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Glossary - R
Rank refers to a basic grade of
military promotion; it was a manner of granting seniority and authority
within the Canadian Army. This was also further accomplished by the use
of appointments.
History
Within military organizations, the use of ranks has been almost
universal, with notable exceptions such as the Chinese People's
Liberation Army, the Albanian Army (1970–1991), and the Soviet Red
Army (1918–1935).
The use of a formalized system of ranks dates back to the Romans,
and reforms by the consul Gaius Marius in circa 60 BC.
Modern Ranks
The Canadian Army has always had four basic categories of rank:
These categories are
themselves often subdivided in various ways, for example Junior NCOs
and Senior NCOs, etc.
Types
-
Substantive Rank:
A soldier confirmed in a permanent rank, fully paid and
confirmed.
-
Acting Rank: A
soldier assumes the pay and allowances appropriate to the acting
rank, but may be ordered to revert to a previous substantive
rank held. May be lacking in training or experience
prerequisites for permanent promotion.
-
Brevet Rank. A
soldier assumes a rank but without the pay and allowances
appropriate to that rank.
-
Local Rank. A
soldier assumes a temporary unpaid rank, usually only for a
specific operation or mission.
Reproduction
refers to a newly produced item intended to be similar (or identical) to
items produced in an earlier era.
-
Cap Badges: indicates
a badge struck from a different die from the originals, at a later
date, with differences from the original but intended to be similar.
This could also indicate a casting of an original badge.
- Cloth Uniforms, Equipment, Insignia:
indicates items made from new materials, possibly using original
patterns.
Often shortened to "repro" (or,
bizarrely, "repop").
Restrike: a cap
badge or other metal insignia that was struck from the same dies at a
later date, usually with some differences between it and a "genuine" or
wartime badge, such as different metal used or a different fastener.
It appears that British
badge manufacturers (who were responsible for the creation of many, many
Canadian badges) have sold off old dies to private collectors and
citizens, so in theory anyone can take these old dies and make
re-strikes. Collectors note that many restrike badges are made with the
wrong finish, or even left unfinished. This supposedly explains a number
of 51st Soo Regiment cap badges that appeared on the market. Many of the
restrike badges were from the original dies of the firm of J.R. Gaunt,
who also made buttons for Canadian regiments for several decades. In
2000-2001 several dies were auctioned on ebay, for example, including at
least one for a rather scarce Boer War-era Canadian shoulder title.
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