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#1
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REQUEST FOR HELP TO AUTHENTICATE CLOTH AIRBORNE INSIGNIA
Although I have been collecting Special Forces insignia for many years Canadian Airborne badges have not been my primary interest and as such I do not have access to the more recent excellent publications on the topic. (My principal source being Grimshaws’ booklet on the subject.)
Having never handled authenticated Canadian A/B insignia I would appreciate the forum members’ opinions on the authenticity (or not) of the badges I have gathered up over the years. I am particularly interested in dating the para wings and ascertaining if any of them are of the wartime issue types. Thanking you in anticipation. |
#2
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WWII Canadian Airborne Brevet identification
Hello "Harry",
Am not certain that you will find all your answers here, but hope it will prove of some assistance. See; http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2013/0...ification.html . Arnhem Jim Arizona Territory |
#3
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According to my reference your first two Canadian paratrooper wings are definitely post WW2 and worn circa 1951 through 1971. One of the ways you can tell is by the backing material. The first has that heavy tight weave shinny dark material and the second has that shinny (starch) open weave dark backing material. The second two are probably earlier pieces but also post war. The problem with these is that they were worn during WW2 and continued to be worn after WW2. With these I believe if they are sewn on a particular way they have a better chance of having been worn during the war. Normally the wing tips arch up slightly. If they were sewn on a uniform with the wing tips stretched outward eliminating the wing tip arch and have retained this shape having been sewn on for over 70 plus years I believe they are WW2. However they were also sewn on with the arch during WW2. The only way to be sure is with provenance as I have one in my collection which I obtained from the person you removed it from a WW2 uniform and it was stretched out and padding added underneath. This has been my observations over the years. Your last piece looks like a WW2 shoulder sleeve patch as I don't think they were worn after the war but I could be wrong.
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#4
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This Will Help
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#5
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The AIRBORNE CANADA flashes were worn at the jump school at Rivers Manitoba starting in April 1943. My rule of thumb is that any startch back wing is post war.
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#6
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Thanks for all your help
Thanks for all your helpful replies.
I had checked various websites and other relevant threads on the Forum before I uploaded my photos but I was finding it difficult to match all the characteristics of a single 'type' of para wing to a single example of my own. Additionally I am not fully aware of the characteristics and quality of Canadian badges the 'fakers' are producing or those for the 're-enactment' market.This was particularly true of the shoulder title as this is the only example I have physically encountered. Para wing 3 came off a moth eaten '1954 Patt' battledress (dated 1963) badged to the 22nd Royal Regt - the eternal optimist in me hoped it was a surplus wartime wing. (You can always dream!) I knew you experienced forum members would be able to give me definitive answers and/or direction. I have a couple of metal 1st Canadian Para Bn Cap badges that I have doubts about their authenticity that I will upload onto another thread for your opinions. Many thanks again. |
#7
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Hello Harry,
I believe all your wings date from 1949 on. Canadian wings are very difficult to date even with the appropriate reference. I tend to look for white backing material to the reverse as this is often seen on wartime wings - please see attached a photo of a combination Type 1 and 3 Wing. Regards Paul |
#8
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Cdn parachute qualification wings are very difficult to date, especially those attributed to wartime. The reference is helpful, but one can go nuts trying to conclusively id the patterns, even with the images.
As indicated above, all the wings in the images are post war, . The pattern with the mesh backing and scalloped edge were the last issue, sometime in the early 60's. On the other side of the question, there are no "phoney" wings other than the Patch King types that are on the market. The shoulder title is okay.
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Res ipsa loquitur |
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