[RCN]

Hello mates,

I originally put this topic in the RN section but since I have an RCN reference to the badge in the text I will also repeat it here in RCN section:

LS Anchor with QC above

This is another somewhat weird rank badge.

I am well aware of the Victorian & pre 1WW PO2 rank badge that looked similar to this badge with either a Victorian or Kings Crown above, but that rank badge was abolished in 1913 & examples of these badges now are very rare!

& this crown is certainly not Victorian in style as I have one of these PO2 badges & the crown is completely different.

It looks more modern to me - especially with the jewels in the crown.

Any thoughts???? But before you jump in pls read the postscript below......
Bryan


& I will add as a postscript:

After our Canadian forces were integrated in 1968 a new rank of Master Corporal was instituted. Now in the 'old' RCN we had no equivalent to this new rank, so what was called a Master seaman was 'invented' & the insignia assigned to the MS was the Leading Seaman killick with a QC added above, very similar to the old pre '13 PO2 rank.

Well to the best of my knowledge the insignia was never manufactured, simply due to the fact that after '69 no more single service insignia were being produced as the CAF "greens" were already out in prototype & in the process of being manufactured & subsequently were on issue from 1970.

So what the newly created Master Seaman did was to manufacture their own insignia. They did this by cutting off a PO1 crown from the PO1 insignia & sewing it on above their killick. I have seen examples of these "created" insignia on RCN uniforms of the period but I have never seen one in gold wire.

Now this is what I think this badge may be, & my reasoning for this is that civilian tailors made gold wire badges in the RCN & its quite possible this is one of these. It looks of that same period to me.


& post postscript to confuse things even more.....

a collector told me he thought it might for the Royal Yacht, but I doubt that also as I thought the RY ratings wore white embroidered badges, & would this rank be even in use by RY ratings?????

Bryan