Armband

An armband is a piece of material worn around the arm. It may be worn to mark the wearer having a status, for example, an official position.

Historical Note: The outbreak of the Second World War saw a rush of men volunteer for the Canadian Active Service Force (CASF). Procurement of the necessary uniform items could not keep pace with the influx of recruits. This situation also arose when the Canadian Women’s Army Corps (CWAC) was formed in 1942.

Responsibility for the recruitment and basic training of new soldiers rested on individual regiments. These regiments needed to identify the recruits. To respond to this many regiments adopted “CASF” armbands. By 1940-41 stocks of uniform items were available in sufficient quantity that the armband was no longer necessary.  CWAC armbands were worn until sufficient supplies of CWAC uniform were available.

These armbands identified the individual as a soldier to the civilian population while, at the same time, started the process of instilling regimental pride and identity in the soldier. The armbands filled another purpose: with the new battledress uniform, insignia was kept to a minimum and armbands were often the only distinction that identified a particular unit. Finally, they were also worn by the regimental cadre (a group of instructors) as regimental identification in public.

Armband - image1Armband - image2Armband - image3The armbands shown are Service Battalion duty armbands for Orderly Officer (OO), Sergeant (OS) and Corporal (OC). Each performed various temporary supervisory duties as required.

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