Valour and Service

  • In commemoration of Veterans’ Week in Canada, we’ve created a display of the many medals and insignias from our archive collection, along with explanations on what they represent. These medals and insignias date from World War 1 to today.  If you’ve got a mysterious medal or badge you’ve found in your grandfather’s memorabilia, why not check out this exhibit for more information on what it might mean.

    Medals

    Military decorations, service awards (such as the British Victoria Cross) and medals are often mistakenly confused with one another. Decoration is a term for awards which require specific acts of heroism or achievement, whereas a service award or campaign medal is awarded for serving in a particular capacity in a particular geographical area and time frame.

    The medals contained in our display were given to Canadian airmen in the Royal Air Force, Canadian Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and Canadian Armed Forces for acts of bravery in World War I, World War II and post World War II. Some of the medals in this display (like the Victoria Cross) are replicas due to their rarity.

    Cloth Badges and Insignias

    Badges are distinctive signs or symbols used to identify military or other organizations. They are meant to foster individual pride and ‘esprit de corps’, as well as to instantly identify the wearer’s specific organizational affiliation. They are used to identify specific formations or units. It is interesting to note that in addition to official badges, unofficial versions tend to reflect something unique to the unit, base or station they are representing, often in a humorous way.

    One of the largest users of such badges have been the British, Canadian and American air forces who created individual unit and squadron patches during World War I. The tradition grew during World War II with various air force units, stations, bases, along with civilian aviation organizations developing their own distinctive badges. This tradition continues to this very day in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Badges are worn on uniforms and flight suits, as well as on civilian clothing and even souvenir pendants.

    These colourful and unique works of art all tell a story of the organization they represent, and they are lasting tributes to the brave men and women who have served their country during times of war and peace.

    The badges contained in our display represent World War II, British Commonwealth Air Training Plan establishments and post World War II RCAF as well as civilian airlines, aviation clubs and museums.

    On display until September 30, 2012