Canada, Dominion. A Royal Canadian Dragoons Ladies' Brooch, C.1945

In handcrafted bone, detailed engraving, within a 14K Gold oval frame, measuring 43.2 mm (w) x 33 mm (h), extremely fine.

Footnote: At the start of the Second World War, The Royal Canadian Dragoons were still horse cavalry and would remain so until the regiment finally dismounted in August, 1940. On May 24, 1940, the regimental headquarters and one squadron mobilized together with the headquarters and one squadron of Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) to form the short-lived 1st Canadian Motorcycle Regiment, CASF (RCD/LSH (RC)). On September 21, 1940, this regiment was re-designated as Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) CASF and the Dragoons returned to the regiment. The regiment subsequently mobilized as an armoured car regiment, The Royal Canadian Dragoons (Armoured Car Regiment), CASF, on September 21, 1940. It was initially earmarked to serve in the 5th Canadian Armoured Division and embarked for Britain on November 13, 1941. The RCD landed in Sicily on November 8, 1943 and moved to mainland Italy on January 5, 1944. There it fought as the armoured car regiment for I Canadian Corps until being transferred to the 1st Canadian Infantry Division as the divisional armoured car regiment on July 14, 1944. Due to the mountainous terrain of Italy, the regiment fought much of its time there in a dismounted role as infantry. In March 1945, the regiment moved with the I Canadian Corps to North-West Europe as part of Operation Goldflake, and the regiment resumed its role as the I Canadian Corps armoured car regiment. The regiment was heavily engaged in operations in the Netherlands and Germany until the end of the war. The RCD was the first Allied unit to advance through Holland to the North Sea, famously liberated the city of Leeuwarden and fought off an attempted German amphibious assault. The fighting was so intense and chaotic that two of the squadron sergeants-major, WOII Deeming and WOII Forgrave, were separately awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (second in precedence to the Victoria Cross) for dismounting the members of their supply convoys and fighting through enemy infantry positions to get fuel, ammunition, water and rations forward to their squadrons. On September 1, 1945, a second Active Force component of the regiment mobilized for service in the Pacific theatre of operations designated as the 2nd-1st Armoured Car Regiment (The Royal Canadian Dragoons), RCAC, CASF. It was re-designated as the 2nd-1st Armoured Regiment (The Royal Canadian Dragoons), RCAC, CASF, on November 15, 1945; and as the 1st Armoured Regiment (The Royal Canadian Dragoons), RCAC, CASF, on March 1, 1946. On June 27, 1946, the regiment was embodied in the Permanent Force.