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Quebec City Garrison

The Olde Fort St. Andrew's Garrison in Quebec is one of the 13 garrisons that make up the 78th Fraser Highlanders in North America and constitutes the administrative body of our organization.

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A bit of history

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Foundation of the Quebec garrison

In preparation for Expo 67, government grants were offered to several partners, including the Stewart Museum, to finance the reconstitution of the 78th Fraser Highlanders regiment. The headquarters is established on Sainte-Hélène Island in Montreal. The new regiment is not military, but historical. Its members are music and history enthusiasts or Scottish descendants. Its mission is to “promote Canadian history, Scottish history and culture and pass on these traditions  to future generations”. By the end of the 1970s, funds began to run out. To ensure the survival of the regiment, groups, called “garrisons”, were formed. Thanks to their subscription fees, members financed the Montreal regiment. Little by little, garrisons were born all over North America. Today, there are 13,  including Olde Fort St. Andrew's in Quebec City.

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The Quebec garrison exists since 2002 following efforts initiated by members of St. Andrew's Church who wanted to create a pipe and drums ensemble. The garrison's Commanding Officer is Major Alan Stairs.

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To learn more about the organization of the 78th Fraser Highlanders in North America, you can visit the website: https://www.78thfrasers.org

The 78th Fraser Highlanders Regiment

The story of the 78th Fraser Highlanders begins in Great Britain. At the time, the 7 Years' War pitted certain European powers, including England and France, against each other. The French navy was considerably weakened and the King of England, George III, saw this as an opportunity to give the final blow to New France. In 1757, knowing the reputation of Scottish soldiers, the king asked Lord Lovat to form the 78th Fraser Highlanders regiment. The king agreed that the soldiers of the 78th Fraser Highlanders wear kilts, speak Gaelic and play Scottish music, an act of flexibility in a particularly repressive period towards Scotland.

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The regiment was quickly raised and around 1,800 soldiers left by boat for America to fight, in 1759, in Quebec City on the Plains of Abraham under the orders of Wolfe. When the 7 Years' War ended in 1763, the regiment was disbanded. The 78th Fraser Hilghlanders is the only British regiment to have been disbanded outside the British Isles. Indeed, it seems that the King of England had no interest in soldiers returning to Scotland after having received prolonged military training. The king's trick worked in part since 160 soldiers decided to settle in Quebec after the dismantling .

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A large portion of those who remained in Canada settled in Fraserville, which later on became Rivière-du-Loup, in the Quebec province. Many of these veteran soldiers later emigrated to British North America with their families and friends, and some served the British crown again during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783).

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As a number of these men spoke French (due to their ties to the Jacobites) and were Catholic, they were well respected by French Canadians in the area. Many of them decided to stay on the land grants and married French Canadian women.

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During their stay in Quebec, the members of the regiment accomplished the following:
-They founded the first Presbyterian church in Canada;
-They established the first lodge of Freemasons;
-They introduced curling on frozen rivers and lakes.


The following are Interesting links  for more information on the history of the regiment and the genealogy of the Frasers in Canada:

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