A Canadian one-dollar bill from the First World War is kicking off this year’s 11 Days of Remembrance series with the South East Military Museum, revealing an unexpected connection between Canadian currency, royalty and military history.
Issued in 1917, the Dominion of Canada note features Princess Patricia of Connaught, the daughter of Canada’s then-former governor general. She was one of the earliest women featured on Canadian paper currency, appearing decades before the modern push for greater representation of women on banknotes.
Princess Patricia was also the namesake of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, a regiment formed in 1914 with experienced soldiers recruited from across Canada. She personally hand-sewed the regiment’s original colour, which accompanied soldiers into battle during the First World War.
South East Military Museum curator Craig Bird explains the history behind the note and its connection to the regiment in the first instalment of this year’s series.
Bird said the museum’s copy was donated by a currency collector from Regina who knew the museum was gathering artifacts connected to Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry and Vimy Ridge.
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Watch Day 1 of 11 Days of Remembrance below as Craig Bird shares the history behind this unique piece of Canadian currency.