The Journal of the Orders and Medals Society of America

Anniversary of the May 1941 Revol-

ution of Martyrs Medal (equal stripes

of green-yellow-blue-yellow-green) -

Obverse. The reverse is plain.

July 1958 Revolution Medal (yellow with black Outside)-blue edge stripes)

- Obverse

Ramadan Revolution Medal (red- white-black) - Obverse

July 1968 Revolution Medal (pale blue with black edge stripes) - Obverse. The reverse is plain with a pebbled surface.

King Faisal H Police General Service Medal (blue with red edge stripes) -

Obverse

Post-1958 Police General Service

Medal (blue with a narrow red center

stripe and red edge stripes) - Obverse

Volume 50 Number 2

Canadian Cloth Wound Stripes - WWI to the Present

John M. Zabarylo, OMSA No. 3729

Various insignia have been devised to distinguish those wounded in action including decorations, such as the U.S. Purple Heart, wound badges, distinctive suspension ribbon devices, and wound stripes. Introduced by the British in August 1916, wound stripes have not received the attention of its medallic counterparts even though both types share the same eligibility criteria. This article describes the Canadian system of cloth wound stripes, which closely followed the British syster~ It is interesting to note that wound stripes are regarded by Britain and Canada as merely "dress distinctions" and are not afforded the prestige that other nations place on wound insignic~

Editor

A few,collectors of Canadian militaria have said to me:’‘Cloth wound stripes, no way - the only official

wound stripes are the brass stripes." However, official documentation only refers to cloth wound stripes; thus it appears the brass wound stripes were not issued by the government but were purchased from military outfitters by servicemen entitled to wear them. Perhaps the notion that the brass stripes were the authorized stripes stems from the material used. Cloth tends to deteriorate but brass does not, thus it is natural that brass wound stripes would be seen more often than the older cloth wound stripes.

While researching my first book on wound medals and badges of the world, I acquired copies of relevant Canadian general and other orders issued for WWI and WWII. Because the information I gathered was volum- inous, this brief article only covers the description and proper display of wound stripes as specified by the major orders covering the subject.

The first general order pertaining to wound stripes was

issued during WWI. This order, G.O. 82/Army Order 54

of 1 September 1916, stated that:

"The following distinction in dress will be worn on the

Service Dress Jacket by all officers and soldiers who have

been wounded in any of the campaigns since the 4th of

August1914. The badge is to be a stripe of#1 Gold Russia

braid, 2 inches in length and sewn perpendicularly on the

left sleeve. One stripe is worn to mark each occasion on which they are wounded."

Officers wore the lower end of the stripe immediately above the upper point of the flap of the cuff. Warrant officers, noncommissioned officers, and lesser ranks wore the stripe on the left sleeve with the lower end of the stripe three inches from the bottom of the sleeve. Additional stripes were placed on either side of the first

stripe at ½ inch intervals. The gold braid could be obtained from the Ordinance Corps and sewn into place by the individual’s regiment at no expense.

It did not take long before the provisions of GO 82 were unofficially expanded. By Militia Order No. 146 of 22 May 1917, all personnel were forbidden to wear the silver braid that some servicemen had adopted to indicate they were being returned home because of illness or shell shock. Militia Order No. 146 stressed that only the gold stripe was authorized; and only those persons whose names appeared on the casualty lists as wounded, gassed, or suffering from shell shock could wear the stripe. Hospital lists were not authoritative, and individuals with accidental or self-inflicted wounds or injuries did not qualify.

During WWII, the wearing of wound stripes by Canadian Navy personnel was detailed by Naval General Order # 3359 of 29 January 1944. The Navy stripe is a 1 ½ inch length of gold braid that was worn vertically on the sleeve of the left forearm with each occasion of a wounding to be marked by a stripe. The Navy also adopted from the British Army a red stripe to denote wounds received in previous wars. Only one red stripe could be wom regardless of the number of wounds previously sustained; and it was to be placed to the right of the t’n-st gold stripe. Although earlier related documentation was not available, it is assumed that the Canadian Navy followed the Army and also issued wound stripes during WWI.

Wound stripes for Army personnel during WWII were covered by Canadian Army Overseas Routine Orders # 4455 of 6 April 1944. Per this order, the wound stripe was a distinction to be worn in recognition of wounds and injuries sustained in the war from 3 September 1939. Wound stripes were not to be regarded as a reward, and they were not to be issued posthumously.

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The Journal of the Orders and Medals Society of America

a

b

C

above the edge of the sleeve. If only one gold stripe was wom or if the red stripe was worn alone, the stripe was to be placed midway between the seams. When more than one gold stripe was worn, the stripes were to be arranged symmetrically at ½ inch intervals around a central line between the seams. When a gold stripe or stripes and the red stripe were worn together, the gold stripe or stripes were to be placed in front of the red stripe.

In the 1950s, Canadian Army orders were amended to

allow personnel of the Militia and personnel of the

Reserves serving with the Militia to wear wound stripes.

The amendments also stiptdated that wound stripes could

not be forfeited, and permission to wear wound stripes

was not dependent upon good conduct. As before, one

gold stripe was worn for each officially recorded wound

sustained during WWII and any subsequent action, and a

single red stripe was worn for one or more officially

recored wotmds sustained in action prior to WWII. After

entitlement had been verified, an entry was published in

the unit’s orders that detailed the number and color of

wound stripes authorized to be worn by an individual.

a. Strip of three WWII cloth gold wound stripes b. WWI brass wound stripe with back plate c. WWII brass wound stripe with fold-over end tabs. This stripe also came with a

back plate (not pictured). Illustrations are actual size.

Like the Navy stripe, the WWII Army stripe was a

narrow length of gold braid 11/2 inches in length; and one

stripe was worn for each occasion of a wounding. The

authority for wearing wound stripes originated with the

personnel records maintained by the Canadian Military

Headquarters, The Army also adopted a single wound

stripe of red rayon braid, 1½ inches in length, to denote wounds sustained in previous wars regardless of the

number of times wounded. In addition, veterans were allowed to wear their wound stripes on civilian clothing.

Army Overseas Routine Orders # 4455 did not specify how the wound stripes were to be displayed on the uniform. In 1946, instructions for Air Force personnel were provided by Royal Canadian Air Force Routine Order 365/46. Both services required its personnel to wear wound stripes vertically on the left forearm; but because of cuff rank stripes, Air Force officers wore the wound stripes 6½ inches above the edge of the sleeve, while airmen and airwomen wore the stripes 3 ½ inches

Current wound stripes are issued on a strip containing

five stripes. The stripes are yellow (gold) woven thread,

but four colors are used for the strip to reflect the

Army, Navy, or Air Force and to conform with either

the dress or undress uniform. The illustrated strip is

actual size.

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