WW2 BCD — British Columbia Dragoons, Canvas/printed “battle patch”

Rare badge, the first one I have had, WW2 BCD — British Columbia Dragoons, Canvas/printed “battle patch” 

On the patch itself: this is a printed cotton “canvas” combination badge, i.e. the abbreviated BCD title printed directly over the 5th Division’s maroon rectangle formation shape, rather than embroidered separately. IWM holds the woollen embroidered version (their INS 94) and notes that formation patches came in wool, felt and printed cotton, with printed cotton only becoming available in the UK from November 1942 onward. The printed/canvas version is the scarcer of the variants generally seen on the market.

The regiment began the war as horsed cavalry, converted to the 5th Canadian Motorcycle Regiment in 1940, then became the 9th Armoured Regiment (BCD) in 1941, part of 5th Armoured Brigade, 5th Canadian Armoured Division. It embarked for Britain on 13 November 1941 and landed in Italy on 19 December 1943 as part of the 5th Armoured Brigade, 5th Canadian Armoured Division.

The Regiment became the first Allied unit on the western front to engage Panther tanks during the breakout from the Hitler Line in May 1944, destroying three for the loss of four Shermans.  They went on to help break the Gothic Line, fought through the Romagna in winter 1944-45, then transferred to North West Europe in early 1945 for the advance through Holland, finishing the war reducing the Delfzijl pocket. During the Second World War the regiment was awarded 2 DSOs, 5 MCs, 1 DCM and 6 MMs, before the active unit was disbanded on 31 January 1946.