The 19th Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery supported the 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade’s landings on Juno Beach. The regiment was commanded by Lt.-Col. R. G. Clarke.
The regiment was made up of a Regimental Headquarters, 55th Field Battery, 63rd Field Battery, and 99th Field Battery. The 19th Regiment was attached to the 3rd Canadian Infantry for the D-Day landings. Normally they were one of the artillery units under command of First Canadian Army.
The 19th Regiment opened fire at 0739 Hours on the German defences at Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer with their 105mm self-propelled guns. Elements of the regiment began to land at Bernières at 0910 Hours. Despite being under mortar fire on the beach, the first gun of the regiment was set up and firing by 0920 Hours.
The regiment took casualties, both troops and guns, from enemy artillery and mortar fire on the beach. By late afternoon most of the regiment was ashore. At 2050 Hours, the 14th Regiment had moved to a new area south of Bernières. They came under heavy mortar fire at this position but the guns of the 63rd Battery neutralized them.
The regiment’s War Diary gave praise to all its Forward Observation Officers and stated that “Numerous deeds of bravery and demonstrations of coolness and clear thinking under fire were performed by members of this Regiment today, but to single out individual acts would be unfair to the balance.”
The 19th Field Regiment suffered 3 killed and 18 wounded on D-Day. 508 gunners of the regiment came ashore at Juno Beach on June 6th.
Roll of Honour
KIRBY MURRAY OLIVER
McHUGHEN BERNARD THOMAS
WALKER HARVEY LLOYD
Research and writing by Brad St.Croix, PhD