Plans underway for memorial statue to honour Regina Rifles

Plans are being made for a memorial in France to honour members of the Royal Regina Rifles.

The regiment participated in the 1944 D-Day landing at Juno Beach that was a turning point in WWII.

Randy Brooks, an honorary colonel at the Regina Rifles, stopped to salute at the monument in Victoria Park on Wednesday commemorating the 1944 D-Day landing.

“The Regina Rifles played a key role in the invasion force, tip of the spear as they say, the invasion force that came ashore at Juno Beach on the 6th of June of 1944,” he said.

The Regina Rifles had 1,000 members and 458 were casualties during the war. Brooks believes they need to be remembered.

“There’s a modest plaque that’s been there for decades that honours 458. What we’d like to do on the 80th anniversary, and that is something that other regiments have done, and that is to have a larger, in this case a monument, a statue of a Regina Rifle soldier,” Brooks said.

Funds are being raised to erect a statue at next year’s 80th anniversary.

The eight-foot tall statue would be based on a drawing and funds are now being raised. The regiment has strong community support to this day.

The hope is to have the statue ready for public display in Regina next May before it is transported to Juno Beach in June for unveiling during the 80th anniversary commemoration.