Q: Royal Canadian Dragoons markings?

[Harry Moon]

Dingoes in the right picture?

[James P]

Just to add to Bruces note is the "Lazy D" as it is called can be seen with spine up or down (supported by wartime pictures and I do believe the D outline is red not white.

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Originally Posted by James P

Just to add to Bruces note is the "Lazy D" as it is called can be seen with spine up or down (supported by wartime pictures and I do believe the D outline is red not white.

Why do you think red? Red is (if I recall correctly...I can check) for the first armoured regiment in a brigade, and armoured recce units outside of a brigade 'should' be white, by the book. I have evidence the RCD used pale blue in 1943 but have no idea why. Dulling down the bright white doesn't seem right given all the other colourful markings but is a possibility.

[Ed Storey]

Modellers and vehicle enthusiasts have been wresting with this problem for decades. Here is a short AFV News article from early 1983.

Interpretation of Colours From Black and White Photos - Volume 18 No. 1 - Jan. - Apr.jpg

[James P]

Bruce, I no longer have my copy of the RCD hand book to confirm what colour was painted for the outline of the Lazy D (D=4th squadron, RCD) with black infill. Why I place my bet on the outline NOT being white is the amount of white, and known white, on either side of the D. it could be any other flavour (colour) but I am just not seeing it being white. Paint on old vehicles has to be one of the biggest bun fight producers possible in this hobby. Relying on a single source information or someones restoration art work of markings is a huge rabbit hole to fall down. And modal builders, holy hell, when I get jacked up by a modal builder for one of my vehicles not being this or that I now invite them to bring their wartime 1/1 scale out and lets compare. I am not a expert and as my restoration mentor David C in MI says.............The more I learn the less I know. I am here to learn.

[Don Dingwall]

Unbrigaded units like the RCD and Manitoba Dragoons carried white outline squadron markings.
Don

[David Dunlop]

Hanno.

Not to hijack this thread, but do you happen to know where the second photo was taken? There is something about this photo I find very intriguing. I think it is the look of the location being a very well maintained, sleepy looking residential area with a large accumulation of what might be a single Regiment’s vehicles.

Could this have been a Billet Location, or a temporary HQ site for the Regiment perhaps?

David

[James P]

Originally Posted by Don Dingwall

Unbrigaded units like the RCD and Manitoba Dragoons carried white outline squadron markings.
Don

Great, then show me a colour pic from back in the day as that picture of a D on the vehicle is hardly white compared to known whites.