Worn on the iconic Canadian maroon airborne beret by paratroopers operating in the elite 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion.

Formed in 1942 this unit dropped into France on D-Day (Operation Tonga) ahead of the main beach landings and later participated in the Rhine crossings.

This version is a reproduction of an economy wartime plastic piece (bakelite), made out of a resin. We know it is a reproduction because:

1. The backing is too smooth

2. The loop lugs are metal and not made from a single moulded piece of integral plastic

3. There are no circular indent marks (or 'plunger marks') on the back made by a mechanical ejector pins push the hot plastic out of the manufacturing die

4. The piece is not precisely 40mm tall. Most fakes are made by 'pulling a mould' directly off an original badge. Because plastic shrinks slightly as it cools copies are almost always 1-2mm smaller than a genuine badge

Here endeth the lesson in Genuine vs Fake !

Nevertheless a great piece for a collection and why it is priced at £10 and not £350!