4 ESR History
4 Engineer Support Regiment (4 ESR) was activated on 10 December 1992 at CFB Gagetown with the amalgamation of 22 Field Squadron from CFB Gagetown and 4 Combat Engineer Regiment from CFB Lahr. 4 ESR consists of 41 Construction Squadron, 42 General Support Squadron, 48 Administration Squadron and a Regimental Headquarters Troop.
4 ESR's operational role is to provide general support to the Canadian Army both at home and abroad. In peacetime, 4 ESR also provides field engineer and field engineer equipment support to CFB Gagetown and Land Force Atlantic Area.
The Regiment's primary operational task is the provision of sustainment engineering such as water supply, route maintenance and construction, vertical construction and the provision of utilities. The Regiment is also capable of performing traditional engineer tasks in the following areas: mobility and survivability. Common tasks to support CFB Gagetown include demolition and mine warfare training, provision of battlefield simulation, equipment and firepower demonstrations and the provision of engineer advice and support to courses. The Regiment also provides extensive support for CFB Gagetown Range and Training area development. This support includes road construction, small arms range construction and most recently the construction of Lindsay Valley Lodge. The Regiment is also responsible for conducting all armoured engineer training in the Canadian Forces. As one of the operational units within CFB Gagetown, 4 ESR also provides aid or assistance to civil authorities.
Highlights of 4 ESR's short history include unit deployment to Fort Irwin, California in January 1993, assistance to civil authorities in the Edmundston area searching for downed helicopters, provision of equipment operators to OP MANDARIN in Yugoslavia, provision of a field troop to OP HARMONY in Croatia to conduct mine clearing operations May to June 1994, a composite troop deployed to Rwanda on OP PASSAGE July to September 1994 and a second composite troop deployed to Rwanda on OP LANCE July 1994 to January 1995. In March 1996, 42 Engineer Squadron deployed to Haiti on OP STANDARD for a UN tour.
In June 1997, the Regiment deployed to the Winnipeg flood on OP ASSISTANCE and in January 1998, deployed to St-Jean-sur-Richelieu on OP RECUPERATION. 4 ESR was called upon to use its combat divers to assist in the search operation following the Swiss Air Disaster in 1998 off the coast of Nova Scotia. In January 1999, 42 Squadron deployed with the Battle Group of 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment to the NATO Operation SFOR in Bosnia. In April 1999, the Regiment established and operated the Kosovar refugee camp in CFB Gagetown under OP PARASOL where 1100 refugees were eventually housed for four months. In December 2000, 4 ESR deployed to the Horn of Africa to construct two 250-man camps as part of the United Mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea.
