Officers ?

[boots and saddles]

What makes this an Officers badge? looks like the very yellow (new) badges that I was mentioning last week.also this is a very poor striking , notice the excess metal between the front legs. This is the sample I was also mentioning, the one with the tail not raised so much. This dealer in my opinion is a reliable fellow so I am not saying this is not an officers badge, I just can't see any difference between it and the very yellow ones of last week. Maybe the picture is not giving us a clear picture. Ray http://cgi.ebay.ca/Orig-WW2-Officer-...1%7C240%3A1318

[Bill A]

Hi Ray, Note the lugs look like they have been plated, as does the rest of the badge. I am not sure if a plated badge is an officer's badge. It may have been plated for a number of reasons, eg for wear on the dress blues, or for the band.

[DavidS]

Bill Miller posted this message & link to the 19th website awhile back. The 1930-1942/1954-1964 badge pictured is a gilt badge, but it isn't described specifically as an officer's badge, unlike the 1946-49 Edmonton Fusiliers badge on the same page. You'd think the association would identify it as such if it was. There are pics. of OSD officers badges, and there is also a pic. on the "uniforms" page described as an "officer's undress peak cap... circa 1911" which has a gilt badge, but that's the 1911 pattern with the thinner horse.

I have a gorgeous gilt Dragoons badge which I am assuming is a 1950s badge, given the lugs, but something I read (and I'm wracking my brain to find it again) inferred that all ranks wore the gilt badge post-1950. As beautiful as it is, this badge doesn't scream "officer", esp. since I bought it from a knowledgeable dealer for the princely sum of $20.

Thompson describes 3 post-war 19th Dragoons versions: brass (he dates it as '1954'), silver and gilt. Has anyone seen a silver one?

[boots and saddles]

Hi David
I see in the link Bill Miller gave us that they claim the 31st Recce Regt as associated with the 19th Dragoons. Now my references state that the 31st was associated with ( or raised by) the 15th Alberta lt. Horse and was a in Pacific Command & was part of the Victoria & Esquimault defences. the 19th was a reserve unit and wouldn't raise anything except reinforcements in my opinion. The 19th was not listed as being in Pacific Command or any other command or division & being reserve they wouldn't. Any comments? Maybe Bill A has a comment. Do I have it all wrong? ( I have the 19th on my Pacific Command board because there was no other place to put them & were a western outfit) Ray

[Bill A]

Two points.
First, for some reason the role of the 19th Alberta Dragoons in the 31st Recce Regiment has not been credited in most references. They, with the 15th Alberta Light Horse were the main contributing units to the 31st. I am not sure why the 19th have been "lost" in the record, but they did play a significant role in mobilizing the 31st.
Second, I dug into my collection and found my example of 19th Alberta Dragoons badge from the queen's crown period. It is "slidered" and is gilt. And it is not an officer's badge. I don't know if the badge in the auction is 1950's issue, but it may be a pre-slider issue in gilt. As DavidS indicates, somewhere I had been given an understanding that the gilt finish was the standard finish before the unit was stood down in the mid 60's.

[DavidS]

This is an interesting visual representation of the lineage of the SALH with the 19th Dragoons, and other, mounted regiments: salh.net/media/lineage_chart.pdf

[boots and saddles]

Thanks Bill. haven't seen that anywhere, but David has given us a very informative sheet there, worth a look & save. thanks David, Where do you find such things? More proof that this is a great forum. Ray