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Formation
Patches in Canadian
Armoured Units
Brief History
Colourful formation patches first came into vogue in the Canadian Army during World War I as it soon became apparent that during attacks on German trenches, Canadian units were becoming inter-mixed, and identification and control of unit members was most difficult as all were dressed in identical khaki uniforms.
In the Second World War, they were again introduced in Canadian Army units soon after the first troops arrived in the United Kingdom. They were to be displayed on Canadian Army uniforms until 1944 when the adoption of regimental shoulder titles became universal. Formation patches varied widely in their construction and appearance. Certain unit commanders interpreted the official directives differently as will be seen in the following pages in this section.
In the post Second World War era, formation patches were used in the Korean Conflict and by units involved in United Nations peacekeeping duties.
This section of Steel Chariots is by no means intended as a complete history of the use of formation patches in Canadian service, and readers seeking a more indepth study should refer to Distinguishing Patches, Formation Patches of the Canadian Army, by C.M. Law, Service Publications, Nepean, Ontario, 1996. Details on this and other quality books on Militaria and Firearms are available on his Service Publications web site. Be sure to drop by for a look.
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'12 CTR' Formation Patch on the sleeve of a
squadron commander of the 12th Army Tank Regiment
(The Three Rivers Regiment (Tank))
The First World War
The Second World War
1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade
2nd Canadian Army Tank Brigade
3rd Canadian Army Tank Brigade
4th Canadian Armoured Division
5th Canadian Armoured Division
Miscellaneous Second World War Formations
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© Chris Johnson, 1997