Canadian Dog Tag Collection

**SatansCabanaBoy** · 04-10-2010, 02:13 AM

There is a few different tags in here. Mostly WW2 and a few WW1.
There is a few interesting tags. There is WW1 American tag, and a few that I have no quite figured out yet. They are all fiber tags except for the few metal ones, which are possibly aluminum.
I have a memorial cross in there. It's the only one I have, and I don't have a better place to keep it for the moment. I am looking for a box.

**SatansCabanaBoy** · 04-10-2010, 02:16 AM

Here is a few tags with the original cords. There is one that is had a lot of effort put into it. Well made trench art.

**SatansCabanaBoy** · 04-10-2010, 02:22 AM

Here is some Korean War tags and a few modern ones.
The soldier numbers go from regimental numbers, till that changed in 1990 I believe to S I N numbers.

**SatansCabanaBoy** · 04-10-2010, 02:29 AM

Here is a few that I have not figured out yet. These tags are about the size of a dime. I have seen WW1 tags where a coin is smoothed down and a tag is stamped from that. The tag with "John Smith" on it is a french coin
...but the smaller ones with just a number...I think there are maybe locker numbers on CFB Trenton? or a kit bag number? not sure.
The one from Norfolk could be English or Canadian. My county I live in here in Ontario is Norfolk, so I'm not sure where it's from. Might even be Norfolk Virginia?
Perhaps one of the UK collectors knows about Norfolk tags over in your neck of the woods..?

thanks for looking cats.

**andrelus** · 04-10-2010, 02:33 AM

nice collection all is from canada thanks for sharing

**CampX** · 04-19-2010, 12:55 AM

In the late 70s and during the 80s Canadian ID Tags had the S I N number on it..that Changed around 1990 or 91 when they went back to Service numbers..all My own Issue Tags from the 80s have my SIN on them..however when I got out and went SRR and recieved those last Tags and ID Card..they had the new Service Numbers on them.

Hope this helps

Forgot to mention...that during my time in the Canadian Army my ID Tags were made of Alum. However the last set I got while I was SRR were stainless Steel

Dean

**Matt L** · 04-20-2010, 03:40 PM

Gnarly stuff- now the WWII ones, I seem to recall something about UK discs being some kind of fibre material, and each one was different to survive different adverse conditions? Am I recalling that correctly or should I just lay off the crack? And waht about the different shapes? I never got why one's round and one's octagonal.

And I wonder if the move away from using the SIN is an anti-'identity theft' measure... LOL Maybe in the early '90s it wasn't yet such a problem.

It's also kind of strange that aluminum would ever have been used- the Germans learned the hard way that aluminum and zinc weren't ideal materials because they'd both be destroyed by fire (in tanks or aircraft, for example), so began introducing stainless steel identity discs to counter that problem- aluminum especially is not very heat-resistant...

**SatansCabanaBoy** · 04-20-2010, 06:31 PM

The Canadian, and the British tags (I assume) seem almost like a compressed paper. I have one here that is coming apart, and will post a picture of it when I can, (I'm on lunch). I read that they moved to this idea to save on metal. They are lightweight, and don't make noise, which I think is a great idea. and after reading your post, don't conduct heat either...
They were issued in a group of three but I have seen five, again as far as I know. Two round red ones, and a brown octagon one is what I have seen the most of and called a complete "set". I have seen green octagon ones, but I don't know why they are green.
As far as I can guess why three tags, one round red to stay with the troop in case of his unfortunate demise. The brown octagonal to be taken for record, and the third I am guessing for the kit bag.

The WW1 seem a lot more sturdy, being made from almost a clay composite or something. I like seeing the ww1 tags, becasue I have no clue who decides what goes on them, but every example I have seen is different -from full name, to initials, religion, sometimes rank is on there, battalion, sometimes CDN or Can or Canadian all typed out.

I even saw "Canadien" on one, one time, but I passed on that, I'm a Leafs fan.

I asked a friend of mine who was in the Air Force Police for a while why the switch from SIM numbers, and he said for two reasons. One was definitely identity theft. The second was the whole hoopla that was made a while back about the SIN number not being important, and you don't need one to be getting a job...then the government changed their minds and suddenly everyone had to have a SIN number...

**SatansCabanaBoy** · 04-22-2010, 01:59 AM

This is the tag I have that is coming apart.

**SatansCabanaBoy** · 04-22-2010, 02:06 AM

These are all tags from the RCAF.

I grouped them together by colours. I have no idea why they are different shades of red, green or brown. I would hazard a guess that it was from the different areas across Canada where they were made.
There really doesn't seem to be a pattern for colour vs shape, outside of the round one is red. The only time I have seen a round tag another colour is when it is metal...aluminum I suspect.