12th Armoured Regiment

Lt-Col. F.L. Caron

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Lieutenant-Colonel F.L. Caron
12th (Three Rivers) Tank Regiment
Caron

There was a good deal of shelling, and continuous mortaring and sniping of our positions in the area. In spite of the enemy fire, Lt.-Col. Caron was continually among the forward positions personally supervising the employment of his Squadrons and seeking information about the enemy, which he might employ to advantage.

(D.S.O. citation, 30 June 1945)

Born in Montreal on 11 November 1918, Fernand Ludger Caron was a University of Montreal graduate and an accountant in civil life. He volunteered for active service in September 1939 and was soon commissioned with the Régiment de Trois-Rivières and rose to second-in-command of the redesignated 12th Tank Regiment in 1943.

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Brig. J.F. Bingham

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Brigadier John F. Bingham
Royal Canadian Dragoons
12th (Three Rivers) Tank Regiment
2nd Armoured Brigade
Bingham

The Regiment’s new C.O. is, very temporarily, Lt. Col. J.F. Bingham. A member of the general staff, he has come to serve out his mandatory one month in action, in order to qualify for promotion to brigadier.

(Charles Prieur, War Chronicles, 204)

Born in Winnipeg on 6 August 1911, John Francis Bingham was a fencer in youth and son of the former commanding officer of the Fort Garry Horse. Commissioned in the Lord Strathcona’s Horse in 1933, Bingham rose quickly after the outbreak of the Second World War from captain to lieutenant colonel. In June 1942, he became commanding officer of the Royal Canadian Dragoons (Armoured Car Regiment), which arrived at Sicily in November 1943 and entered the Italian theatre in January.

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Brig. E.L. Booth

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Brigadier Leslie Booth
12th (Three Rivers) Tank Regiment
4th Armoured Brigade
Booth

It was strange but at about the time that Simonds and I were discussing that problem I became convinced that Boothie had a premonition that he would be killed. He certainly was not the same keen and cheerful man of the year before in Sicily … I looked for him to hear what was wrong,

(Kitching, Mud and Green Field, 213)

Born in Lancaster, England on 21 April 1906, Eric Leslie Booth was engineer for the Bell Telephone Company and prewar militia officer with the Mississauga Horse. In September 1939, he enlisted with the 1st Hussars, later redesignated the 6th Armoured Regiment, and went overseas as a major in late 1941. He served for several months as second-in-command of the 17th Lancers in North Africa before being appointed to command the 12th Tank (Three Rivers) Regiment in April 1943.

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Lt-Col. J.G. Vining

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Lieutenant-Colonel Jake Vining
12th (Three Rivers) Tank Regiment
Vining

All of us wondered what was going to happen. After lengthy deliberation, the authorities called on J.G. Vining, the regiment’s previous command officer, who by then was retired. To our great delight he joined us in Westmount.

(Allard, Memoirs, 29-30)

Born in Guernsey, Channel Islands England on 24 September 1896, John Gore Vining had enlisted as a private from Three Rivers, Quebec in July 1916, was wounded in France, and was commissioned after the armistice. He remained in the militia after the war and retired as commanding officer of Régiment de Trois-Rivières in 1936. After his two successors were transferred as over-age, Vining agreed to come out of retirement in July 1940 to resume command of the regiment as it mobilized as apart of the armoured corps.

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Lt-Col. G.E.A. Dupuis

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Lieutenant-Colonel Alex Dupuis
12th (Three Rivers) Tank Regiment
Dupluis

There is no fault to find with this officer’s moral character and he is hard working. He, however, seems entirely lacking in initiative and drive. His office acts solely as a Post Office with the result that much work that should be done by him is passed to this H.Q. I consider this officer is out of his depth in his present command.

(Confidential report, 21 Feb 1941)

Born in Quebec City on 31 October 1888, George Elzer Alexandre Dupuis was a decorated First World War veteran with a Military Cross and Bar. He had joined the 22nd Battalion in France as a reinforcement officer on 1 July 1916. Although twice wounded he remained on duty and by April 1917 had been promoted to acting major. When many of the senior officers were wounded during the battle of Amiens, Dupuis briefly took command of the battalion from 28 August to 10 September 1918.

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