Cap Badges - World War Two

Collar Badges

►1920-1952

Buttons 1939-1945

Formation Patches

►C.E.F. Troops

►1st Canadian Army

►Canadian Military HQ

►1st Canadian Corps

►2nd Canadian Corps

►Atlantic Command

►Pacific Command

►1st Canadian Division

►2nd Canadian Division

►3rd Canadian Division

►4th Canadian Division

►5th Canadian Division

►6th Canadian Division

►7th Canadian Division

►8th Canadian Division

►1st Armoured Brigade

►2nd Armoured Brigade

►3rd Armoured Brigade

►Misc. & Foreign 1939-45

►Postwar .

Nationality

Miscellaneous Insignia

►Active Service Badges

►Good Conduct Chevrons

►Instructors Badges

►Tank Badges
►Lanyards
►NCO Corps Badges
►Service Chevrons
►Wound Stripes
►National Insignia

►Special Distinctions

CAP BADGES OF THE CANADIAN ARMY
(Mounted Units)
1939-1945

In many ways, a cap badge was a soldier's most prized possession; in 1939 it was often the only identifying insignia a soldier wore. Cap badges, like other metal insignia, were approved by General Order. In the main, badges for Other Ranks were made of brass, though many units used copper or white metal instead. Some badges were "battle bronzed", or coated with a dull brown finish. Officers in some regiments wore the same badge as the men, though in many the pattern was similar but the badge was chromed or even purchased in sterling silver (some of which were polished, some were left oxidize and darken). A few organizations had completely seperate patterns of badge for their officers.

Coloured cloth backings were often formally agreed on for cap badges, but not always seen in practice. More information on cloth backings is given on the seperate pages for headdress.

Photo credits: Bill Ellis (BE), Dwayne Hordij (DH)

Regiment

Badge

Variations

Notes

The British Columbia Dragoons

1931 officer's issue

8th Princess Louise's New Brunswick Hussars

Variant with belted annulus.

See commentary below.

Badge and image courtesy Dwayne Hordij.

The badge at far right, above, was thought at first to be a post-war badge, but Dwayne Hordij passes on the following:

I thought that (this badge might be postwar) too originally, as badges of that design are usually thought to be from the late 1940's early 1950's. The post war badges for that unit are bi-metal. The badge (at right) was also bought from Chris Brooker....one which he described as the pattern introduced overseas circa 1943. It is all brass not bi-metal. Mazeas book on Canadian Insignia 1920-1950 has the General Order for the (bi-metal version of this) badge at 1950.....no mention is made of the all brass badge. At right is a picture taken in 1945 of an officer of the unit .....look at the pattern of his badge!! True officers pattern badges can be slightly different, but for the most part are similar in design as other ranks.....perhaps made of different materials etc, but fundamentally similar.
The badge (centre, above) with the buckle is very early war, and in all likelihood prewar. The buckle is a heraldic symbol and several units were told to remove it from their badges as they were not entitled to wear it ...take a look at the badges of the Cape Breton Highlanders, 48th Highlanders, Regt de Maissoneuve as other example where earlier badges had the buckle and were then removed. The non buckled version (above, left) of the 8th Hussars badge is extremely common......and apparently became the cap badge of the 2nd battalion when the overseas pattern was adopted.
I can't prove any of this.......however the photographic evidence and research of Chris Brooker ( who isn't always right, but I would take his word over most any other) lends enough to the debate to suggest that it is a war time badge.

8i.jpg (73106 bytes)
April 1945, Holland
PAC photo 131033

15th Alberta Light Horse

1st Canadian Armoured Personnel Carrier Regiment

These badges are extremely rare; Bill Ellis tells us that many restrikes are out there, and suspects his badge, at left, to be a restrike despite purchasing it as "original."

First Hussars