The Sherman Tank at the Charleswood Legion

I think almost everyone living in Charleswood is familiar with the Sherman tank monument in front of Charleswood Legion #100 but few probably know the history behind it.

Being a history buff and that my paternal grandfather fought in the Second World War, I decided to do some research on it.

The tank was built by General Motors in Detroit, Mich., in 1945 and cost the Canadian Army $1,460. The name on the tank is The Fort Garry Horse-M.

The Fort Garry Horse was originally a cavalry regiment formed in 1912, which served in the First World War and was redesignated an armoured regiment for the Second World War.

The Fort Garry Horse tank had a crew of five; it weighs 38.5 tons and had a maximum speed of 50 km/h. In 1943-44, the regiment (known as The Garrys) underwent amphibious training in the new Sherman tanks in Scotland and were one of the first regiments to land in Normandy on June 6, 1944. They also helped to liberalize the town of Doetinchem in the Netherlands. Today, Canada Park stands in Doetinchem and was recently upgraded for the 50th anniversary of D-Day. The Garrys returned to Canada in November 1945.

 Leonardo de Vinci first came up with the concept of a tank in 1487. He believed he could build armoured cars to enter enemy territories and break through the strongest company of soldiers. It was over 400 years before the first armoured tanks were built.

Most Sherman tanks in the Second World War required many hours of maintenance for little actual driving time and they often burned when hit by enemy shells. They also had very cramped quarters and, along with a crew of four to five, they also had to store food rations, clothes, equipment and ammunition.

The size of the tanks  changed very little, even with more modern versions. Sherman tanks were retired from Canadian services in 1970.

Lisa Lagasse is a community correspondent for Charleswood. Email her at Charleswoodres@gmail.com