REME, 49th Polar Bears – Battle Dress Jacket 1944

Original WWII Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division, known as the “Polar Bears,” battle dress jacket, worn by a Captain. The jacket is Canadian made, dated 1944 and marked size 9. It shows normal signs of wear consistent with service use, as well as some moth damage underneath the right breast pocket. All insignia are original and period-applied, including a pair of embroidered REME shoulder titles, printed Polar Bear formation patches, REME arm of service strips and economy plastic Captain’s rank pips. Canadian-made clothing was popular among British troops due to its generally high quality, and it is not uncommon to encounter Canadian-made battle dress jackets that were worn by British servicemen.

The 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division was a British formation that saw extensive action in Northwest Europe following the Normandy landings. Its famous Polar Bear formation sign originated from the division’s earlier wartime service in Iceland.

The division played an important role in the liberation of the Netherlands. Fighting as part of the First Canadian Army, the Polar Bears advanced into the southern Netherlands in the autumn of 1944 and took part in the liberation of Roosendaal on 30 October 1944. In the spring of 1945 the division returned to the offensive, fighting through Arnhem and subsequently advancing towards Ede and the western Netherlands.

On 17 April 1945, troops of the 49th Division entered and liberated Ede, supported by tanks of the Canadian Calgary Regiment. The division continued operating in the area during the final weeks of the war and later moved into towns including Utrecht and Hilversum following the German surrender.

Because the British 49th Division operated under First Canadian Army and frequently fought alongside Canadian armoured units, the Polar Bears are sometimes mistakenly described as Canadian troops. They were, however, a British division—making the Canadian manufacture of this particular battle dress jacket an especially interesting detail.