Royal Regina Rifles D Company Memorial Bretteville-l'Orgueilleuse

It stands at what is now 3 Rue du Commando D, a street renamed in honour of “D” Company of the Royal Regina Rifles.

The memorial recalls the regiment’s role in the bitter fighting that followed the D‑Day landings. On 7 June 1944, the Regina Rifles advanced inland from Juno Beach and reached Bretteville‑l’Orgueilleuse, one of their key objectives. The following night, the village was attacked by tanks and infantry of the 12th SS Panzer Division. In fierce street fighting, one German tank even reached the battalion headquarters before being destroyed. Despite repeated assaults, the Regina Rifles held their ground with the support of Canadian artillery, forcing the Germans to withdraw on 9 June.

The monument itself is a local marker of that stand. It honours the men of “D” Company in particular, who bore the brunt of the fighting in the village, and by extension the entire regiment’s sacrifice in Normandy. The placement of the memorial on Rue du Commando D ties the memory of those soldiers directly to the geography of the town they defended.

Description of the memorial:
The monument is a rectangular stone stele set against a low wall of rough‑cut masonry. At its centre is a bronze plaque framed by two vertical stone pilasters. Above the plaque sits a regimental badge in relief of the Royal Regina Rifles. Beneath the plaque are three stylized maple leaves, painted red and arranged vertically, and a poppy. The memorial is flanked by two shells.

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Source

• Text: TracesofWar
• Photos: Node 9700867477