Westminster Regiment - Cloth

[Phillip Herring]

For the BC enthusiasts.
The Westminsters have been mentioned in Bill A's "Evolution" thread. I have started this one to keep on topic.

Phil

[Bill A]

Thanks Phil. Nice overview of the titles for the Westminster Regiment.
The Westies were somewhat unique in the Second World War. As a motor regiment, they were one of only two regiments who served in that role in the army. (Earlier organization had another regiment as a motor battalion, but that regiment, the Perth's were converted to a regular infantry battalion.)
5 Canadian Armoured Division was the "deviant child" of the army when it came to insignia. Maj.-Gen. Sansom, GOC 5 CAD was given the responsibility to approve insignia for his division as it mobilized in Canada. He ignored the existing policies that had been developed for overseas, and came up with a hybrid scheme of his own. That was the use of regimental and corps abbreviations on the formation patch. While reflecting the use of corps abbreviations on formation patches, this was different from the existing policy for infantry and armoured regiments at the time. Infantry regiments wore either a spelled out regimental title or a geometric device over the formation patch if the unit was in 2 Canadian Infantry Division. Neither of these schemes was used in 5 CAD, as Sansom was opposed to "elaborate" shoulder titles. Instead the infantry battalions in his division would wear imposed formation patches, ones with the unit abbreviation on the formation patch.
In 5 CAD, the original order of battle had two armoured brigades and a support group (brigade). He had the senior brigade abbreviations embroidered in green, (the brigade bar colour for the senior brigade) the second armoured brigade in red (the brigade bar colour for the second senior brigade), and the support brigade in blue (again, the junior brigade bar was blue). When the armoured divisions were reorganized in January 1943, the patches remained, but one armoured brigade was removed, an infantry brigade was added, and units were shifted around. So, the colour scheme that had made sense for a few months was made irrelevant, but the cost and difficulties getting new patches precluded replacing them with the new brigade colour for embroidery.
To bring this back to the Westies, they were originally tasked as the motor battalion for the 1st Armoured Brigade, which had green embroidered abbreviations. That remained the colour on their patches until they switched to coloured shoulder titles and plain 5 CAD patches later in the war.

[Phillip Herring]

One other note on 5 CAD is the formation of 12 Infantry Brigade.
IV PLDG were converted from 1 CID's armoured recce to infantry, 1 LAA RCA were converted and badged as The Lanark and Renfrew Scottish Regiment and The Westminster Regiment were converted from a Motor Battalion to line infantry.
I do not believe that there were regimental formation badges for the IV PLDG or The Lanark and Renfrew Scottish Regiment.
Now, one of the batteries in 1 LAA was a BC militia unit that mobilized for active service. Although it sounds tenuous, I include The Lanark and Renfrew Scottish in my BC collection.

Phil

[shootemup]

Nice selection of patches, Philip!

The Westies certainly are unique, as in the course of their 150 year history they have been Infantry, Artillery, Motor, Machine Gun, and Armoured (Recce).

[Bill A]

Hi Phil, You are correct. By the time 12 CIB was formed, overseas insignia policy had evolved. In January 1944, CMHQ decided that imposed formation patches were too expensive and difficult to obtain. Efficiencies would be found if the units went to a coloured shoulder title and a plain formation patch.
So upon creation of 12 CIB, 5 CAD was moving to plain patches. The Plugs had their 4 PLDG shoulder title already as part of 1 CID, and the Westies had the imposed formation patch. The L & R Scottish needed a title, and evidence indicates that they obtained a supply from Cananda. These were embroidered coloured titles, and are a bit different from the post war. See this thread on the Lanark & Renfrew Scottish.