Canada Royal Canadian Mounted Police badges and uniforms

[johnnyrocket]

I've recently learned that the issued RCMP wallet (carry) badge has the inside center seal/shield in plated silver—of course it has an issuing ID number. Please not that by comparison, the retirement badge is all gold with blue enameling.

Johnny R. :D

Edited September 5, 2011 by johnnyrocket

[jwmcd2]

Hello,

I have come across my great-great Uncle Syd's RCMP Serge in a closet at my parent's house and it appears to be in great shape. In trying to find out about them I came across this website. Out of curiosity, what are these things worth? here's some pictures:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/81272537@N00/sets/72157628132944715/

My Mom also thinks we have the gloves somewhere, but have yet to find them.

Thanks in advance!

Jamie

[MP collector]

Next up some very scarce badges, the official RCMP ID badges. This is the only badge that shows the number of the policeman in question and is not normally available to collectors.

This is a version for Inspectors.

These ID badges are identified as fakes in the "Insignia of the Canadian Mounted Police 1873-1998" by Donald J. Klancher

[Paul L Murphy]

Are they outright fakes or were they made as collector's pieces ? Also can anyone post a picture of the correct ID badge ?

[BERMUDA]

RCMP ID BADGES:

Somebody asked in an earlier posting about a current issue RCMP ID Badge. The attached picture depicts one. When a member retires, he is allowed to retain his ID Badge, but it is imbedded in a lucite block. There is no easy way to remove the badge from the lucite, so when one does, it usually damagages the blue enamel. Hope this helps.

[BERMUDA]

RCMP LONG SERVICE and GOOD CONDUCT MEDALS:

The RCMP LSM was instituted by Order-in-Council, 14 January 1933. The Royal Warrant was signed by HM King George V and issued 6 March 1933. The first medals were awarded 1 January 1935. It is awarded for 20 years qualifying service. Each additional five years service is denoted by a bar with star, attached to the suspension ribbon. A bronze bar with one star denotes 25 years service, a silver bar with two stars = 30 years, a gold bar with three stars = 35 years, a gold bar with 4 stars = 40 years.

There have been six distinct types / varieties issued todate.

TYPE 1 - King Genorge V - 388 issued

[BERMUDA]

RCMP LONG SERVICE and GOOD CONDUCT MEDALS:

TYPE 2 - King George VI - 384 Issued

Inscription: GEORGIVIS VI REX ET IND. IMP.

[BERMUDA]

RCMP LONG SERVICE and GOOD CONDUCT MEDALS:

TYPE 3 - King George VI - 329 Issued

Post-Indian independance (1947) inscription: GEORGIVIS VI DEI GRATIA REX

[BERMUDA]

RCMP LONG SERVICE and GOOD CONDUCT MEDALS

Type 4 - Queen Elizabeth II - 482 Issued

Old RCMP Badge with King's Crown Reverse

[BERMUDA]

OOPS, forgot to attache Type 3 picture

[QSAMIKE]

ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE - LONG SERVICE AND GOOD CONDUCT MEDALS

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police Long Service Medal - an idea conceived during the mid 1920's amid great hope and expectation. For the medal advocates a decade of frustrations and delay was to pass before their wishes for such an award were to be realized.

The matter of issuing medals to members of the R.C.M.P. in recognition of long service was put forward by Commissioner Cortlandt Starnes during the summer of 1925, when he queried the procedure to be followed when making application to the Governor General of Canada for the authority to issue such a medal.

On September 22, Starnes attempted to get things rolling when he submitted a memorandum to the Minister in Control of the R.C.M.P. in which he recommended an "Officers Decoration" as well as a "Long Service Medal". The decoration was to be awarded to officers who had completed twenty-five years of commissioned service, while the medal was to be awarded to officers, non-commissioned officers and constables after completion of twenty-five years service.

The wheels of progress quickly ground to a halt for this request was met with little interest by senior government officials. Over two years later, on September 30, 1927, a follow-up report was submitted by Starnes outlining the previous submission and emphasizing the fact that officers and other ranks in militia were awarded such a medal as were those in the Imperial Army and Navy. In this second submission, Starnes had reduced the number of qualifying years from twenty-five to twenty.

This latest action by Starnes got things moving again, for the time being at least, because on that same date the recommendations were forwarded to the Governor General for his approval, but results were slow in coming. Over a year later the Commissioner again felt compelled to jarr the memories of the officials involved by making yet another representation, requesting the report which had been forwarded to the Governor General for approval be returned to him. With this, results were quickly achieved. On December 6, 1928, the recommendations as submitted were approved by Order-in-Council P.C. 2l69.

The entire matter seemed to have reached an impasse once again. No action was taken beyond the Order-in-Council, and a disappointed Starnes retired on August 1, 1931, his wishes for the medal unfulfilled.

His successor, Major-General James H. MacBrien, continued with efforts to have the medal issued. On November 29, 1932, in a report to the Under Secretary of State in Ottawa, MacBrien emphasized that the medal had been authorized and requested the matter be taken up with the proper authorities in order that official sanction could be obtained from His Majesty, King George V.

A great many changes had taken place within the R.C.M.P. during this period of time resulting in new opinions being formulated by MacBrien reguarding the awards. These were made known to the Minister in control of the R.C.M.P. in a report dated January 5, 1933, which contained the following comments: "In the meantime the duties of the R.C.M.P. since April 1, 1932 have very materially changed and it is considered necessary to amend the regulations under which the award may be made. Further, the undersigned is of the opinion that there is no need to institute an "Officers Decoration" as the "Long Service Medal" will be sufficient for all ranks."

On January 14, the Committee of the Privy Council announced that the Order-in-Council for December 6, 1928 was canceled. The announcement continued by stating that in lieu of the previously authorized decoration and medal, a silver medal - designated the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Long Service Medal - would be instituted and awarded to officers, non-commissioned officers and constables of the R.C.M.P. after not less than twenty years service with the Force. This proclamation was followed on January 28 with a provision being made to have the names of the recipients published in the Canada Gazette.

The culmination of years of effort came on March 6, 1934 when King George V approved the institution of the medal, described as follows:

The medal was designated and styled "The Royal Canadian Mounted Police Long Service Medal". The medal consisted of a circular medal of silver, one and one half inches in diameter, with the Royal Effigy on the reverse, the crest and motto of the R.C.M.P., surrounded by the legend "For Long Service and Good Conduct". The riband of the medal was Royal Blue with two Yellow stripes, one-eighth of an inch wide and one-half inch apart.

Arrangements were made with personnel at the Royal Canadian Mint in Ottawa to engrave the dies and strike the medals and on February 13, 1935 the first lot of 245 medals was supplied at a cost to the Force of $2.00 each, including lettering. A medal was to cost a member $3.00 each for a replacement, in the event the original was lost or destroyed.

Regulations called for the medal to be worn to the left of all service medals, other than those awarded by a foreign power. The undress ribbon was three-eighths of an inch in depth and was worn on a detachable bar which was not visible.

The first awards of medals to members and ex-members were contained in the Canada Gazette for January 12, 1935. The list contained the names of 240 medal recipients and the majority of these were serving members. Examination of the roll of eighty-eight officers so named indicated fifty-seven were still serving, while ninety-three of the 152 non-commissioned officers and constables listed were sill with the Force.

The first presentation of medals took place at Ottawa, Ontario, on March 12, 1935 when the Governor General of Canada presented medals to seventy one members and ex-members who paraded in the drill hall at Cartier Square.

The R.C.M.P. had in its ranks many former Dominion Police and Provincial Police members following the amalgamation or the former on February 1, 1920 and six provincial forces during the period of 1928 to 1932. Service in these units counted as qualified service for the medal, as did service in the Customs-Excise Prevention Service of the Department of National Revenue, providing the combined service of the latter and the R.C.M.P. was continuous. Overseas service during W.W.I could not be counted, unless such service was with the R.N.W.M.P. "A" or "B" Squadrons. It is to be noted that service in the Mounted Police at any time since the inception of the Force counted as qualifying service and a member did not have to serve in the R.C.M.P. per se to obtain the medal. (The Force was known as the North West Mounted Police from 1873 to 1904 and the Royal North West Mounted Police from 1904 to 1920.)

The initial medals awarded and those produced up to December 1937 bore the effigy of King George V, despite the fact that he died in January of 1936. His successor, King Edward VII, reigned only until December 11 of that year at which time he abdicated the throne.

The fact that no medals with the effigy of King Edward VIII were produced is substantiated by a memorandum to the Curator of the R.C.M.P. Museum in Regina dated December 1, 1937, which accompanied the obverse die for the King George V medal being forwarded to that institution. In this covering report, it was noted "...this is now no linger in use, the die of the present sovereign having been recieved..." At this time, the "present sovereign" would have been King George VI.

There were two varieties of King George VI medals produced and for the purpose of this article, these will be designated Series I and Series II. The production of Series I medals ceased when, under the Royal Style and Titles Act (Canada) 1947, assent was given for the omission of the words "Indiae Imperator", or as on the R.C.M.P. medals, the abbreviation "Et Ind. Imp." This deletion was authorized by Order-in-Council, P.O. 4877, dated November 28, 1947, but was not to take effect until 1948.

The Series I medals bore the inscription "Georgivs VI Rex Et Ind. Imp." and on March 6, 1948, Commissioner S. T. Wood, in a letter to the Master of the Mint, requested the Mint engraver make a new die for the obverse of the medal, omitting the "Et Ind. Imp." The Series II medals bore the inscription "Georgivs VI Dei Gratia Rex",

Although Commissioner Wood's request called only for a new obverse die, it would appear a new reverse die was produced as well, as there are significant differences between the reverse of the Series I and Series II medals, although the reverse of the King George V and King George VI, Series I, appear identical.

Up to this time the medals had been struck from pure silver, without alloy, but officials at the mint suggested future medals be produced from .800 silver, as it would wear better, look just as good and be cheaper to produce. This request was acceded to by the Commissioner and so noted in correspondence to the Master of the Mint on June 25, 1948.

Expanded duties of the R.C.M.P. in 1950 paved the way for more changes as a result of the amalgamation with the R.C.M.P. of the British Columbia Provincial Police, the Newfoundland Rangers and portions of the Newfoundland Constabulary. The amended regulations as proposed on August 3, 1951 - and subsequently approved - provided for service in either the Newfoundland Rangers or the Newfoundland Constabulary be deemed as to have been service in a provincial police force.

On February 6, 1952, King George VI died and was succeeded by Queen Elizabeth II, thus requiring a change in the effigy on the medal and this effigy is still in use.

A suggestion put forward in 1946 recommended the awarding of clasps to the medal, one rosette after twenty-five years service and two rosettes after twenty-nine years service. These recommendations met the same fate as did many early recommendations reguarding the medal, in that no action was taken.

The issue was not dead however, for on February 2, 1954, Commissioner L. H. Nicholson put forward similar recommendations, altered to the extent that clasps would be worn to denote the completion of twenty-five, thirty and thirty five years of qualifying service, with clasps of bronze, sliver and gold respectively. When the ribbon was worn alone, the award would be denoted by a star of metal corresponding to that of the clasp.

These recommendations were accepted in their entirety by government officials, and authorized by Order-in-Council P.C. 1954-44/218, of February 18, 1954.

The provisions were not retroactive and applied only to those members who were on strength on or after that date. The stars were to be worn in the center of the undress ribbon, the clasps and stars could not be worn until the award had been announced. The clasp and star of the most recent award only was to be worn.

From the time the initial awards of medals were made, such had been approved semi-annualy, which in some cases created long delays in the presentation of the awards and complaints from the members concerned. As of July 1, 1956 any member was awarded the medal, or clasp and star, as the required service was completed and all other requirements met. In December of that year, a further change was instituted in that a certificate would be awarded to each medal recipient.

For many years the medal was supplied to the member in the small cardboard box in which it was shipped from the Mint, although the medal was presented officially at an occasion of some importance. As of August 1975, & Red and White lined Blue leatherette case with a metal crest of the Force on top was supplied with each medal. All members serving with the Force as of August 1, 1974 who qualified for the medal were entitled to receive the new style case, regardless if they left the Force in the interim.

At the end of 1975 the metal content had varied since the 1948 stipulation that .800 silver be used, for they were now being produced from an alloy of .925 silver and .075 copper.

The regulations in effect at that same time called for the length of the medal and the ribbon to be three and one-half inches from the top of the ribbon to the bottom of the medal.

Over the years, a large number of these medals have been awarded and totals to the end of 1975 have amounted to some 4,961; 504 to officers and 4,346 to non-commissioned officer and constables, 106 to special constables and 5 to marine constables.

The matter of miniatures of the medal for mess kit and evening wear with civilian dress was broached shortly after the introduction of the medal. These miniatures were not awarded or issued and were to be purchased by the members concerned if they so desired.

Initially, a number of firms submitted samples of the miniature medal end quoted prices varying lots, naturally being cheaper if large quantities were ordered. The main supplier appears to have been J.R. Gaunt & Son Limited in Montreal.

The responsibility rested with each member to procure the miniature medal if he so desired, but in 1953 Force officials decided that a bulk order would be placed and the medals then offered on repayment to those members who had expressed a desire to purchase one. During December, six King's effigy miniatures were ordered from Wm. Scully Ltd. in Montreal and 102 Queen's effigy were ordered from Gaunt. This was apparently the only time that a bulk order was placed by the force and since that time purchases have been made on an individual basis, although Force tailors often have a supply available for sale, but this is a service provided by them and the items were not ordered by Force officials.

With the introduction of clasps for the medal, miniatures were required. These were supplied by Gaunt and a bulk order was placed on February 25, 1957 for nine gold, eighteen silver and eighty bronze clasps. Since that time the clasps have been purchased on an individual basis, although the same situation exists as with the miniature medals in that supplies are often on hand at the tailor shop.

At the end of 1975, the regulations called for the length of the miniature medal to be two and one-eighth inches from the top of the ribbon to the bottom of the medal.

The years of work and frustration which led to the approval of this award have been long forgotten but this has not marred the fact that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Long Service Medal continues to be highly prized by the members who have recieved it and many more will be awarded in the future to those successfully meeting the qualifications.

Written by By S/Sgt D. J. KLANCHER R.C.M.P., Submitted By M.W. Clare

[BERMUDA]

RCMP LONG SERVICE and GOOD CONDUCT MEDALS:

Type 5 - Queen Elizabeth II - 10,334 issued through 1993.

The Garter Principal King of Arms, London, granted a new badge to the RCMP in 1952. The new badge was slowly phased into service as existing stock was issued and used. For example, new design collar badges were first issued in 1957, with revised cap badges following in 1958. The Type 5 LSM with the new badge on the reverse was first awarded in 1967, and is still awarded.

[BERMUDA]

RCMP LONG SERVICE and GOOD CONDUCT MEDALS:

Type 6 - Queen Elizabeth II - Number issued is unknown

The Type 6 medal with French language reverse was introudced in1989.

[BERMUDA]

RCMP LONG SERVICE AWARDS for CIVILIAN MEMBERS:

An RCMP Long Service Award System was created in 1981 to recognize long and faithful service of RCMP Civilian Members. It consisted of a series of Service Badges and Certificates to recognize 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 years service.

In 1992 the Award System was amended with the creation of the Civilian Member Long Service Medallion, which is awarded for 20 years service. The medalion is made of sterling silver, is 2.2 inches (56mm) in diameter, and issued in a fitted case with the RCMP Badge on the lid.

[johnnyrocket]

RCMP ID BADGES:

Somebody asked in an earlier posting about a current issue RCMP ID Badge. The attached picture depicts one. When a member retires, he is allowed to retain his ID Badge, but it is imbedded in a lucite block. There is no easy way to remove the badge from the lucite, so when one does, it usually damagages the blue enamel. Hope this helps.

What is the dimensions (in inches) on the badge? Nice posting Bermuda.

Johnny R. :-)

[Sheepie]

Hi All,

Am new to this forum and new to collecting as well.

Johnnyrocket, as far as I know, the retired badges you've posted are made by

the vet association. However, as requested by RCMP, they stopped the production.

As a result, they are very rare.

Why some have the veteran wording and the other has retired ?

Prior to 1 Jan 2005, the retired wording is used.

After that, the veteran wording is used.(see attached)

As to generations and sizes, the RCMP GRC is the latest design,while the

VETERAN wording being the latest variation of retired badges.

The other retired badge with full royal canadian mounted police

wording is modeled after the previous design used until Mid June 1967.

The original design document states different variations. I will post the

document once I have it. As far as I know, the photo posted by Bermuda is

the currect design and appears to be identical to the original design document.

Note in the attached photos, the retired badge has exact

same size as the official badge since it fits perfectly in a

wallet designed for the official one. The imprint on the left is forced

out of the daily used of an offcial badge as posted by Bermuda.

[Sheepie]

Johnny,

VERY nice item. Do you actually have this one or did you just get the opportunity to take a picture of one?

I would be willing to say they would be rare to obtain for ANY collector!

(BTW: Got an extra you want to get rid of?)

Ed

Which retired wallet badge are you trying to get?

[Sheepie]

Next up is the full dress uniform of the Commissioner of Police of the RCMP. This belonged to Commissioner Murray who held the position from 1994-2000. First up is the visor cap. This piece is dated 1999 on the inside.

Hi Paul,

What a nice collection you got

Just want to share the baseball cap issed to marine, K9 members in addition to your headress collection.......

[Sheepie]

I've recently learned that the issued RCMP wallet (carry) badge has the inside center seal/shield in plated silver—of course it has an issuing ID number. Please not that by comparison, the retirement badge is all gold with blue enameling.

Johnny R.

That's correct Johnny R, color is clearly stated in the original design document.

[Sheepie]

RCMP ID BADGES:

Somebody asked in an earlier posting about a current issue RCMP ID Badge. The attached picture depicts one. When a member retires, he is allowed to retain his ID Badge, but it is imbedded in a lucite block. There is no easy way to remove the badge from the lucite, so when one does, it usually damagages the blue enamel. Hope this helps.

Hello Bermuda,

That's indeed a very rare item.

As to retired member can retain their badge in lucite, I 've heard that depends on division. And I am not sure if they've stopped that too. As far as I know the PWGSC contract regarding the lucite didn't get renewed for unknown reason.

How long was this badge in lucite program last?

[Mervyn Mitton]

Mike , some important research in the article. Thankyou for taking the time to make the post.

Bermuda , excellent series of photographs - again the material required for research and general collectors. Thankyou for your time.

Mervyn

[speagle]

Which retired wallet badge are you trying to get?

I'm NOT at all picky! If you have an extra of ANY type, I'd be interested. I don't buy or sell, just do some trading. If you have something, please contact me through my regular e-mail:

keeneagle@frontier.com

Thanks

Ed

[speagle]

I apologize if I posted this earlier but just thought I'd add a little more to the pics side

Got this a few years ago from a friend in Lethbridge, Alberta when I was stationed in Montana.

[orrzee]

I have some very interesting items for trade if soemone woulf like to chat....Shayne

[Mervyn Mitton]

Shayne - welcome to GMIC. We are quite happy that you can negotiate by IM with fellow members. However,

actually listing items on the general forum is not allowed. I would suggest that in addition to making direct contacts

that you consider putting items on our 'For Sale' section. No commission is charged and they get a lot of members

viewing. Mervyn