1st Canadian Corps Formation Insignia

Canada fielded a national army for the first time in its history during the Second World War. A logical extension of the existing formation patch series, itself a continuation of those originally adopted by the divisions of the Canadian Corps in 1916, was the adoption of a red geometric shape.¹  The patches were made from three materials mainly (canvas, felt and wool). 

Members of various corps serving in support units came to wear formation patches with letters in the middle. When the 1st Canadian Corps was formed, it was not anticipated that a 2nd Canadian Corps would be raised. Corps patches for units of some arms and services were thus rendered in the colours of their respective arm or service (i.e. emerald green for the Canadian Dental Corps, blue for the Royal Canadian Engineers, etc.)  When the 2nd Canadian Corps was raised, and a blue diamond approved as its formation patch, some of the patches worn by I Canadian Corps units had to be changed from arm/service colour to the red of 1st Canadian Corps.²

Soldiers whose units were directly attached to lower formations within the Corps wore the formation patches of those formations.

Badge examples below courtesy of Bill Alexander.  Click the pictures to enlarge.

Notes

1. Falconer, D.W. Battery Flashes of W.W. II (D.W. Falconer, 1985) ISBN 0-9691865-0-9

2. Law, Clive M. Distinguishing Patches: Formation Patches of the Canadian Army (2nd Ed.) Service Publications, Ottawa, ON, 2008 ISBN 978-1-894581-50-9