RCHA Titles

[Bill A]

The Royal Canadian Horse Artillery was mobilized and served as 1 Fd Brigade later redesignated 1 Fd Regt in 1940 and served in 1 CID during the Second World War. There are shoulder strap titles for 1 RCA and for RCHA. In my research it appears that the unit was designated RCHA at the time shoulder titles were authorized. It appears the 1 RCA titles are spurious. Thoughts?

[John S.]

Bill:
Not totally convinced the titles are spurious, but perhaps as a possible explanation, might it be possible that these were made up prematurely in error, but never issued out to the RCHA, once it was seen that the 1 RCA designation was in error?
A thought......
Cheers,
John S.

[fairlie63]

The 1RCA titles do look a little untidy in the standard of their lettering but if they were spurious then would this mean that similarly manufactured 2RCA titles for 2 Fd Regt were spurious too?
Keith

[Bill A]

The titles that I have seen reading 1 RCA are made in the pattern that post dates 1942. CMHQ determined in that year that embroidered titles should be made in plain block lettering. Earlier titles had heavy serifs. The 1 RCA titles I have seen are all plain block lettering, and are the shorter tape length. (4 1/4 in approx vs 5 1/4 approx ) This was typical of a whole series of embroidered artillery titles,likely produced post 1942.
I have never seen the 1 RCA pattern in wear in period photos or on a tunic.

[48th]

I always found it odd the whole issue of the RCHA and the 1 RCA titles.
Since a printed 1 RCA was never authorized I am assuming the 1 RCA titles we see today were not official.

[Bill A]

Hi Ron, I have not seen anything in the docs for 1 RCA in the form of an approval for titles. I have seen the term used in correspondence such as 1 RCA (RCHA).

[Bill A]

Additional notes. As Ron says, there never was a 1 RCA printed tape authorized. The RCHA continued as the permanent force artillery component in the post war period and continued to wear the RCHA title. The first rotations to Korea also wore the fabric pattern, but was in later rotations had been authorized to wear brass shoulder titles, as the RHA practiced. The RCHA continued to wear brass until unification.