Airborne wartime battledress

[actionoke]

Have this in my collection but will not write it into the books yet as I have never seen pegasus pattern badges like these on the shoulders before.Are they Canadian made or fake?The bd also has a glider on lower left sleeve and Canadian para wing above correct medal ribbons.Shoulder titles were there at one stage but gone now .Bd is Canadian pattern and has maker label .Any comments would be welcome

[Bill A]

A couple of concerns on this item. If the jacket was to the Canadian Parachute Bn, it is incomplete. The shoulder titles and brigade bars are missing, and as far as I know, the glider patch was not worn by any members of 1 Cdn Para Bn. The para qualification wings look like the post war ones. 1 Cdn Para Bn was in the 6 Airborne Div and drew insignia through the Brit system, except for the uniquely Canadian titles (either Airborne Canada or the 1 Canadian Parachute Battalion titles) and the Canadian qualification wings.

[fougasse1940]

Could it possibly have been a CANLOAN BD?

Rgds,
Thomas.

[actionoke]

I have the book INTO THE MAELSTROM by k joyce and in there he says Canadians made Pegases in 1945 and on page 185 talks and shows photos of Canadian paras wearing the glider badge so I was only not sure on the style of Pegasus badge .

[Bill A]

Hi, To add to the discussion, Ken also indicates that: As the Canadian parachute battalion was not a glider infantry unit, anyone qualifying for the badge had to purchase it privately. The question becomes how many of the personnel in 1 Cdn Para qualified. The number would be very small, as most 1 Can Para were parachute trained. Ken does say that some personnel may have met the criteria as spelled out on pg 185. Most of them were NCO's, which raises the question as to whether the tunic has had rank badges.
If the tunic was Canloan, there should be regimental titles. Is there evidence of shoulder titles being removed? And, Canloan were all officers while this tunic appears to be for a private from the image.
There are Canadian made patches, and they are illustrated on pg 115 of Into the Maelstrom. They appear to be different from those on this tunic. However, Canadian personnel did buy Brit issue.
Note re the Canadian Pegasus patches. Ken believes that these were private purchase and that was after the unit returned to Canada in 1945.
Is there evidence of rank insignia having been removed from the tunic?

[Raymond Gilbert]

Bill any chance to post a photograph of that uniquely Canadian title Airborne Canada insignia for the parachute regiment?
I don't recall seeing one

James Gilbert (aka Ray)

[Bill A]

Hi JG aka R, Here is an image of an Airborne Canada title. These were worn by personnel who were airborne trained, but not on the establishment of 1 Cdn Para. Many of them were in the airborne reinforcement depot or the training establishment. For want of a better term, it was the "corps" title, much like the Canadian Armoured Corps title was worn by personnel in the cadre, training establishments, reinforcement depot etc for that corps.

[actionoke]

There where titles at one stage but they have been removed but I cant make out if any rank either on sleeve or shoulder was there

[Bill A]

Did some more thinking about this tunic. With the Pegasus patching, if the tunic is to a Canadian, it must either be for the 1 Cdn Para Bn or a Canloan officer. (The assumption the tunic is to a Canadian is based on the Parachute qualification.) These are the only possibilities with the Pegasus formation patches.

[servicepub]

Not sure why this BD is displaying a ribbon bar made up with miniature ribbons? These were worn uniquely by the Navy. Further, the BD should have unit titles and 'Canada' flashes at a minimum. The Pegasus badge is the unofficial pattern (which was later prohibited for wear).
I would only pay the sum of the individual parts without any premium for an 'Airborne' BD.

[actionoke]

is the wing wartime or post?

[Bill A]

Hello actionoke, This wing appears to be the post war early 1950's type. Compare it with the wing called Type 8 in Ken's book, page 73. Note the shroud lines don't go to the outside edge of the canopy, the bottom edge of the canopy is straight, and the wings slope up.