CADET CORPS BADGES

In a country that possesses, as Canada does, an heraldic tradition, it would seem desirable for a permanent record to be kept of all heraldic devices issued and used therein. For most such devices, provision has already been made for such records. For the coats of arms of individuals and institutions (i.e. those armorial achievements granted by the Canadian Heraldic Authority), there is the Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges, an easy-to-access on-line forum. For Naval, Military and Air Force identification badges (such items as ships’ badges, regimental cap badges and squadron badges), the Canadian Forces maintain a record of all such armorial devices authorised by the Governor General [1].

But how about those unit identification badges used in the Sea Cadet and Air Cadet services [2]? These are para-military and heraldic in type but, since they are not granted by either the CHA or the Canadian Forces, they are not included in the records noted above. It seemed, therefore, that our Society could make a useful contribution by recording such badges on our website. A start has been made on this project, and can be located on the www.heraldry.ca site, under “Resources”. At present, the badges included are for the Sea Cadets – some 220-odd dating back to the 1980’s. These are badges designed and issued when the author was National Sea Cadet Chairman of the Navy League of Canada, serving as chairman of the original Corps Badge Committee. Subsequently-issued RCSC badges (some 40-odd) are being sought, as are the Squadron badges of the various Air Cadet corps. It is hoped to have a full archive of all such badges in due course.

Kevin Greaves.

1. The Governor General approves the badges and instructs the Chief Herald of the Canadian Heraldic Authority to record them in the Public Register. Such badges may be found on the website of the Canadian Forces Directorate of History and Heritage.
2. Since Army Cadet corps use the badges of their parent regiments (already recorded by the Canadian Forces) as unit identifying badges, the Army Cadets are not included in this discussion.