Canadian Rangers

[John Cameron]

Familiar to Canadians, but possibly not so familiar to our cousins across the pond are the Canadian Rangers. There are currently about 4500 Rangers, who are members of the Canadian Forces Reserves. About 60% are Innuit or First Nations and all are expert at hunting, trapping and bush survival. They provide reconniasance, search and rescue and survival training for the Canadian Forces in the north. They don't wear uniforms, but are issued with distinctive clothing and a brassard which gives them status as soldiers under the Geneva Conventions. More info here:
http://www.rangers.dnd.ca/intro_e.asp
Ranger Patch

Combat Parka Slip-On

[Bill A]

Thanks for posting your images John. The Canadian Rangers perpetuate the Pacific Coast Militia Rangers, a special force of volunteers recruited to patrol and protect the west coast and remote interior regions of British Columbia and the Yukon during WW2. The concept proved successful, and as the link inidcates the Canadian Rangers were created to assist the Canadian Forces patrol and assert soverignty in the vast reaches of the north and remote costal areas. The Canadian Rangers have fulfilled this role since the late 1940's.

The Canadian Rangers have been identified by a variety of methods. John has illustrated the patch embroidered on a felt like material. The patch or the motif of the patch has been the key element in the Ranger identification.

The Canadian Rangers, as an "irregular reserve", were not required to wear the uniforms of the regular and reserve regiments of the Canadian Forces. Instead, they wore their civilian clothes with a variety of identifiers. Initially, the Canadian Rangers wore a brassard with the Ranger's patch. The brassard has been found in red and khaki. The khaki armband has been reported with rank insignia of corporal and sergeant.




John's patch is an earlier issue. The material used to manufacture the patch and the unilingual name on the patch are indicative of an early issue. That pattern has been superceded by different fully embroidered patterns, as shown in the attached illustration. Note the variety of namings embroidered on the patch. Those familiar with Canadian language policy will see the evolution of the patch with the bilingual naming, and in one case the attempt to use a single word designation to meet the expectation of bilingualism for federal organizations.



The Canadian Ranger's patch is also found on official issue baseball caps. (see the link that John provided to the Canadian Rangers on the DND site. There are many images with members of the unit wearing the cap.) The armband and the cap are the two main uses of the official patch. The motif of the patch is also used on a variety of other Canadian Ranger clothing. Sweatshirts sport the crest and are issued as a uniform for the group. Other clothing found with the patch include windbreakers or shells, and toques.

Recently, the Canadian Rangers have been issued combat uniforms. As part of this uniform, slip-on titles have been manufactured. John has illustrated the standard slip-on for the Rangers. Some Ranger Patrols have had combat titles made representing their groups. These are the standard pattern combat tablet, embroidered with the abbreviation of the patrol. 3 CRPG is known to exist. There may also be examples in cadpat.

The Canadian Rangers have expanded to include a Juniour Canadian Ranger component. They are distinguished by a patch in reverse colours of the Rangers, and are issued a ballcap and sweatshirt with the patch motif in the reverse colour.

Thanks John for bringing this little know element of the Canadian Forces to our attention.

[Bill A]

A "shoulder title" for the Canadian Rangers had been offered on ebay a couple of times over the last few months. It is similar in construction to the fully embroidered patches illustrated, but only has the name in an arc.
It is odd that the title exists, as there armband was supposed to be the identification, worn as a brassard on the arm over civilian clothing.

[jranrose]

Looks like the Rangers are getting new cap badges, collar dogs and metal shoulder titles.

[Bill A]

Hi, Is there a date for the medal presentation?
Interesting badges on the CF DEU.

[Tanker Mike]

Also cant make out the cap badges, the collars look like WW1 pioneer style with an axe and a rifle, must be some type of Ranger admin?

[shootemup]

Looks like the Rangers are getting new cap badges, collar dogs and metal shoulder titles.

Nope...

Those members in DEU aren't "Rangers"...they are attached reg force personnel, and despite the "novelty" cap badge and other items there is no intention for Rangers to be issued with or wear DEU so no need for metal cap, collar, and shoulder badging.

[shootemup]

Some quick Ranger facts:

There are only NCM/NCO ranks, up to sergeant.

The patrol leader, a sergeant, is a postion obtained by concensus among the patrol members, and not similar/ does not equate to promotion criteria for any other NCMs in the CF.

Rangers complete a 12 day training course and are required to serve 12 days per year.

Rangers who complete their training and their 12 days per year, as well as three organized "patrols" in four years are entitled to the Special Service Medal with the Ranger bar.

All orders of dress for rangers are the same...the only difference being:

Field: No decorations
Garrison: Ribbons
Formal: Medals

The cap, collars, and titles sure had me stumped though...I've got $20 says they are "novelty" items, as actual rangers will never wear them.

[jranrose]

The date for the medals presentation is the 8th December 2011. Here is the link to the images:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/2gprc2crpg/page18/

[Bill A]

Thanks. It would be interesting to see what the story is behind the CF "ranger" badges. The cap badges appear to be embroidered, and in other images the support staff or training cadre wearing cadpat are also wearing the same cap badges. It would seem that these badges were worn with more than the DEU.

[Michael Reintjes]

Interesting caps and collars as well as the 2nd Canadian Ranger Patrol Group (2 GPRC) shoulder titles and cadpat titles.....have never seen this stuff before.

[Tanker Mike]

GPRC title?

[Tanker Mike]

Even the Col's name tag is not regulation, we don't have little maple leafs on CF name tags?

[Bill A]

Groupe Patrol Rangers Canadien (if my translation is correct).
Scrolling through the other images one can see a lot of unusual insignia.

[Tanker Mike]

Yes, even stranger is the CADPAT looks different than the reg force members, look at the difference betweent he R22R Col and Sigs photographer and the CADPAT the members with the Rangers soft capbadge are wearing or are my eyes deceiving me.