Canadian War Service Badges, 1914-1954

Sidney Allinson is a Victoria-based communications consultant, Canadian
news correspondent for Britain’s The Army Quarterly and Defence, and
the author of Military Archives: International Directory of Military
Publications and The Bantams: The Untold St

This collectors’ guide to Canadian war service badges identifies and
clarifies the various configurations and authorities for issue from 1914
to 1954. During this period there was a series of changes in badge
designs. Since then, misunderstandings and inaccuracies have often
occurred, mainly because of the sheer volume of issues. For instance, a
total of 551,000 government war service badges were issued to Canadians
for 1914–18. As well, dozens of other aspects of wartime service were
acknowledged—on land, at sea, and in the air. World War II and the
Korean War called for many more badges, all of which proudly symbolized
forms of service in the armed forces, merchant marine, and firefighters.
As important as his cataloguing of the badges, however, is the
author’s remarkable job of unearthing and identifying related
documentation, certificates, and orders-in-council. This is a key
resource for collectors of militaria.