Major Jean Gauthier
Royal Canadian Dragoons

By his quick decisions, initiative and skillful handling of his Sqn he achieved results against the enemy in captured materials and prisoners of war out of all proportion to the size of his own forces. His personal bravery, determination and devotion to duty was an inspiring example to his men enabling them to secure a key objective to permit the regiment to advance with all possible speed.

(D.S.O. citation, 13 May 1945)

Born in Montreal on 21 March 1917, Jean Prosper Gautier enlisted for active service in 1940 and rose to be squadron commander in the Royal Canadian Dragoons. It served as the armoured car regiment for I Canadian Corps before a reorganization of the formation in July 1944. The RCD was attached to 1st Canadian Division as the reconnaissance regiment in the place of the Princess Louise Dragoon Guards which had converted to infantry with the 12th Brigade, 5th Division.

Gauthier led a squadron of jeep under a smoke screen at Melfa River in the Italian campaign, and went on to earn the Distinguished Service Order in Northwest Europe. On 14 April 1945, while advancing toward the North Sea, he learned a small band of Dutch resistance fighters were trapped by a larger German force in Ureterp. Gauthier led a small party on reconnaissance of the area, and after coming under heavy fire, advanced with one trooper on foot:

He came upon a camouflaged enemy slit-pit manned by two Bazooka men, he shot one with his pistol, and covered by the fire of his Tpr, he returned safely. As a result of this very brave and determined personal recce he was able to obtain a concise first hand appreciation of the situation in Ureterp. He dispatched a troop to deal with this enemy pocket without prejudice to his Sqn’s main task which he continued to direct.

As the squadron advance, it came upon a key bridge crossing, which a large enemy force prepared to detonate:

Due to very hy and sustained enemy MG and Bazooka fire the troop was forced to withdraw, immediately Maj. Gauthier went fwd, personally organized the troop and led them to their objective. Skillfully deploying the remainder of the Sqn, he fought this tp in a very heavy engagement for half an hour and, as a result, eleven of the enemy were killed, an unknown number wounded, the [bridge] was seized intact and 19 prisoners taken.

Gauthier was the final RCD commanding officer. He succeeded Lieutenant-Colonel K.D. Landell in November and led the regiment home in December 1945. After the war he worked as an insurance executive but remained active in the Reserve Army. He command 6th Duke of Connaught’s Royal Canadian Hussars in the 1950s and retired at the rank of brigadier.

He died in Sherbrooke on 27 May 1998.