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Rank and Appointment Insignia
Rank and Appointment
Insignia was patterned after that of the British Army up to Unification in 1968. Since then, patterns of rank and appointment insignia specific to Canada were developed and used.
History
The use of uniform insignia to distinguish persons in command
positions dates back to antiquity. By medieval times, specific ranks
and positions were generally identified through heraldic devices on
personal equipment, or through flags and pennants. It was not until the
creation of modern militaries that uniform insignia was fully
developed. In the British Army, on whom Canada patterned itself, formal
military structures, and accompanying insignia, began to evolve from
the creation of Cromwell's New Model Army in 1645.
Other Ranks
By the 1800s, the rank of non-commissioned soldiers was displayed in
several ways; sergeants in infantry regiments wore a red sash to
distinguish themselves, and corporals wore a braided knot on the back
of the shoulder.
As the 20th Century opened, rank was distinguished by gold wire
embroidery for warrant officers, and gold lace chevrons for
non-commissioned officers. On the coloured uniforms of the time, these
were on different coloured backgrounds; as the land forces moved to
drab Service Dress
before the First World War, a combination of metal badges and badge
devices for warrant officers and NCOs became normal, with herringbone
rank lace used for NCOs (this lace was also used for officers cuffs, as
shown below). Drab embroidery was also used in rank badges and devices;
until 1915 the use of devices was used in conjunction with rank badges
to identify specific appointments/trades.
First World War
After 1915, some standardization of rank/appointment insignia was
made wherein a greater number of trades were represented by fewer
different rank badges. See Table of Ranks and Appointments for more details.
- To May 1915
Metal badges (usually of brass but also seen in bronze, and
sometimes referred to as "gilt" badges) were used before 1915 for some
soldiers as a badge of rank; after May 1915 these became trade or
skill-at-arms badges.
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Crossed bugles (circular backing plate was worn inside the sleeve).
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Signal flags (worn by signallers).
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Hammer and Pincer (worn by fitters and smiths).
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Bit (worn by saddlers and collar makers).
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Wheel (worn by wheelers).
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Band badge (worn by musicians in military bands)
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- After May 1915
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| Crossed rifles, as worn by musketry instructors. This is actually a pair of badges.
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| Drum badge, as worn by drummers.
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| Bronze Bandmaster badge at left, with maple leaves instead of oak leaf laurel, as at right.
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Second World War
During the Second World War, the majority of WO and NCO badges were
embroidered in dull thread, though some limited use of metal badges was
seen by warrant officers. There were a number of patterns of rank lace,
including 2, 3 and 4 bar chevrons made from single pieces of lace, with
coloured lines separating the bars. The lace was sewn either to dark
khaki wool (referred to as "worsted" badges) or to light tan Khaki
Drill denim material. Some warrant officers wore leather bracelets in
conjunction with a metal badge when in Summer Dress, as the short
sleeved shirt did not allow for display of the rank insignia.
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3-bar NCO chevron made
from individual lace stripes sewn to a khaki wool backing.
Webmaster's Collection |
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3-bar NCO chevron made
from one piece (just visible is the thin khaki stripe dividing the lace
bars). Webmaster's Collection |
Warrant Officer Class II
A variety of insignia types were available between 1915 and 1968 when the rank of Warrant Officer Class II was used by the Canadian Army.
| Metal insignia was worn on Service Dress up into the Second World War.
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| Embroidered (worsted) Battle Dress insignia as seen from 1939-1952 (the Tudor Crown was replaced by a St. Edward's Crown and this badge continued in use so modified until Unification).
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Post Second World War changes
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| After the Second World War, the insignia of a Warrant Officer Class I was changed from the British Royal Arms to the Canadian Coat of arms. Examples at left show Battle Dress badges; a British Royal Arms, and the Canadian Coat of Arms with Tudor Crown.
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| After the ascension of Queen Elizabeth II to the throne, the older Tudor Crown pattern of insignia was replaced by the St. Edward's Crown.
Even earlier, rank chevrons had been changed from a system of
individual bars of lace to the type of lace shown at left; these rank
badges were smaller than those used in the Second World War, as well as
having straight rather than curved bars in a one-piece construction.
These badges were in use by the time of the Korean War. The rank
chevrons were often sewn to a khaki serge cloth matching the Battle Dress cloth, regardless of the type of uniform it was sewn to.
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Post Unification
A completely new system of rank badges was initiated after Unification.
| On Combat Dress
- small rank badges in olive drab were worn either on slip-ons or sewn
directly to combat shirts/jackets. Rank badges for all grades of Warrant Officer were now relocated to the upper sleeves when worn directly on the shirt.
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| CF Shirts - when worn as parade or walking out dress, the
linden green shirts also had enamel rank pins worn on the points of the
collars. As Work Dress evolved, the linden green shirts were also seen with that order of dress. The rank pins were carried over to the new Garrison Dress as well.
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| CF Shirt/Sweater/Work Dress - embroidered slip ons bearing rank insignia were worn with Work Dress, either the Lagoon Green Shirt, Work Dress Jacket or rifle green Sweater.
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| The CF Uniform as well as the Distinctive Environmental Uniform
that replaced it both utilized embroidered rank badges in old gold
cotton thread on "CF Green" melton; the badges were smaller than
pre-unification badges and distinctively shaped.
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| The introduction of Garrison Dress
saw the creation of a new series of cloth insignia; rank insignia on
the Garrison Dress Jacket was identical in style to the DEU insignia,
but was rendered in monochrome embroidery of a drab shade on a rifle
green background. The badges were also denim with swiss-embroidered
edges rather than the wool of DEU cloth insignia. The same metal rank
pins were worn on the Tan Garrison Dress Shirt.
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Post Unification Chief Warrant Officers
After Unification, there was a perceived need for additional
insignia for higher level CWOs. The initiative started when Maritime
Command appointed a "Command Chief Petty Officer 1" to act as the
senior CPO 1 (the naval equivalent of a CWO) for the entire command. By
1971, Mobile Command also had a Command CWO (as did all commands in the
CF). The standard CWO coat of arms was modified for these Command CWOs
by the addition of two sprays of laurel under the coat of arms.
In the same period, distinctive insignia for Base CWOs was also proposed; the original proposed design called for a crossed Drill Cane and Pace Stick, the traditional symbols of authority in the land forces; the eventual badge had crossed swords added instead.
In 1978, the first Canadian Forces Chief Warrant Officer was
appointed; his coat of arms was encircled by a wreath of maple leaves.
In May 1994, the Formation CWO badge was approved, and later still a
Brigade CWO badge was adopted, consisting of a red maple leaf and
crossed swords.
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| Base CWO
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Brigade CWO |
| CWO
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Formation CWO |
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Command CWO
| Canadian Forces CWO
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| Officers Insignia
Rank was designated through the 1600s and 1700s by the use of lace
on uniforms. The crossed baton and sabre device was in use by 1800,
though different grades of general officer would not be distinguished
until the mid 1800s, when the grouping of their buttons served as a
rank device.
Field grade officers (Major, Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel) first
began to wear distinctive rank badges in 1810, with captains and subalterns
adopting insignia of their own in 1855. This was the first use of the
crown and rank stars. The rank star chosen across the British Army was
that of the Order of the Bath, though "Household" regiments wore
different patterns of stars. Canadian Guards regiments also inherited
this tradition.
Metal gorgets were also worn by officers, suspended by a chain
around the neck, and the use of coloured sashes also developed over
time.
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Insignia
of the Order of the Bath; the Latin inscription "Tria Juncta in Uno"
translates as "three join to become one" - a reference thought to refer
either to the Union of England, Scotland and France, or to the Union of
England, Scotland and Ireland, or possibly to the Holy Trinity. The
second inscription, "ich dien", translates as "I Serve"
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| The Victorian Crown used in rank insignia (and cap and collar badges) was replaced with a Tudor Crown in 1910, often called a "King's Crown" by collectors, and it was replaced with the St. Edward's Crown after the ascension of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to the throne in 1952. This crown is often called the "Queen's Crown".
All officers' badges on Service Dress were originally of gilding metal, though some regiments (particularly Rifle Regiments) and chaplains wore bronze instead.
British Army officers' insignia was originally worn on the
collar, but moved to the shoulder in 1880. The sequence of badges was
altered also, and until 1902 a Captain wore two rank stars and a
Lieutenant one. In 1871 the rank of Ensign (or Cornet in cavalry units)
was replaced with Second Lieutenant, who wore no rank insignia.
However, at that time officers' uniforms were so unlike that of Other
Ranks that there was no confusion. In 1902 the Second Lieutenant began to be designated by one
star, Lieutenants by two stars and Captains by three stars. Differing
styles of gold lace embroidery on the cuff of the serge jacket (later
relegated to ceremonial dress only) also distinguished between ranks.
Canadian Army officers wore stars and crowns as insignia, either in metal or in cloth, up until Unification in 1968.
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First World War
Metal insignia, usually brass, was worn by officers serving in
Canada during the First World War. The rank insignia was worn on the
epaulettes of uniform jackets, with the following sequences used:
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| Second Lieutenant
| Lieutenant
| Captain
| Major
| Lieutenant Colonel
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 Rank stars and crowns worn in the field were usually one colour,
either brass or copper. There were high quality dress versions, with
red velvets backing the crown, and stars picked out in bright coloured
enamels. Officers serving in Guards units wore metal stars of a
different pattern.
CEF
During the Great War Canadian officers, on proceeding overseas,
followed the current British practice of wearing the rank badges in
worsted embroidery on the cuff panels. These cuff panels also displayed
the rank both through bands of braid in addition to the sequence of
stars and crowns. By 1915, officers in Canada also began to wear rank
badges on their cuffs, even despite orders in 1916 to teh contrary.
Further orders in 1917 outlined that officers in Canada were to "wear
rank badges on the shoulder straps as laid down in Dress Regulations
for the Canadian Militia and not on the sleeve as worn by officers of
the Canadian Expeditionary Force". (GO 49, 16 April 1917).
In 1917, British officers were officially given,by Army
Council Instruction 1814, 1917, the option of wearing metal or worsted
rank badges on the shoulder straps in lieu of the cuffs, a practice
apparently followed unofficially beginning in 1916.
Camp Orders No. 4, 25 Aug 1915, of the 76th Battalion, CEF stated:
:"ALTERATIONS IN CLOTHING, ARMS, EQUIPMENT, ETC. RANK BADGES
:4. BADGES OF RANK. Badges of Rank to be worn on the sleeve.
Under Canadian Regulations badges of rank are worn on the shoulder
strap, but under Imperial Regulations they are worn on the sleeve.
:Inasmuch as the Canadian Expeditionary Forces on leaving
Canada pass under the control of the Imperial authorities, badges of
rank, in the case of Officers of the Canadian Expeditionary Forces,
should be worn on the sleeve, and the change must be made before
proceeding overseas.
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| Cuffs as worn by officers in Highland units. The stars and crowns were in cloth.
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| Cuffs as worn by all other officers. The stars and crowns were in cloth.
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Second World War and Korea
On Battle Dress,
cloth insignia was worn by officers on the epaulettes. At first these
rank badges were backed with khaki coloured cloth, but in 1940,
coloured backings were incorporated to indicate the arm of service, as
shown in the table below. However, metal insignia was still worn by
officers on Service Dress Jackets, Summer Dress uniforms, Greatcoats
and other garments. Guards officers were also expected to wear metal
rank stars and crowns on battledress rather than cloth insignia.
| Royal Canadian Artillery
Canadian Provost Corps
Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps (after 26 Apr 43)
| Red
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| The Corps of Royal Canadian
Engineers
The Royal Canadian Corps of Signals
Canadian Postal Corps
Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (early 1944 on)
| Blue
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| Canadian Armoured Corps
The Royal Canadian Army Service Corps
The Royal Canadian Army Pay Corps
The Corps of Military Staff Clerks
Cavalry units
| Yellow
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| Infantry units (except Rifle Regiments)
Officers of the General List
Veterans Guard of Canada
| Scarlet
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| Rifle Regiments (with some exceptions)
| Rifle Green and black
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| Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps
| Dull Cherry
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| Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps (until 26 Apr 1943)
| Dark Blue
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| Canadian Chaplain Service
| Purple
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| Canadian Dental Corps
| Emerald Green
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Canadian Forestry Corps
Canadian Intelligence Corps (Oct 1942)
| Green
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Cloth crowns backed by "dull cherry" as worn by RCAMC officers. |
Khaki rank stars, sewn to scarlet backings. Photo courtesy Rob Dekker. |
Post Korean War
After the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, the "King's Crown" (also
called the "Imperial Crown", the design of which was chosen by King
Edward VII in 1910) was changed to a St. Edward's Pattern Crown. The
Crown used in rank insignia for both Officers and Other Ranks was
changed, as well as the Crown used in cap badges and a host of other
insignia. Some units such as the Queen's Own Rifles did not change the
Crown, nor did units whose badges used coronets or other devices not
directly related to the reigning monarch. The style of rank stars (of
the Order of the Bath) remained unchanged. With the introduction of Combat Dress, the coloured rank badges were replaced by olive drab stars and crowns, and then phased out after Unification in favour of olive rank rings.
| Royal Canadian Artillery
Canadian Provost Corps
Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps
| Red
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| The Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers
Royal Canadian Corps of Signals
Royal Canadian Postal Corps
Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
| Blue
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| Royal Canadian Armoured Corps
The Royal Canadian Army Service Corps
The Royal Canadian Army Pay Corps
| Yellow
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| Infantry units (except Rifle Regiments)
Officers of the General List
| Scarlet
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| Rifle Regiments (with some exceptions)
| Rifle Green and black
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| Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps
| Dull Cherry
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| Canadian Chaplain Service
| Purple
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| Royal Canadian Dental Corps
| Emerald Green
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| Canadian Intelligence Corps
| Green
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| All corps/regiments/branches (Combat Dress)
| Olive drab
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Denim slip-ons from the bush dress, showing red officer's stars for an Officer Cadet, Lieutenant and Captain.
Unification of the Canadian Armed Forces - 1968
After Unification,
all three services adopted a common system of rank insignia. Officers
wore their rank on the cuffs of the uniform jacket, a style previously
adopted by naval and air force officers. On combat and work uniforms,
the rank was worn on slip-ons overtop of the uniform epaulette, or on
the front of the protective clothing such as parka or rain jacket.
Officer Cadet, Second Lieutenant, Lieutenant, Captain, Major, Lieutenant Colonel.
The rank insignia was also used on the short lived tan DEU jacket of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Colonels and General Officers Insignia
From the beginning of the 20th Century, General Officers and
substantive Colonels wore insignia on their shoulder straps, with metal
badges on Service Dress
and pointed jacket cuffs. On Service Dress, staff officers were
designated by two broad stripes of red cloth with a 1/2 inch serge
"light"; in Jun 1914 Canadian staff officers adopted gorget patches and
abandoned the coloured shoulder straps. In 1917, General Order 27
confirmed the practice, already existing, of wearing coloured gorget
patches on SD Jackets as well as coloured cap bands.
Rank Insignia
Canadian Army officers holding the rank of Colonel, Brigadier,
or any grade of general, wore stars and crowns as insignia in the same
manner as lower ranking officers, with a special baton and Marmeluke
sabre insignia worn by generals. Metal insignia, was worn by these men
during the First World War, between the wars, and up to the
introduction of Battle Dress in the early years of the Second World War.
The rank insignia was worn on the epaulettes of uniform jackets, with the following sequences used:
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| Colonel
| Brigadier General
| Major General
| Lieutenant General
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Gorget Patches were also worn, on the collar of the uniform,
recalling the metal gorgets worn by officers of the British Army in
previous centuries as a badge of rank. They were first worn by the
British Army in 1887, and by 1914 had become standard in the Canadian
Militia to denote generals and staff officers. Matching cap bands on
the Service Dress Cap were also worn.
Scarlet Gorget Patches (and matching capband)
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- Appointments at Militia Headquarters
- Military Members of the Militia Council
- Directors General
- Deputy Adjutant Generals
- Military Secretaries
- Assistant Judge Advocate General
- Deputy Assistant Adjutant Generals
- Staff Lieutenants
- Inspector General
- Judge Advocate General
- Staff Officer to Inspector Generals
- Directors
- Assistant Directors
- Deputy Directors
- Staff Captains
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- Appointments other than at Militia Headquarters
- Officer Commanding Military District
- Officer Commanding Division
- General Staff Officers
- Assistant Adjutant General
- Deputy Assistant Adjutant Generals
- Aides de Camp
- Inspector of Horse, Field and Heavy Artillery
- Inspector of Engineers
- Officers Commanding Camps of Instruction
- Officer Commanding Brigade
- District Staff Captains
- Brigade Major
- Inspector of Cavalry
- Inspector of Coast Defence Artillery
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Blue Gorget Patches (and matching capband)
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- Appointments at Militia Headquarters
- Assistant Paymaster General
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- Appointments other than at Militia Headquarters
- Commander, Royal Canadian Engineers
- Assistant Directors of Supplies and Transport
- Senior Ordnance Officer
- District Paymasters
- Provost Marshal
- District Signalling Officers
- Railway Transport Officers
- Embarkation Officers
- Director of Postal Services
- Military Landing Officer
- Principal Veterinary Officer
- Assistant Director of Medical Services
- Sanitary Officer
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Green Gorget Patches (and matching capband)
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- Barrack Officer
- Recruiting Officers
- Officer attached to Camps or Brigades for Musketry
- Chief Instructor, Canadian School of Musketry
- District Intelligence Officers
- Organizers and Inspectors of Cadet Corps
- Superintendent BF and PT
- Directors of BF and PT
- Inspectors of Pay Accounts
- Inspectors of Food Supplies
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Between the World Wars
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Following the First World War, the rank of Brigadier General was briefly abolished in favour of a rank called "Colonel Commandant" which was shortly renamed as Brigadier.
The crossed baton and sabre was removed from the rank insignia and
changed instead to a crown and three rank stars. These stars were often
of a smaller size than that normally worn by lesser ranking officers,
in order that they would fit, grouped as shown below, onto the shoulder
straps of a uniform. The familiar staff gorgets were also abolished
from all ranks below Colonel.1 General Order 148, effective
1 May 1921, stated that special gorget patches approved in 1918 for
wear by General Officers on the Headquarters Staff were abolished, and
that gorget patches for all ranks below Colonel were abolished. In
future, distinguishing armlets would be used to identify staff officers
or officers employed in specific roles.
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General officers also had their own pattern button. Artifact and image courtesy Dwayne Hordij. |
Gorget Patches were redefined as being either
- Scarlet with line of gold leaf embroidery: General Officers
or, depending on branch, one of the following to be worn only by General Officers or Colonels:
By 1943, the system of colours had been expanded considerably (and
in the case of Chaplains, rank equivalent to Substantive Colonel was
the prerequisite for wearing the tabs, as all Chaplains held Honorary
rank only).2
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| Scarlet
| Dull Cherry
| Blue
| Maroon
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| General Officers Except:
| RCAMC
| RCOC
| RCAVC
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| Scarlet
| Dull Cherry
| Emerald Green
| Blue
| Maroon
| Primrose Yellow
| Purple
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| Brigadiers & Colonels Except:
| RCAMC
| Canadian Dental Corps
| RCOC
| RCAVC
| RCAPC
| Chaplains
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Brigadiers now also wore the same pattern cap badge as a Colonel rather than that of a General Officer.
Second World War and Korea
On Battle Dress,
cloth insignia was worn by officers on the epaulettes. At first these
rank badges were backed with khaki coloured cloth, but in 1940,
coloured backings were incorporated to indicate the arm of service.
Colonels wore the colour of the branch to whom they belonged, while
Brigadiers and Generals wore red backings. Some brigadiers may have
retained coloured branch-specific badges (at least one brigadier in the
3rd Canadian Infantry Division retained his black and green Rifle Regiment badges after being promoted.)
Brass insignia was still worn by officers on Service Dress Jackets, Summer Dress uniforms, Greatcoats and other garments.
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The rank of General was also established by the Second World War.
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| Colonel
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Brigadier
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Major General
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Lieutenant General |
General
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For battle dress, gorget patches were initially not to be worn. A
scarlet cord "boss" was worn on BD by formation commanders; this boss
was mounted at the points of the collar of the Battle Dress blouse and
worn in lieu of gorget patches, after the question of gorget patches on
Battle Dress first arose in the British Army in May 1940. The bosses
were deleted in November 1940 after Army Council Instruction (ACI) 1366 authorized gorget patches
for Battle Dress. The Canadians followed suit, and an amplifying letter
advised that the boss would "be worn at each point of the collar of the
battle dress blouse...only by Commanders of cavalry, infantry and tank
brigades, divisions, corps and higher formations, and by Commanders of
Divisional and Corps Artillery. It will not be worn by any other
officers." An amendment to this in late 1940 stated "The scarlet cord
boss previously authorized for wear by commanders of formations only is
now abolished and will no longer be worn."
Once introduced, gorget patches on BD were to be similar in
shape to the SD and undress gorget patches, 2 inches long to the point
and 1 inch wide, worn horizontally on each side of the opening of the
collar, point to the rear, with the top of the patch to be 1/2 inch
from the top of the collar. The gold oak-leaf embroidery worn on
general's SD gorget patches was to be replaced with plain gold braid
1/5 of an inch wide, or narrower if 1/5 inch braid was not available.
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Artifacts and image courtesy Dwayne Hordij. At top centre is the cap badge worn by General Officers. |
Post Korean War
After the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, the "King's Crown" (also
called the "Imperial Crown", the design of which was chosen by King
Edward VII in 1910) used in rank insignia was changed to a St. Edward's
Pattern Crown.
Unification of the Canadian Armed Forces - 1968
After Unification, many of the distinctions of Colonels, Brigadiers
and Generals were abolished. Along with the Sam Browne belt (which were
worn by all commissioned officers), the gorget tabs worn by colonels
and generals were removed from use. Colonels dressed no differently
from other officers, and Brigadiers became known once again as
Brigadier Generals (and regained the status of a General officer,
including the display of the crossed baton and sabre on badges of
rank).
 Generals retained shoulder straps on their uniform jackets, and
wore badges of rank there, with maple leaves coming to replace the
British-style rank stars and a crown worn by all grades of General. The
maple leaf and baton sequences were embroidered directly to the
shoulder strap, and were also embroidered in subdued colours for wear
on Work Dress (later Garrison Dress) and in olive green for wear on the
new Combat uniform. Metal rank badges were retained on the Mess Dress
uniform, but disappeared from use in all other orders of dress.
In addition, on the CF Jacket (both CF Green and Tan) all grades of general wore broad bands of gold braid on the cuff.
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