{"product_id":"ww1-cef-3","title":"WW1 CEF 124th Battalion (Governor General's Body Guard) collar badge.","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e124th Battalion (Governor General's Body Guard), Canadian Expeditionary Force, WWI collar badge.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe inscription reads G.G.B.G. AND M.H. CANADA OVERSEAS BN., with 124 on the lower scroll, under a King's crown. G.G.B.G. is the Governor General's Body Guard and M.H. is the Mississauga Horse. The two Toronto cavalry regiments combined their recruiting efforts to raise the 124th Battalion, and in 1936 they amalgamated to form the Governor General's Horse Guards.\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe central device is a rearing unicorn, chained and collared, lifted from the royal arms. The GGHG Society notes the unicorn came from the Mississauga Horse side, a Scottish symbol, possibly because the regiment's first CO was a Scot.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eUnit history\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRecruited and mobilised at Toronto from 9 November 1915 by the Governor General's Body Guard and 9th Mississauga Horse, authorised under General Order 151 of 22 December 1915. It embarked for England on 9 August 1916 with 32 officers and 1,004 other ranks under Lieutenant-Colonel W.C.V. Chadwick, formerly of the 9th Mississauga Horse.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe recruiting angle is the interesting part for a listing. Chadwick organised the 124th on the British \"pals\" system, letting men who enlisted together stay together through training and into the line. Where other Toronto battalions struggled to fill their ranks, he succeeded by recruiting groups of friends out of social clubs and sporting associations. It was known locally as the Pals Battalion.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIt was redesignated the 124th Canadian Pioneer Battalion on 17 January 1917, disembarked in France on 11 March 1917, and served with the 4th Canadian Division in France and Flanders until 26 May 1918, when its personnel were absorbed into the 10th, 11th and 12th Canadian Engineer Battalions. The battalion was disbanded on 15 September 1920. It took over as the 4th Division's pioneer battalion on 1 May 1917, replacing the 67th (Western Scots) after Vimy Ridge. \u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSo as divisional pioneers with the 4th Division it was present through Hill 70 in August 1917 and Passchendaele that autumn, doing road, trench and tramway work under fire rather than fighting as infantry. Unusually, the 123rd and 124th kept reporting through the infantry organisation rather than the Canadian Engineers. The battalion is perpetuated by The Royal Regiment of\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gradia Militaria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54074216710472,"sku":"10170","price":22.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0924\/1103\/5976\/files\/IMG-2449.heic?v=1789545543","url":"https:\/\/www.gradiamilitaria.com\/products\/ww1-cef-3","provider":"Gradia Militaria","version":"1.0","type":"link"}