War Amps Tag

[GTB]

I know next to nothing about this small metal tag, apart from it being almost 50 years old. Can it be considered as being an associated item of miltaria or is it more akin to a charitable organisation? When was it instituted and does it cover all wars where Canadians served?
GTB

[DavidS]

Originally Posted by GTB

I know next to nothing about this small metal tag, apart from it being almost 50 years old. Can it be considered as being an associated item of miltaria or is it more akin to a charitable organisation? When was it instituted and does it cover all wars where Canadians served?
GTB

It is more akin to a charitable society item. War Amps was founded in Canada in1918 to help veterans with amputations who otherwise could not work. The tag you have is a key tag, which started after WWII (1946) as a fund raising service. You put these tags on your key chains and if you lost your keys, anyone who found them would drop them in a mailbox and they would be returned to you. With the demise of the veteran amputee population, the biggest program they now run is their child amputee"CHAMPS" program, providing kids in Canada with artificial limbs.

[Pylon1357]

I love these tags, Remind me of my childhood. Every year dad would get a new one to put on his keys. As I got older, they changed from this aluminum framed style to a thin plastic style. The didn't seem to last out the year they were issued for.

[GTB]

Thanks, both. I'm much wiser now
GTB

[Mike_2817]

I do not know about Canada but the War Amputees in the UK is very noticeable again due to IED injuries in Afghanistan

[DavidS]

Originally Posted by Mike_2817

I do not know about Canada but the War Amputees in the UK is very noticeable again due to IED injuries in Afghanistan

Same in Canada, but thankfully nowhere near the scale of the World Wars.

[rillette]

Plastic tags indeed nowadays, but they do last, I have 7 years worth of them on my key chain and it does see use and abuse :-)

Cheers,
FX Dutoy