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Cavalry/Armoured Regiments
1st Hussars
1st APC Regiment
2nd Dragoons
2nd/10th Dragoons
3rd Prince of Wales' Cdn Dragoons
4th Hussars
IV PLDG
5th Princess Louise Drag. Gds
6th Duke of Connaught's R.C.H.
7th Hussars
7th/11th Hussars
8th Princess Louise's NB Hussars
8th Cdn Hussars (Princess Louise's)
9th (Grey's) Horse
9th Toronto Light Horse
9th Mississauga Horse
10th Brant Dragoons
10th Queen's Own Cdn Hussars
11th Hussars
12th Manitoba Dragoons
12e Régiment Blindé du Canada
13th Scottish Light Dragoons
14th Canadian Hussars
14th King's Canadian Hussars
15th Light Horse
16th Light Horse
17th D.O.Y.R.C.H.
17th PEI Recce
18th Mounted Rifles
19th Alberta Dragoons
19th The Alberta Mounted Rifles
20th Border Horse
20th Sask. Armoured
21st Alberta Hussars
22nd Saskatchewan Horse
22nd Saskatchewan Light Horse
23rd Alberta Rangers
24th Grey's Horse
25th Brant Dragoons
26th Canadian Dragoons
27th Light Horse
28th New Brunswick Dragoons
29th Light Horse
30th Regiment (BC Horse)
31st Regiment (BC Horse)
32nd Light Horse
32nd Manitoba Horse
33rd Vaudreuil & Soulanges Huss.
34th Fort Garry Horse
35th Central Alberta Horse
36th PEI Light Horse
Algonquin Regiment
B.C. Dragoons
B.C. Regiment
The Border Horse
Canadian Mounted Rifles
Duke of York's Royal Cdn Hussars
Elgin Regiment
Fort Garry Horse
Grey & Simcoe Foresters
Governor General's Body Guard
Gov. Gen. Horse Guards
Halifax Rifles
King's Own Calgary Regt.
Lord Strathcona's Horse
Manitoba Dragoons
Manitoba Horse
Mississauga Horse
Ontario Mounted Rifles
Princess Louise Dragoon Guards
Queen's Own Canadian Hussars
Queen's York Rangers
Régt de Hull
Régt de Trois-Riviéres
Royal Canadian Dragoons
Royal Canadian Mounted Rifles
Sherbrooke Regiment
South Alberta Light Horse
Strathcona's Horse
Toronto Light Horse
Toronto Mounted Rifles
Windsor Regiment

Infantry Regiments 1900-1919
Dawson Rifles
GGFG
Kootenay Rifles
PPCLI
Royal Canadian Regiment

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CEF Battalions 1914-1920

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Infantry Regiments 1920-2000
Algonquin Regiment
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
Black Watch (RHR) of Canada
Calgary Highlanders
Calgary Regiment
Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa
Canadian Airborne Regiment
Canadian Scottish Regiment
Canadian Fusiliers (C of L Regt)
Canadian Guards
Canadian Grenadier Guards
Cape Breton Highlanders
Carleton and York Regiment
Elgin Regiment
Essex Scottish
Fusiliers de Sherbrooke
Fusiliers Mont Royal
Fusiliers du St. Laurent
48th Highlanders of Canada
Gov Gen Foot Guards
Hastings and Prince Edward Regt
Irish Fusiliers of Canada
Irish Regiment of Canada
Highland Light Infantry of Canada
Kent Regiment
King's Own Rifles of Canada
Lake Superior Regiment
Lincoln and Welland Regiment
Loyal Edmonton Regiment
Lorne Scots
Midland Regiment
Mississauga Regiment
New Brunswick Rangers
New Brunswick Scottish
North Nova Scotia Highlanders
North Shore (New Brunswick) Regt
Oxford Rifles
Perth Regiment
Pictou Highlanders
PPCLI
Prince Albert and Battleford Voltrs
Princess Louise Fusiliers (MG)
Prince Rupert Regiment
Princess of Wales' Own Regiment
Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
Queen's Own Rifles of Canada
Queen's York Rangers
Régiment de la Chaudière
Régiment de Chateauguay
Régiment de Levis
Régiment de Maisonneuve
Régiment de Montmagmy
Régiment de Saguenay
Régiment de St. Hyacinthe
Régiment de Québec
Regina Rifle Regiment
Rocky Mountain Rangers
Royal 22e Regt
Royal Canadian Regt
Royal Regiment of Canada
Royal Regina Rifles
Royal Hamilton Light Infantry
Royal Montreal Regiment
Royal New Brunswick Regiment
Royal Rifles of Canada
Royal Winnipeg Rifles
Saskatoon Light Infantry
S, D and G Highlanders
Seaforth Highlanders of Canada
South Alberta Regiment
South New Brunswick Regiment
South Saskatchewan Regiment
Toronto Regiment
Toronto Scottish Regiment
Victoria Rifles of Canada
Voltigeurs de Quebec
Westminster Regiment
West Nova Scotia Regiment
Winnipeg Grenadiers
Winnipeg Light Infantry
Yukon Regiment

The Royal Canadian Dragoons

The Royal Canadian Dragoons was a regiment of cavalry that served in the Regular Force of the Canadian Army throughout the 20th Century. It converted to armour during the Second World War.

Lineage

Cavalry School Corps formed 21 Dec 1883
Redesignated Royal School of Cavalry 15 Jul 1887
Redesignated Canadian Dragoons 24 May 1892, and as The Royal Canadian Dragoons on 24 May 1893
Redesignated 1st Armoured Car Regiment (Royal Canadian Dragoons) as a field force unit.
Redesignated 1st Armoured Regiment (Royal Canadian Dragoons) 16 Oct 1946
Redesignated Royal Canadian Dragoons (1st Armoured Regiment) 2 Mar 1949
Redesignated Royal Canadian Dragoons 19 May 1958
Redesignated The Royal Canadian Dragoons 12 Jan 1959.
The Regiment survived into the 21st Century without any further changes in designation.

The Royal Canadian Dragoons

Headquarters: See article
Organized: 21 Dec 1883
Status 1 Jan 2000: Regular Force Armoured Regiment.

Home Stations

1883 - 1893	:	La Citadelle, Quebec City
1893 - 1946	:	Toronto, ON
1892 - 1901	:	Winnipeg, MB
1906 - 1946	:	St. Jean, PQ
1946 - 1948	:	Borden, ON
1948 - 1959	:	Petawawa, ON
1959 - 1970	:	Oromocto, NB
1970	:	Iserlohn, Germany
1970	:	Werl, Germany
1970 - 1987	:	Lahr, Germany
1987 -	:	Petawawa, ON

Field Force Contributions

The regiment raised the 1st Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles for the Boer War, being redesignated The Royal Canadian Dragoons on 22 Aug 1900. The unit served in South Africa where three soldiers were awarded the Victoria Cross.

The Regiment served in the First World War as a field force unit designated The Royal Canadian Dragoons. The unit served in the First World War as infantry with the 1st Canadian Division in 1915, and later as a cavalry regiment of the Canadian Cavalry Brigade from 1916-1918.

The Regiment was placed on active service on 1 Sep 1939, and in Jul 1940 contributed a headquarters and one squadron to the 1st Canadian Motorcycle Regiment (RCD/LSH (RC)). On 21 Sep 1940 the 1st Canadian Motorcycle Regiment (RCD/LSH (RC)) was redesignated "Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians)", and The Royal Canadian Dragoons (Armoured Car Regiment) (CASF) was mobilized, being allocated to the Canadian Armoured Corps on 15 Nov 1940.

On 11 Feb 1941 the unit was redesignated 1st Armoured Car Regiment (Royal Canadian Dragoons) and embarked for the UK on 13 Nov 1941 as part of the 5th Canadian (Armoured) Division. In Jan 1942 it became the armoured car regiment of I Canadian Corps and saw service in Sicily after the fighting there, and in Italy from 5 Jan 19444 to Jul 1944. In Jul 1944 it became the Reconnaissance Regiment of the 1st Canadian Infantry Division during a reorganization of infantry forces in theatre. In Mar 1945 the unit moved to North-West Europe as part of Operation GOLDFLAKE, and resumed its role as Armoured Car regiment of I Canadian Corps. The unit returned to Canada in Jan 1946 and returned to its status as a peacetime Regular regiment.

Alliance

In 1977, the regiment formed a Regimental Alliance with The Blues and Royals of the British Army.

History

Throughout the 20th Century, the Royal Canadian Dragoons have been Canada's senior Regular mounted regiment, converting to armour during the Second World War. After the war, the regiment served in West Germany and Cyprus, with independent squadrons in Korea, Cyprus, Egypt, Germany and Gagetown.

In 1970 the regiment moved from CFB Gagetown, NB to Fort Beausejour in Iserlohn, Germany, moving shortly after to Lahr/Schwarzwald, serving with 4 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group. In 1987, the regiment returned to Worthington Barracks at CFB Petawawa. A squadron and recce squadron assault troop served on UN duty in Somalia, and in Oct 1994 the regiment deployed with UNPROFOR in Bosnia-Herzegovena, deploying to Bosnia again in 1995 and 1996.
Battle Honours

The Regiment was awarded Battle Honours for both World Wars (bold type indicates honours selected for emblazonment):

North West Canada 1885 Festubert 1915 Bazentin Flers-Courcelette St. Quentin Hindenburg Line Beaurevoir France and Flanders 1915-18 Gothic Line Misano Ridge Fosso Vecchio Groningen	South Africa 1900 Somme 1916, '18 Pozières Cambrai 1917, '18 Amiens St. Quentin Canal Pursuit to Mons Liri Valley Lamone Crossing Sant' Angelo-in-Salute Italy 1944-1945 Bad Zwischenahn
North-West Europe 1945

Uniform Insignia

The cap and collar badges worn by the Regiment throughout the century dated from the Boer War, according to the Regimental website:

In July 1900, while a troop of the Regiment was on outpost duty in South Africa, all seemed quiet; but a sentry reported to his officer that a number of springboks (South African gazelles) were bounding frequently into the air as though alarmed. The officer immediately ordered a stand-to in time to drive off an attack by a large party of Boers, who had managed a stealthy approach to the outpost. The Commanding Officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Lessard, on hearing of this event, requested authority to take the bounding springbok as the Regimental Badge. In 1913 Royal approval to wear the springbok as the Regimental Cap and Collar Badges was given. The badge design is a springbok bounding on a veldt, surmounted on a scroll inscribed: Royal Canadian Dragoons."

Cap Badge

	Armorial Description: A springbok bounding, on a scroll inscribed ROYAL CANADIAN DRAGOONS.¹ The same badge was in use from 1908 to the 21st Century, though according to Thompson new dies were struck in the late 1960s, and the words on the scroll were divided so as to be easier to read. At left is the standard pattern worn from 1908.
	Newer versions in gilt and sterling silver, both "old die" types. A cloth badge for the Combat Hat was also produced.

Thompson identifies 5 types of badge: Q83 Brass, old die, 1-1/2" high by 1-7/8" wide Q83a silver and white metal, old die Q84 brass, new die Q84a bronze, new die (as shown at right - makers' mark is J.R. GAUNT MONTREAL MADE IN ENGLAND - note the increased space between the words ROYAL CANADIAN DRAGOONS) Q85b gilt, new die

Collar Badges

Collar badges were in smaller versions of the springbok without the scroll, mirrored and worn with the sprinboks facing each other. Brass was worn by Other Ranks and white metal by officers; brass was replaced with plated push pin types.

Metal Shoulder Titles

Metal shoulder titles of the same type were in use from 1908 into the 21st Century, originally brass, and later in gilt after Unification. The title was approved by General Order 50/1908. Thompson Reference Number: Q83, Mazeas Reference Number: C.1.

Buttons

The RCD used 10 different patterns of buttons from 1893 to 2000; the pattern at top was in use from 1937-1948 according to Smylie, who designates this pattern M-Ah. The pattern at bottom was in use from 1952 onwards according to Smylie, who designates this pattern M-Aj. First button courtesy Raymond Collins.

Cloth Shoulder Flashes

Early in the Second World War, the slip on shoulder title was adopted for wear on Battle Dress before a move to coloured shoulder flashes, probably in 1941.

Badges and images courtesy of Bill Ellis.

English-made variation courtesy of Bill Alexander.

Abbreviated variants courtesy of Bill Alexander.

On Combat Dress, the OD shoulder title was embroidered RCD.

Formation Patches

The Regiment wore Formation Patches as follows:

5th Canadian (Armoured) Division
I Canadian Corps
4 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group 1985-1987
Special Service Force 1987-1995
2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group 1995-

While taken in 2005, this photo is still representative of the DEU uniform as worn from 1995 onwards. The official caption of this photo, as originally presented at the DND website, reads:

TORONTO—Sgt Troy Cleveland of The Royal Canadian Dragoons stands at attention while LGen Marc Caron, Chief of the Land Staff, inspects personnel during Land Force Central Area's February 3, 2005 Change of Command parade. All CF members can look this good with the help of Clothing Online and the new points-based DEU replacement system. Photo by Corporal Philip Cheung, 32 Canadian Brigade Group PA.

Notes

1. Mazeas Reference Number: C.1