Material: Gilt brass (bright polished finish)
Dimensions: 37 mm (width) × 22 mm (height)
Description: This 37mm by 22mm die-struck metal shoulder title functions as an official piece of uniform insignia utilized by members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The design utilizes a distinctive tiered, open-backed configuration that stacks the force's dual French and English acronyms directly on top of each other. The upper arch spells out "GRC" for Gendarmerie royale du Canada, sitting directly upon a wider baseline anchor reading "RCMP". Struck with a bright, durable gilding-metal or chrome-plated finish, the flat reverse incorporates three specialized clutch-back pins instead of traditional loops to ensure the stacked letters remain perfectly horizontal and secure when pressed through thick patrol shirt epaulets or dress tunic wool.
Circa: Late 20th Century
Notes:
This bilingual title reflects the formal adoption of English and French across Canadian federal institutions, particularly after the 1969 Official Languages Act under Pierre Trudeau. The format “GRC/RCMP” became standard on insignia and official materials during the late twentieth century. Unlike earlier lug or screw-post badges, this example uses clutch-back pins, a fastening system widely adopted on Canadian military and police insignia from the 1970s onward for ease of replacement and uniform maintenance. Such titles are worn on dress tunics or shoulder epaulettes of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and remain part of modern uniform insignia. The three-pin layout is deliberate: two pins would allow rotation, but three keep the title properly horizontal on the tunic collar. That’s typical of Canadian police and CAF insignia of the period.