batteries.
The guidon of The Sherbrooke Hussars has, at its centre bottom, the device of the Royal Rifles of Canada to denote the honorary distinction battle honour for Hong Kong.
History of preceding regiments.
The First World War.
Details of the 53rd Sherbrooke Regiment were placed on active service for local protective duty on 6 August 1914.
The 5th Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles, CEF was authorized on 7 November 1914 and raised from volunteers of the 7th and 11th (Canadian) Hussars from the Eastern Townships of Quebec. The battalion embarked for Britain on 18 July 1915. After a short period of training, it arrived in France on 24 October 1915, where it fought as part of the 2nd Brigade Canadian Mounted Rifles. On 24 December 1915 it was redesignated the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles and rolled into the 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade which was raised in December 1915 in France from six Mounted Rifles regiments that were converted into infantry units, forming four infantry battalions. After this, the brigade took part in most of the major actions fought by the Canadians on the Western Front for the next two-and-a-half years until the armistice in November 1918. 5th CMR was disbanded on 30 August 1920.
One of the most notable members of the regimental family was George Harold Baker, MP for Brome. Elected as a Conservative on 21 September 1911, in 1915 he raised the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles, took them overseas and led them into action in France. He was killed in action at Ypres on 2 June 1916. LCol Baker is the only Member of Parliament to be killed in military action while serving as an MP. Previously, George Baker was Lieutenant-Colonel of The 13th Scottish Light Dragoons.
The other notable member of the regimental family was George Randolph Pearkes, VC. Major George Pearkes was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery at Passchendaele October 30–31, 1917. George Pearkes was born in England in 1883, and immigrated to Western Canada in 1906. He joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force during WW1, and joined 5CMR in September 1916. During the Battle of Passchendaele, despite a leg wound, he led some of his men through heavy enemy fire across open ground to capture a strategically located farm. For more than a day, they fought off numerous counter-attacks. He served again during the Second World War, was later a federal cabinet minister and the Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia.
The 117th (Eastern Townships) Battalion, CEF, which was authorized on 22 December 1915, even though it began recruiting as early as 5 November and embarked for Britain on 14 August 1916. Not without protest, by mid-November 1916 the men of the 117th Battalion were being drafted, or transferred, into other battalions. In November 1916, the first draft saw over 100 men joining the ranks of 5th CMR. These would be the first 117th Battalion soldiers to serve in France and would spend Christmas Day 1916 in the trenches. A later draft saw another 165 men transferred to the 5th CMR giving them some solace in serving with a somewhat homegrown battalion, and they were initiated into the front lines by the end of January 1917. The 117th provided reinforcements until 8 January 1917