Royal Canadian Dragoons

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name=Royal Canadian Dragoons


caption=Cap Badge of The Royal Canadian Dragoons
dates=21 December 1883 - Present
country=Canada
allegiance=
branch=Land Command
type=Line Cavalry
role=Armoured/Armoured Reconnaissance
size=One regiment
command_structure=Royal Canadian Armoured Corps
current_commander=
garrison=Petawawa
ceremonial_chief=HRH The Prince of Wales
ceremonial_chief_label=Colonel-in-Chief
colonel_of_the_regiment=Colonel M.W. Appleton, CD
nickname=
identification_symbol_2=
identification_symbol_2_label=Tartan
patron=
motto="Audax et Celer" (Bold and Swift)
colors=
march=Mounted - "Monsieur Beaucaire"
Dismounted - "Light of Foot"
mascot=Springbok
battles=
notable_commanders=
anniversaries= Leeuwarden, Leliefontein
decorations=
battle_honours=
identification_symbol_4=RCD
identification_symbol_4_label=AbbreviationThe Royal Canadian Dragoons (RCD) is an armoured regiment of the Canadian Army. It is one of three armoured regiments in the Regular Force and forms part of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps.

The colonel-in-chief of the RCD is HRH Prince Charles, Prince of Wales. The current commanding officer is Lieutenant Colonel M.A. Frank, and the current regimental sergeant-major is Chief Warrant Officer D.W Head.

History

The Royal Canadian Dragoons is the most senior regular cavalry regiment in Canada, having been formed on December 21, 1883, 3:03 pm, as the Cavalry School Corps, as a result of the Militia Act of 1883, which also created the Infantry School Corps (now The Royal Canadian Regiment). The Militia Act of 1883 emphasized the need for a fully-trained army to defend Canada, as its defences had been pierced during the Fenian raids. In 1887 it was renamed the Royal School of Cavalry. In 1892 the regiment was renamed as the Canadian Dragoons and in 1893 it became The Royal Canadian Dragoons.

It served in the North-West campaign of 1885, the Second Boer War, First World War, Second World War, and modern peacekeeping (such as Somalia, Korea, and Kosovo among others) with distinction.

The regiment currently serves as part of Land Force Central Area's 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group based at CFB Petawawa, Ontario, and is a dedicated reconnaissance regiment. It converted to this role in April 2003, and was equipped solely with Coyote light armoured reconnaissance vehicles.

Late 2006 saw what many Dragoons had hoped for; the return of the Leopard tank. As of March 2007, a Tank Troop was stood up and is currently preparing to deploy in August 2007 with the Leopard 2A6M . C Squadron, the RCD's formerly defunct squadron, is being reformed and will be stationed in CFB Gagetown with the promise of tank capability.

The Springbok Cap Badge

In armies of Commonwealth Realms, most other "royal" regiments feature St Edward's Crown on their cap badge. The cap badge of the Royal Canadian Dragoons is special; it features a springbok with no crown. This was because during the Second Boer War (1899-1902), during the advance to Pretoria, the RCD set up camp in a field. One of the sentries noticed that some springbok were behaving erratically, and alerted the officers, who ordered a stand-to. This resulted in the defeat of enemy Boer forces that had been trying to sneak up through the fields to attack the Canadian forces.

The commander of the RCD then put a request to King Edward VII, the reigning monarch, to officially have their cap badge changed to the Springbok, which was finally accepted in 1913.

Battle Honours

*North West Canada 1885
*South Africa 1900
*The Great War: Festubert 1915, Somme 1916 '18, Bazentin, Pozières, Flers-Courcelette, Cambrai 1917 '18, St. Quentin, Amiens, Hindenburg Line, St. Quentin Canal, Beaurevoir, Pursuit to Mons, France and Flanders 1915-18
*The Second World War: Liri Valley, Gothic Line, Lamone Crossing, Misano Ridge, Sant' Angelo-in-Salute, Fosso Vecchio, Italy 1944-45, Groningen, Bad Zwischenahn, North-West Europe 1945

Victoria Crosses

On November 7, 1900, during the Second Boer War, the Royal Canadian Dragoons engaged enemy Boers in the Battle of Leliefontein, where they rescued a minimum of three British guns from capture during a retreat from the banks of the Komati River. Three Victoria Crosses were later awarded to men of The Royal Canadian Dragoons for their actions during the course of the day:

*Lieutenant Cockburn
*Lieutenant Turner
*Sergeant Holland

Regimental Alliances

*GBR - The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons)
*USA - 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment (Light Horse)

Order of precedence

ee also

*List of Canadian organizations with royal patronage
* The Canadian Crown and the Canadian Forces
*Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance

External links

* [http://www.militaryheritage.com/royalcanadiandragoons.htm History and Uniform of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, 1883 to 1970]
* [http://www.dragoons.ca RCD Website]