CEF General List Cap Badge

Description: The general list cap badge was a standard badge worn by soldiers of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) duringBadge, Cap, First World War, Canadian Division, Canadian Corps, General Overseas Service - image1 the First World War. In principle, the general list cap badge distinguished Canadian soldiers from their British counterparts. In practice, however, most Canadian units and formations designed and purchased their own distinctive cap badges.

Background: When the Canadian government raised the first contingent of troops for overseas service in 1914, it organized volunteers into a series of numbered battalions that would comprise the CEF. Many volunteers had belonged to militia regiments before the war and battalions.

One way of expressing identity was to design a unit cap badge rather than use the general list cap badge. These distinctive unit badges were similar to the general list cap badge, with small differences like the addition of the unit’s number. As a rule, distinctive badges were self-purchased or from the profits of canteen sales. Despite the proliferation of distinctive cap badges, many Canadian soldiers still wore the general list cap badge. In some cases, a unit chose not to design a distinctive badge, and in other cases, there were not enough copies of the badge to outfit newly arrived members of a unit.  

Common Features: 1. The background is a stylized maple leaf; 2. The maple leaf is superimposed with the British crown; 3. The maple leaf is superimposed with the word Canada. It measures 1.5″ x 1.5″.

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