2nd Canadian Corps Formation Insignia

Canada fielded a national army for the first time in its history during the Second World War. To distinguish the two Canadian corps serving simultaneously in the United Kingdom, distinctive insignia was adopted. A logical extension of the existing formation patch series, itself a continuation of those originally adopted by the divisions of the Canadian Corps in 1916, was the adoption of a blue rectangle.¹  Various 2nd Canadian Corps troops adopted shoulder patches made from three materials mainly (canvas, felt and wool). 

Members of various corps serving in support units came to wear formation patches with letters in the middle. A formation patch with a maroon coloured strip in the middle was worn by some members of the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (RCAMC).²

Soldiers whose units were directly attached to lower formations within the Corps wore the formation patches of those formations.

For further information, see the book DISTINGUISHING PATCHES by Clive M. Law, published by Service Publications.

Badge examples above courtesy of Dwayne Hordij.   II Corps patch at left, with patch at right worn by Royal Canadian Army Pay Corps personnel of the II Canadian Corps.

Badge examples below courtesy of Bill Alexander.  Click the pictures to enlarge.

Badge examples below courtesy of Dwayne Hordij. Click the pictures to enlarge.

Notes

1. Falconer, D.W. Battery Flashes of W.W. II (D.W. Falconer, 1985) ISBN 0-9691865-0-9

2. Law, Clive M. Distinguishing Patches: Formation Patches of the Canadian Army (2nd Ed.) Service Publications, Ottawa, ON, 2008 ISBN 978-1-894581-50-9