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  #1  
Old 06-09-08, 08:02 PM
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WJ Miller WJ Miller is offline
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Default CAC 1940-1945 badge display

Seeing how some threads are showing how badges are displayed I thought I throw up a photo of my CAC display. Units of the Canadian Armoured Corps, August of 1940-August of 1945. I got interested in badges while researching my Dad's war service, since he served in the Armoured Corps (1943-46) I decided to put together a collection of wartime CAC badges. I assembled this group between 1999 and 2005. Most are unissued badges or lightly used as I wanted good examples of the designs themselves. No restrikes, all originals.
Except for the top row all badges are displayed alphabetically which at the time seemed to make the most sense.

The badges are affixed to a stretched quilt like, black cotton backing (my sister is a quilter so I enlisted her to make the background). She stitched individual 3" blocks to my specified arrangement, each block is "pillowed" like a quilt. The badges are affixed, lugs through the material and held in place with their split pins. Looks good on the wall. My only regret is that I did not have an embroidered shoulder title at the time to sew in the header, the printed cotton title doesn't stand out well on the black cloth.

Bill.
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  #2  
Old 06-09-08, 08:13 PM
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Default Badge and Medal presentation box

Here is something else that might be of interest? For Christmas of 2004 I made a box for my father to keep his personal badges and medals in. It was an "off-the-shelf" photo box (I think made by the Umbra company". A dark black-Brown leather wrapped cigar box. Inside I made trays for the badges and a large tray for his medals. To keep the medals clean and prevent scratches I added a felt cover and sewed a "repro" shoulder title on it. The original box came with a window for a photo, so I placed a regimental photo of one of the Kangaroo tanks within as well (my Dad was a driver of one similar). Photo attached.

Badges:
Generic CAC
1st Cdn. Armoured Carrier Regt. (Kangaroos)
Calgary Tanks

Medals:
39-45 Star
F&G Star
War Medal
Defense Medal
CVSM

Bill M.
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  #3  
Old 06-09-08, 08:58 PM
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Nice work Bill. Good idea also.
Jo
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  #4  
Old 07-09-08, 02:30 PM
jim a jim a is offline
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Very nice idea for display.... my wife is a quilter but I doubt she would help me out... I think she is tired of me talking badges all the time! Anyways a very good selection of badges... some real beauties in that bunch... thanks for sharing..
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  #5  
Old 12-09-08, 06:48 AM
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Hi Guys,

Very nice indeed - is there an online resource/website that shows all the WW2 Canadian Armoured Regiments?

I've got some but have a long way to go to get a nice set such as this one. Also, which of these badges would be the harder/rarer ones to find?

Mick
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  #6  
Old 12-09-08, 11:29 AM
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Hello Mick, to answer your question, partially, here are some of the more difficult badges to find,in my opinion.
The Argyll Light Infantry (Tank).
The 8th Recce.
Kangaroos ( 1st Canadian Armoured Personnel Carrier Regt.)
Manitoba Mounted Rifles.
New Brunswick (Tank) Regt.
19th Alberta Dragoons.
Prince Edward Island Light Horse.
2nd Armoured Car Regt.
2/10th Dragoons
16/22nd Saskatchewan Horse

Naturally, some will say that some badges are more difficult and expensive to find than others. Everything is relative.
But, if you are patient you will be able to find all of those, either on the auction site or from reliable dealer(s) or from fellow forum member(s) willing to part with some of the doubles that they may have. As for the Canadian armoured website , I have included the official one.
http://www.rcaca.org/includes/index.asp

Hope this will help.
Jo
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"There truly exists but one perfect order: that of cemeteries. The dead never complain and they enjoy their equality in silence." -

“There are things we know that we know,” “There are known unknowns. That is to say there are things that we now know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we do not know we don't know.”
Donald Rumsfeld, before the Iraqi Invasion,2003.

Age is something that doesn't matter, unless you are a cheese.

Last edited by Voltigeur; 12-09-08 at 02:23 PM. Reason: added info
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  #7  
Old 12-09-08, 02:31 PM
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Hello Bill, That appears to be an officer's First Hussars cap badge?

Mick, Another web site is The Armoured Acorn, which is more dedicated to vehicles and modelling, but there is a lot of useful information about Canadian armour.
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  #8  
Old 12-09-08, 05:37 PM
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Default Difficulty in acquiring some badges

Voltiguer, I would agree completely with your list of "the hard ones" to get. By far the hardest ones to find for me were a genuine Argyll Tank and the Manitoba Mounted Rifles.

My list would be:
1. The Argyll Light Infantry (Tank).
2. Manitoba Mounted Rifles.
3. Kangaroos ( 1st Canadian Armoured Personnel Carrier Regt.)
4. The 8th Recce. (even a repro is getting scarce to find)
5. New Brunswick (Tank) Regt.
6. Prince Edward Island Light Horse.
7. 2/10th Dragoons
8. 2nd Armoured Car Regt.
9. 16/22nd Saskatchewan Horse
10. 19th Alberta Dragoons.

To Bill A., yes that is an officer's 1st Hussars. A superb badge, but the horse's tail is damaged on the overlay ...still a nice badge.

Mick, if you PM your email, I have a few extra CAC badges that you might be interested in, including a 2nd Armoured Car? I can send you photos.

Bill.
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  #9  
Old 12-09-08, 05:44 PM
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Default Also..

Some of the more common badges I found difficult to find in good condition. All the 14th Light Horse badges I was coming across were badly corroded on the back coming from the solder on the lugs. I found this on a lot of Ontario Tanks, RCD badges too. A lot of the Elgin badges I came across were corroded and /or poorly struck with indistinct marking.
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  #10  
Old 12-09-08, 10:39 PM
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Thank you Gents - I shall check out those websites.

Mick
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  #11  
Old 15-10-09, 10:24 AM
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Does anyone have a list of all the Canadian units that were Armoured, or partly/fully converted to Armour during WW2? I have had a look around, and I have come across several lists on different websites, but they all seem to vary.


My father has about 16 Canadian badges of various Armoured units, and I am trying to work out which ones he is missing.

Thanks.
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  #12  
Old 15-10-09, 11:41 AM
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Hi bigpiers, The order of battle of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps varied during the war. Are you looking for any Canadian army regiment that was armoured during the Second World War? Including the armoured car regiments? Motorized infantry? Disbanded?

Last edited by Bill A; 15-10-09 at 12:00 PM.
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  #13  
Old 15-10-09, 12:42 PM
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Think I would like to start off with units that were Armoured or Armoured Car at the end of the war, and then expand and work backwards.

Badges that my father has currently are as follows;
14th Canadian Hussars
16th / 22nd Saskatchewan horse
19th Alberta Dragoons
1st Hussars (Canada)
2nd Armoured Car Regt
30th Reconnaisance Bn Essex Regt
6th Duke of Connaughts Royal Canadian Hussars
7th / 11th Hussars (Canada)
British Columbia Dragoons
British Columbia Horse
British Columbia Regt
Calgary Regt
Canadian Grenadier Guards
Elgin Regt
Fort Garry Horse
Govenor Generals Body Guard
Govenor Generals Foot Guards
Govenor Generals Horse Guards
Lord Strathgonas Horse
Manitoba Dragoons
New Brunswick Rangers
Ontario Regt
Prince Edward Island Light Horse
Princes Louises Dragoon Guards
Princess Louises North Brunswick Hussars
Royal Canadian Dragoons
Royal Canadian Hussars
Royal Tank Regt (Canada)
Sherbrook Fusiliers
South Alberta Horse
South Alberta Regt
Three Rivers Regt

Last edited by bigpiers; 15-10-09 at 12:47 PM.
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  #14  
Old 15-10-09, 02:31 PM
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Default CAC badge display items by name

The badges in my display represent only armoured regiments that existed during the operation of the Canadian Armoured Corps from August of 1940, to August of 1945 when the Corps was given its “Royal” designation, post 1945, many units were disbanded or converted to other roles and the reorganized RCAC was significantly downsized.

All the units activated for overseas service of the CAC during WW2 were numbered in sequence of seniority in the Permanent Army and then incorporation into the active brigades/divisions. My display in not in proper “numbered” order, I went with alphabetical order of each regiment. It made more sense, when it came to place the early non-numbered units that were amalgamated, converted or disbanded (denoted with an *).

Only the top row of the display is out of alphabetical sequence as I also included the Corps insignia (top centre) as well.
The display is as follows, top left to right:

*Argyll Light Infantry (Tank)
Canadian Armoured Fighting Vehicles Training Centre (unofficial)
CAC Shoulder Title, economy pattern printed cotton, common
CAFVTC badge (official), defacto “generic” overseas CAC badge issued to all active Armoured troops not yet assigned a regiment.
British Columbia Dragoons (9th Canadian Armoured Regiment)

British Columbia Regiment (28th Canadian Armoured Regiment)
The Calgary (Tank) Regiment (14th Canadian Armoured Regiment)
Canadian Grenadier Guards (22nd Canadian Armoured Regiment)
VIII Princess Louise’s New Brunswick Hussars (5th Canadian Armoured Regiment)
8th Canadian Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment (14th Canadian Hussars)
The Elgin Regiment (25th Canadian Armoured Delivery Regiment)

The Essex Regiment (Tank) (30th Canadian Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment)
15th South Alberta Light Horse/31 Alberta Reconaissance Regiment (31st Canadian Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment)
††1st Canadian Armoured Carrier Regiment
1st Hussars (6th Canadian Armoured Regiment)
The Fort Garry Horse (10th Canadian Armoured Regiment)
*14th Canadian Light Horse

IV Princess Louise Dragoon Guards (4th Canadian Armoured Regiment)
The Governor General’s Foot Guards (21st Canadian Armoured Regiment)
The Governor General’s Horse Guards (3rd Canadian Armoured Regiment)
The Grey & Simcoe Foresters (26th Canadian Army Tank Regiment)
The Halifax Rifles (23rd Canadian Army Tank Regiment)
The Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) (2nd Canadian Armoured Regiment)

*The Manitoba Mounted Rifles
The New Brunswick Regiment (Tank) (19th Reserve Armoured Regiment)
*19th Alberta Dragoons
The Ontario (Tank) Regiment (11th Canadian Armoured Regiment)
The Prince Edward Island Light Horse (17th Reserve Armoured Regiment)
The Royal Canadian Dragoons (1st Armoured Car Regiment)

The Royal Montreal Regiment (32nd Canadian Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment)
*2nd Armoured Car Regiment
*2nd/10th Dragoons
17th Duke of York Royal Canadian Hussars (7th Canadian Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment)
7th/11th Hussars (16th Reserve Armoured Regiment)
The Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment (CASF) (27th Canadian Armoured Regiment)

16th/22nd Saskatchewan Horse (20th Canadian Army Tank Regiment)
VI Duke of Connaught’s Royal Canadian Hussars (15th Reserve Armoured Regiment)
The South Alberta Regiment (29th Canadian Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment)
The Three Rivers Regiment (12th Canadian Armoured Regiment)
12th Manitoba Dragoons (18th Canadian Armoured Car Regiment)
The Voltiguers de Quebec (24th Canadian Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment)

† Note, there is no "13th" Canadian Armoured Regiment
†† The “Kangaroos” were formed and disbanded in Holland, and as such fell out of the proper army numbering sequence. Technically, I suppose they should have been the “33rd Canadian Armoured Carrier Regiment (Kangaroos)”
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  #15  
Old 15-10-09, 02:40 PM
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Default Royal CAC units, August 1945

On August 2 of 1945, the Canadian Armoured Corps was granted the prefix "Royal". Here is the initial roll of official "RCAC" units.
(note some were disbanded* by this time, but this list retroactively includes any units that served actively during the war):

The Royal Canadian Dragoons (1st Armoured Car Regiment)
The Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) (2nd Canadian Armoured Regiment)
The Governor General’s Horse Guards (3rd Canadian Armoured Regiment)
IV Princess Louise Dragoon Guards (4th Canadian Armoured Regiment)
VIII Princess Louise’s New Brunswick Hussars (5th Canadian Armoured Regiment)
1st Hussars (6th Canadian Armoured Regiment)
17th Duke of York Royal Canadian Hussars (7th Canadian Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment)
14th Canadian Hussars (8th Canadian Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment)
British Columbia Dragoons (9th Canadian Armoured Regiment)
The Fort Garry Horse (10th Canadian Armoured Regiment)
The Ontario (Tank) Regiment (11th Canadian Armoured Regiment)
The Three Rivers Regiment (12th Canadian Armoured Regiment)
The Calgary (Tank) Regiment (14th Canadian Armoured Regiment)
12th Manitoba Dragoons (18th Canadian Armoured Car Regiment)
16th/22nd Saskatchewan Horse (20th Canadian Army Tank Regiment)
The Governor General’s Foot Guards (21st Canadian Armoured Regiment)
Canadian Grenadier Guards (22nd Canadian Armoured Regiment)
*The Halifax Rifles (23rd Canadian Army Tank Regiment)
*The Voltiguers de Quebec (24th Canadian Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment)
The Elgin Regiment (25th Canadian Armoured Delivery Regiment)
*The Grey & Simcoe Foresters (26th Canadian Army Tank Regiment)
The Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment (CASF) (27th Canadian Armoured Regiment)
British Columbia Regiment (28th Canadian Armoured Regiment)
The South Alberta Regiment (29th Canadian Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment)
*The Essex Regiment (Tank) (30th Canadian Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment)
*31st (Alberta) Reconaissance Regiment (31st Canadian Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment)
*The Royal Montreal Regiment (32nd Canadian Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment)
*1st Canadian Armoured Carrier Regiment (not in the numbered sequence)
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