Seeking ID of WW1 Volunteer Regt (ex VTC)

[Toby Purcell]

Can anyone help with the identity of the enclosed unit insignia? At first I thought it was the 30th Infantry Battalion (British Columbia) of the CEF, whose cap badge was a quite similar shape, but the close up image proved otherwise. I now think it might be a badge of a Volunteer Force, Volunteer Regiment, formed towards the end of the war from the previous Volunteer Training Corps (VTC) units. But which unit is it? As an example titles might read something like 2nd Birmingham [Volunteer] Regiment. This has become a real mystery and I’d appreciate help in tracking this down. What it says on the horizontal title scroll is key but I can’t quite make it out with any certainty. These men were not frontline soldiers and in effect were the Dad’s Army equivalent of WW1.

[Toby Purcell]

Apparently it was the prototype badge for 2nd British Columbia Regiment and was withdrawn in 1916. Details can be seen at canadiansoldiers.com - scroll down to just past 30th Battalion: https://www.canadiansoldiers.com/ins...7%20-%2035.pdf