Officer Candidate School

[Bill A]

The Officers' Candidate School wore the distinctive cap badge shown below. Note the white plastic backing. The badge is frequently mis-identified.

[servicepub]

Here is a photo of a group of Officer Cadets wearing the maple leaf in question. Typically a white band was worn on the field service cap, forage cap or Tam O'Shanter. As the beret did not have a cap band the maple leaf was placed on a white disk.



The same badge appears to be in wear by soldiers formed up in a composite platoon. In lieu of the white disk the badge is backed with a red/scarlet wool flash. Nothing is know of this composite platoon at this time

[Bill A]

Hi Clive, Nice photos. Great to see the "high priced help" polishing their boots. The second photo is the 2nd Canadian Special Infantry Battalion, formerly the 19th Canadian Infantry Training Bn. The badges were a plain maple leaf, but I don't think they were the same pattern of leaf as the OCP, which was post war.

[john22]

Great to see the "high priced help" polishing their boots. The second photo is the 2nd Canadian Special Infantry Battalion, formerly the 19th Canadian Infantry Training Bn. The badges were a plain maple leaf, but

[Bill A]

John, was there more to your post? It appears to have lost part?
The top photo is of a group of officer candidates of the Officer Candidate School, an officer training program in Canada. It ran in the early 50's. The maple leaf appears to be a different design.

[Hussar100]

Some of those berets are shocking. One hopes they'd got to grips with shaping them before they were posted to Regimental Duty.

[Mike Jackson]

Originally Posted by Bill A

Hi Clive, Nice photos. Great to see the "high priced help" polishing their boots. The second photo is the 2nd Canadian Special Infantry Battalion, formerly the 19th Canadian Infantry Training Bn. The badges were a plain maple leaf, but I don't think they were the same pattern of leaf as the OCP, which was post war.

Was 2nd Canadian Special Infantry Battalion located in the UK? I ask because my example of the title came from a manufacturer's sample board which came to light in Belfast in the mid-1980s. Also on the board were two Canadian signs with CCS superimposed.
CCS_01.jpg

[Bill A]

Hi Mike, Yes, 2nd Canadian Special Infantry Battalion was in the UK, but it was formed by the re-designation of 19th Canadian Infantry Training Battalion. This holding unit was full of low points men, mostly recently arrived in the UK. They were at the bottom of the priority list for return to Canada.

[Bill A]

Oliver, thank-you for the image of the cap badge. It is a distinctly different pattern than the one worn by the Officer Candidate Program. What is the nature of the backing material?