Lieutenant-Colonel Julien Bibeau
Régiment de Maisonneuve

But impressive as this official recognition of its service undoubtedly is, glimpses more vivid and human into the quality of the regiment’s spirit are provided in certain recorded incidents. Such is the story of how Lt.-Col. Julien Bibeau won the D.S.O. at Calcar, when some members of the regiment had been surrounded by Nazi paratroopers, and he had led a party to their rescue shouting: “Follow me, we are not going to let our boys get killed like that!”

(Montreal Gazette, 29 Nov 1945, 8)

Born in Montreal in January 1908, Julien Bibeau was a graduate of the University of Montreal and sales manager for Maple Leaf Mills. Having belonged to the Cadet Officer Training Corps at university, he took a commission with the Régiment de Maisonneuve in 1937. He graduated from senior officer school in 1943, and by the time the regiment deployed to France after D-Day in July 1944, he served as second-in-command under Lieutenant-Colonel Lefort Bisaillon.

Worn down by a month of difficult fighting in Normandy, Bisaillon relinquished command to Bibeau in mid-August for rest leave. While proceeding to brigade headquarters on 26 August, he and another officer were briefly captured by a German patrol. In the confusion of bombardment, they escaped back to his jeep. When he rejoined the regiment before the end of the month, Bibeau learned that his promotion to lieutenant-colonel had been confirmed. “All rejoice in this and we feel sure that he is quite capable of fulfilling his task,” the war diary declared. “We offer him our sincerest congratulations and are proud of having him as our new leader.”

Bibeau led the Régiment de Maisonneuve through the hard advance into Belgium and the Netherlands. On 25 February 1945, he personally took over a company in an attack, earning the Distinguished Service Order for “inspiring leadership and superb gallantry”:

As he went forward he was fired on by machine guns from three sides but paid absolutely no attention to the fire … Throughout the entire action this commanding officer’s cool, clear thinking, sound judgement and complete disregard for his own safety were worthy of the highest praise

“Showing signs of strain” and exhausted after seven months in command, Bibeau requested relief and was posted to a training unit in England. He was succeeded by Major Lucien Lalonde in April 1945. He remained in the army after the war and was promoted to brigadier in 1950.

He died on 10 October 1982 in Quebec City.