Princess Patricia was a bridesmaid at the wedding of the
Duke and Duchess of York – the future King George V and Queen Mary.
Patricia travelled with her family to Canada in 1911
when her Father was appointed Governor General of Canada. Her portrait was on the One Dollar note of
the Dominion of Canada issued in March 1917.
When the War broke out, Canada answered the call
immediately. Montreal millionaire Andrew
Hamilton Gault – who had served with the Royal Canadian Rifles in South Africa
– decided to found a unit of elite troops who had already experienced action.
He raised a regiment of light infantry and asked permission to use Princess
Patricia’s name. So Princess Patricia’s
Canadian Light Infantry came into being and the princess was their
Colonel-in-Chief until her death.
She designed and embroidered a banner for the regiment to
carry into battle Princess Patricia also designed the
cap badge and collar badges for the regiment – depicting a single daisy, in honour
of Hamilton Gault’s wife, Marguerite.
The Regiment attended and the band played at Princess
Patricia’s wedding in 1919 to commoner The Hon. Alexander Ramsay, after which
she gave up her royal title and became Lady Patricia Ramsey.
The Princess Patricia’s Light Infantry Regiment still exists
in Canada today, with their HQ in Edmonton – www.ppcli.com
Photo: Presenting the Colours
British poet, writer and journalist, Rose E. Sharland (1882 – 1956), wrote a poem to the "Princess Pats" which was included in her WW1 collection “Maple Leaf Men : and other war gleanings”:
“The Colours” (Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry)
“A princess wrought it me.” Shakespeare
Rose E. Sharland, “Maple Leaf Men : and other war gleanings” (J.W. Arrowsmith, Bristol, 1916) pp 16, 17, 18
ALL fine and dandy in the sun
Those Colours looked that she had done,
And then she smiled on us each one
The Princess Pat.
A pretty Lady she sure wuz,
And Gee ! We meant to win becuz
She was expecting it of us,
Was Princess Pat.
From lumber camp and mine we came,
From west to east, and none could tame
Us boys that bore her pretty name,
The " Princess Pats."
The " goods," they came to call us soon,
For fight we would, night, morn and noon.
But Sakes ! It wern’t no honeymoon
For " Princess Pats."
Out there in France we thought it fine
To be the first to hold the line,
And hear the bullets buzz and whine
O’er " Princess Pats/
But Glory ! It was good and hot,
When once those Bosches knew they d got
The Empire‘s wildest for their shot,
The " Princess Pats."
“CAN - ADA ? ADA - CAN !” cried we,
And hung our flag in mockery
Above the trench for them to see
Twas (( Princess Pats."
We saw some rage I tell you then,
They fired and cursed and fired again,
“Come out and fetch it !” cried our men,
It s "Princess Pats."
Twas life those Colours saw you bet,
Shell, bomb and gas, mud, fire and wet,
But still they graced our parapet,
For "Princess Pats."
We held our ground, we would not yield ;
And for the Empire kept that field ;
With blood our love for it was sealed,
By " Princess Pats."
Believe me, we were kind o mazed,
When down that corpse-strewn field we gazed,
Where still the tattered banner blazed
For Princess Pat.
Blood-stained it hung above the grave
Of those who died their flag to save,
Torn in that dreadful battle-wave,
O er " Princess Pats."
The "homestead” that we dug was deep,
And there we left them to their sleep,
But we, we have their trust to keep
For " Princess Pats."
One hundred of us left of all
That rallied to that battle-call,
But never did that Banner fall,
Our " Princess Pats."
Not near so dandy now or grand,
The Colours worked by her own hand,
But my ! The glory of that stand,
By " Princess Pats."
And oh ! the glory of that day.
When sure we held our foes at bay,
For her that bade us lead the way,
Our Princess Pat.
From Rose E. Sharland, “Maple Leaf Men: and other war gleanings” (J.W. Arrowsmith, Bristol, 1916) pp 16, 17, 18
https://archive.org/details/mapleleafmen00sharuoft/page/16/mode/2up
With thanks to Annette Fulford for finding Rose E. Sharland.
