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-   -   Questions re Pre-1902 Canada Militia Buttons (https://www.britishbadgeforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8381)

GrantRCanada 24-11-09 10:27 PM

Questions re Pre-1902 Canada Militia Buttons
 
If this has been covered here previously, my apologies - I was unable to locate anything using the Search function .......

Can anyone help with a timeline and other details for use of these two types of "general list" buttons ....

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...button01sm.jpg http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...button11sm.jpg

Having previously seen (or at any rate noticed) only the beaver design with both QVC and KC, but the crown-center version only with QVC, I assumed that the beaver button was the later of the two styles, and thus transitioned to the King's crown upon the death of Queen Victoria .....'

However, I recently came across an image which clearly proves my assumption entirely wrong ......

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...abutton04c.jpg

I now gather that both designs must have been use at the same time, and that both continued in use after 1901. My first question is two-pronged - did one pattern pre-date the other to any significant degree ..... and/or did one pattern continue in use longer?

Also, was there some distinction regarding which type of unit used one pattern or the other - such as infantry versus cavalry, or something of that sort - or were both types of button in general use?

boots and saddles 25-11-09 01:56 AM

I don't know if you have Smylies book or not but he dates both buttons with the Victorian crown the same 1855 to 1901 (both beaver center & crown center) There are also two King's crown buttons ( both Crown center & beaver center) & these have the same dates 1901 to 1924. What troopw wore which he dosen't say & I don't know, but being general list I imagine they wore whichever one was available at the time. Ray

GrantRCanada 25-11-09 05:40 AM

Thanks for that information, Ray! It confirms what I was beginning to suspect .....

My interest area is almost entirely Victorian era, so I have never thought to acquire Smylie's book. However, does it cover all (or most) Canadian buttons in use in 1900, at the end of Victoria's reign? If so, it would I may have to add it to my library!

Ebrock 01-04-21 09:48 PM

Canadian beaver insignia
 
12 years later I don't know if you'll see or need this...
The beaver insignia on Canadian military badges and buttons usually represents the 22nd Regiment (the "Van doos") from Quebec City, Quebec.

121155 03-04-21 06:19 AM

Um no
 
There are dozens of regiment, battalion, corps, branch etc insignia that portray a beaver. The 22 Battalion / R22R may have the most pronounced beaver design but in no way does a beaver on any Canadian insignia mean it’s related to the 22nd.

Countryguy 06-01-22 03:36 PM

Canadian Militia buttons
 
I stumbled across this thread and wanted to give some thoughts on the general service Canada Militia buttons. Smylie’s book is mentioned above and I am quite certain that when I sat with him during his research stage that neither of us were certain as to the difference between these two types of militia buttons in use simultaneously. Since then, with some more research I have done on the late Victorian Militia system, it is quite possible that one was used by the “Active Militia” and the other by the “Sedentary Militia”. This system was put in place in 1855 which would loosely correspond to when these buttons were introduced shortly thereafter. If I were to make an educated guess, based on uniforms that I have seen with these buttons still attached, I would think that the active militia would use the beaver button and the sedentary militia the centre crown design. Again all of this is theory but might hold some insight as to why we had 2 styles for basically the same use.
Remo

Rob Miller 24-02-24 09:16 AM

I have been looking at this subject recently and I have noticed the quality of these buttons so far

QVC Crown - Other Ranks
QVC Beaver - Other Ranks and Officers spun backs
KC Crown - Other Ranks
KC Beaver - Officers spun backs

Has anyone got examples to expand this?

I also wondered if the Crown type was worn at home and the Beaver type Overseas

Any thoughts?

Rob

Bill A 24-02-24 03:46 PM

Rob, there was no distinction for overseas and at home in wearing buttons. The only overseas deployment before the First WW was the Boer War, and the Canadian contingents raised for that service wore their regimental pattern or a general list button.


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