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2nd/10th
Dragoons was a regiment of the Militia that served
during the 20th Century as a cavalry regiment and
later as an armoured regiment.
Lineage
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15 December 1936:
2nd/10th Dragoons created from an amalgamation of
the 2nd Dragoons and the 10th Brant Dragoons
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Converted to artillery and
redesignated 57th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment
(2nd/10th Dragoons), RCA 1 April 1946.
History
During the 1936 reorganizations
of the Canadian Militia, two of Ontario's cavalry regiments
were amalgamated, with three squadrons based at St.
Catharines, Hamilton, and Brantford, and Regimental HQ in
Hamilton. The 2nd/10th Dragoons were not earmarked for
mobilization with the Canadian Active Service Force in 1939,
and in 1942 a Canadian Army (Active) unit was mobilized as
an infantry battalion for the 7th Canadian Infantry
Division, a component of Atlantic Command, serving on
Canada's east coast in the home defence role. This unit
disbanded late in 1943. In the meantime, the reserve
battalion paraded in its part-time capacity, having assumed
an armoured reconnaissance role, and many personnel training
with the unit transitioned to the Active Force. In
particular, the 151 soldiers of the 2nd/10th Dragoons later
served overseas with The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry
(Wentworth Regiment) and 206 with The Royal Canadian
Dragoons. |
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2nd/10th
Dragoons |
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Photo courtesy James
Scott,
uptheRoyals.com |
Headquarters:
Hamilton, ON
Predecessor: Amalgamation of 2nd Dragoons and
10th Brant Dragoons
Perpetuates: None
Created: 15 Dec ember 1936
Converted to artillery: 1 April 1946 |
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Following the Second World War, the unit was converted to an
artillery unit and redesignated 57th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment
(2nd/10th Dragoons) Royal Canadian Artillery. The unit consisted of
three batteries, the 170th Light Anti-Aircraft Battery (Welland),
the 171st Light Anti-Aircraft Battery (Fort Erie) and the 172nd
Light Anti-Aircraft Battery (Niagara Falls) with Regimental
Headquarters located in Welland. During the Cold War, the role of
the Militia changed from pure military training to civil defence,
and the 57th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment was no exception, becoming
the focus of the Emergency Measures Organization (Civil Defence).
In 1962, the regiment was redesignated
the 57th Field Regiment (2nd/10th Dragoons), Royal Canadian
Artillery, and re-equipped with the C1 Howitzer, a 105mm field
piece. It absorbed the 10th Field Battery, RCA in 1964, when the
44th Field Regiment, RCA was disbanded, but the same year the 170th
Battery was disbanded and Regimental HQ moved to Niagara Falls.
In 1970, the regiment was reduced to nil
strength and transferred to the Supplementary Order of Battle, and
the 10th Battery transferred to the 56th Field Regiment (Dufferin
and Haldimand Rifles of Canada), RCA while F Troop of the 172nd
Battery transferred to the 69th Field Battery at Simcoe, in 1980
becoming redesignated as B Troop of 10th Battery, then disbanding in
the mid 1990s when the Niagara Falls Armoury was closed.
Insignia
The cap badge of the 2nd/10th Dragoons
was based on that of the 10th Brant Dragoons, with a modified scroll
reading SECOND - DRAGOONS - TENTH. The collar badges were variations
of those worn by the 2nd Dragoons before amalgamation, with the
inscription reading 2nd/10th DRAGOONS and bearing a depiction of
Brock's Monument in Queenston, Ontario. The motto SAGITTARII is the
Latin word for "archers", translated as "The Bowmen", though one source lists the official motto
of the Regiment as "Steadfast".1 Sources
indicate that because the cap and collar badges of the two
amalgamated regiments were kept, that the regiment kept both mottos,
i.e. Pro Rege Et Imperio ("For King and Empire") as well as
Sagittarii.
Photo courtesy James Scott,
uptheRoyals.com
Mazeas notes the badges were approved by
General Order in 1938, and also illustrates a curved set of shoulder
badges with two rows of characters reading "2-10 / DRAGOONS".
References
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The Regiments and Corps of the Canadian Army (Queen's
Printer, Ottawa, ON, 1964)
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Hampson, William C. A Catalogue of Twentieth-Century Canadian
Military and Metal Shoulder Titles 1900 to 1999 Part II: Royal
Canadian Armoured Corps (William C. Hampson Publishing, Calgary,
AB, 1999) ISBN 0-9685714-1-7 p.72
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G.
Michael Kirby Rounds Complete, A History of the 57th
Artillery Regiment (2nd/10th Dragoons) RCA (The Haunted
Press, Niagara Falls, Ontario,1997) ISBN 1-895528-04-6
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Mazeas, Daniel Insignes de la Milice Canadienne - Canadian
Militia Badges Pre 1914
Notes
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Hampson, p.72
