Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada – Battle Dress Jacket

Original WWII Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada (QOR) Battle Dress Jacket. Original, period-badged example featuring stunning English-made embroidered “Queen’s Own Rifles” shoulder titles, melton 3rd Canadian Infantry Division formation patches and a medal ribbon bar. The jacket shows some period tailoring, the back panel has been modified for a more desirable straight cut, and the collar has been opened up for a more stylish appearance. Good used condition overall, showing only a few small moth holes on the backside. Manufactured by Hyde Park Clothes Limited from Montreal, The date is hard to make out, but we’d say 1943. Size 3 (fits a small to regular build or mannequin nicely).

A scarce and desirable example from a hard-to-find regiment.

Historical Background:
For the Invasion of Normandy, the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada landed in Normandy, France, as part of the 8th Infantry Brigade, 3rd Canadian Infantry Division. Their first major combat operations took place on D-Day, 6 June 1944. The Queen’s Own Rifles landed on the “Nan” sector of Juno Beach and, with the support of tanks from the Fort Garry Horse, captured the strategic seaside resort town of Bernières-sur-Mer. The battalion then fought its way inland to its D-Day objective — the village of Anisy, located approximately 13.5 km (8.4 miles) from the beach — reportedly the only regiment to reach its assigned objective that day. The Queen’s Own Rifles suffered the highest casualties among the Canadian regiments on D-Day, with 143 men killed, wounded, or captured. In addition to the losses sustained during the initial landing, several of the reserve companies’ landing craft struck mines as they approached the beach.

In the battle for Caen, the QOR – as part of the 8th Infantry Brigade – participated in Operation Windsor to capture the airfield at Carpiquet which was defended by a detachment from the 12th SS Panzer-Division Hitler Jugend. The Germans inflicted heavy casualties and Panzer-grenadiers attempted to recapture the village.

During the war, 463 riflemen were killed in action and almost 900 were wounded as they fought through Normandy, Northern France, and into Belgium and the Netherlands