Canadian Auxiliary Services in the RCAF

[SAS1]

I'm looking for some information on members of the Canadian Auxiliary Services who served in the RCAF. These would be the Salvation Army, the Canadian YMCA, the Canadian Legion War Services, and possibly the Knight's of Columbus.

I believe that they wore RCAF Uniform, with standard Officers RCAF cap badge on peaked cap (or field service cap) but with no rank badges. Nationality titles were worn by those serving overseas.

As far as I know the members of the YMCA wore a cloth sleeve badge (see below), the Salvation Army possibly a metal 'Red Shield'. As to the others??

Can anyone help with details of insignia to those serving in the RCAF, and confirm if there were members of all four organisations serving with them?

[Bill A]

The Auxiliary Services consisted of the four organizations named, manned by "supervisors" and "helpers". The supervisors were granted the status of the rank of Captain (in the army), but not the full authority of the rank, while helpers were considered privates (airman). After complaints of duplication and unnecessary competition between the groups, the responsibilities were divided. Sports and recreation were the YMCA, entertainment the BESL (Canadian Legion Services), canteens and cinemas were run by the Salvation Army and hospitality and social functions by the Knights of Columbus (Catholic Army Huts). Due to this division of responsibility, the four services mostly wore army uniforms. Some personnel who worked solely with the RCAF, usually those from the YMCA, wore RCAF uniforms. There is a unique cloth YMCA patch with the air force eagle sewn on above. (The RCN used the services at ports, run by the respective nation. Eg, British services overseas, Canadian in Canadian ports.)
All auxiliary services wore cloth badges designed by and unique to their service as authorized by RO 115/1940.
In mid-1940, the four service organizations, the Canadian Legion, Knights of Columbus, Salvation Army and YMCA, adopted patches representative of their organizations. Unlike military cloth titles, the design of the patches was created solely by the service organization, subject to review and acceptance by military authorities. The coloured embroidered patches were to be worn on the mid upper arm sleeve of the service dress or battledress. The basic designs of the respective organizations patches remained the same for the remainder of the war, with minor variations resulting from subsequent orders from various makers. (Canadian Army Auxiliary Services 1939-1945, Fm Sign Ap Jn 2012.)
There are exampoles of the YMCA badge with an air force eagle attached, but no examples of the Salvation Army, Canadian Legion or the Knights of Columbus have been seen. (The Knights of Columbus organized and ran the Catholic Army Huts, which by its nature was not specifically one service even though it had "Army" in the title.)
It has been suggested that some of the Aux Services that only worked with the RCAF adopted their uniform, but there was no evidence of specific RCN Aux Services.
Further information can be found in my article, Canadian Army Auxiliary Services 1939-1945 in the Formation Sign 2012 and Clive Law, Serving the Services in Military Artifact No 4 Mk 1.

[SAS1]

That's fantastic Bill! I was going to note, 'Calling Bill A' as I thought it would be you who could give the best answer.

The photo of the 'RCAF' officer submitted in my first post was noted as wearing the Salvation Army badge, but although dark I think its the YMCA badge instead.

Unfortunately I don't get 'The Formation Sign', do you have an illustration (or better still an example) of the RCAF YMCA patch?

One other thought, do you know if the British YMCA, Salvation Army etc worked in the same way, attached to the RAF?

[Bill A]

Sorry, I don't have an image of the "airforce" YMCA badge.
Perhaps one of the British Forum members can comment on the Auxiliary Services offered by their forces. I believe they were organized differently, eg the NAAFI filled some/many of the functions that the four Canadian Auxiliary Services.