In July 1998, 5e Régiment de Génie du Canada dedicated its armoured engineer building to Major J.J. Denovan. As a young officer with the British Tank Design Department in 1943, Lieutenant Denovan was instrumental in developing the prototype armoured engineer vehicle based on the Churchill tank. Spawning a number of variants, these armoured vehicles led to the formation of engineer armoured assault troops that permitted the engineers to be “first in the breach.”