"Pay Respects...The Vandoos Memorial..." Top 5 Page for this destination Quebec Off The Beaten Path Tip by Greggor58

This Memorial sits on a prominent piece of land in the front of the Grande Allée Armoury....I discovered it quite accidentally...I noticed it as I was returning to Vieux Quebec from the musee des beux arts...

The word " Vandoos " is a slang derivative and nickname given to the 22nd Regiment of the Canadian Army...en francais c'est le vingt deux and hence the nickname..."Vandoos"..

The history of the Regiment goes back to the First World War and was in fact a strictly French speaking Regiment whose ranks were drawn from francophone's from across Canada.

The unit fought in various vicious battles in the First World War such as the Somme,Passchendaele,Vimy,Ypres,and Amiens....

During the Second World War the unit again distinguished itself in battles all across Europe...Italy,Sicily,Holland and Germany....

There have been at least three Victoria Cross recipients from the Regiment...the highest military decoration awarded to members of the Canadian military for bravery in action.

This Memorial was unveiled on November 11th,1989 and honors the memory of the soldiers from the regiment who were killed during the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War.

The names of all that have been killed while serving with the Vandoos are inscribed on the gray granite walls on both sides of the monument.Its not something that's large and grandiose but if you take a few minutes and read some of the names listed its certainly meaningful,many of these men were young when killed.

The list is long......

Today the unit's most recent deployment has been in Afghanistan...where sadly,losses were incurred, three more names to be added to the list.

Phone: 1-866-522-2122
Website: http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=memorials/memcan