Badges of The Royal Canadian Regiment
1883 - 1894

On December 21, 1883, General Order No. 26 authorized the formation of three schools of infantry, to be formed into one Corps, to be known as the Infantry School Corps.

The 1883 Bullion Wire Badges

The RCR existed as the “Infantry School Corps” from 1883 until 1992, when the regimental name was changed to the “Canadian Regiment of Infantry.” Badges were named to the “Infantry School Corps” with the Canadian identity shown by a beaver as the central figure. While metal badges are known for cap, helmet and collars, but they are not common among collectors or museums.

The officers of the Regiment during the I.S.C. period also had a bullion wire badge, with a brass and silver centrepiece. To give an idea of how rare these might be today, in the nine years of the Infantry School Corps, the regimental history lists only 36 officers who joined the Regiment. The few badges that might have been made for them, coupled with the recognized fragility of the wire badges, assures that the survival of any of these badges is a remarkable event.

The bullion wire badges pictured at right may be the only surviving set of these badges and are now in The Regimental Rogue's collection.

The 1883 Helmet Plate

The standard 1883 helmet plate for the Infantry School Corps was the Home Service Helmet Plate two-piece design (in use from 1878 - 1914) consisting of a ‘Star Plate’ and a ‘Star Plate Centre’. The Infantry School Corps helmet plate followed the British version, with the centre garter reading "Royal School of Infantry" but with a uniquely Canadian star plate centre of a silver beaver design.

The helmet plate would have been worn on the white universal helmet.

My own collection contains two versions of the standard 1883 helmet plate, one in brass, and one in gilt which the an officers' pattern. (The Regimental Museum displays two other variations of the helmet plate, these more ornate versions are labelled as officer patterns but I have found no documentation authorizing their use.)

Other badges in use for the period 1883-1894 include an early eight-pointed star and collars and glengarry badges for officers and other ranks up to 1892 (see sidebar photos).