[Bill Alexander]

Hello Mary / Mark,
Mark has covered the essentials about the GS badge. There are a couple of further points. First, many WWII recruits were issued with the GS badge, especially early in the war. The shortage of all military stores, extending even to cap badges, led regiments/units to use what was available. There were considerable stores of the WWI GS cap and it was used when available. Lots of photographic evidence of this practice. Both patterns of GS badges that have been illustrated in this string were used. (There are many different patterns of the GS badge, the type Mark illustrates is associated with the CEF, while the pattern Mary shows is usually associated, as Mark indicates with WWII.)
Secondly, later in the war (especially after 1942, I think), recruiting was done more "generically". Eg in 1939, 1940, 1941, mobilization took place on a regimental basis. In other words, the local militia battalion became "Canadian Active Service Force", and used its regimental identity as a recruiting draw. After the initial recruiting, the CASF battalion moved to training areas out of the regimental area and / or overseas. However recruiting still continued. In this situation the local unit may have used a second (or even 3rd or 4th Bn), but they were often not CASF. The recruit for the CASF, in the mid-war period, roughly 1942 onwards, came in as an "army" recruit, not a QOR, FMR, Northshore man etc. To show his enrolement, he was uniformed and badged, but with the GS badge, as he did not yet have a corps or regiment. Many soldiers started their career with a GS badge and then received the regimental badge or corps badge when posted to a unit. To some degree the soldier didn't attach much significance to the GS badges. There was much more pride and attachment to the regimental or corps family, often embodied in the regimental badge that was worn.