So, if I want to add some Canadian tunics to my collection...

[Greg Kubasek]

Where do I start?

I had an interesting conversation with a gentleman yesterday who got me to thinking. German will be be my main focus as that is what I have come to love, but why not support the home country and have a collection that shows both sides of the war.

Now here I guess is my question... where does one start to look for Canadian uniforms? Are there big online dealers like in the German world or is it still more of a gun show, antique store, local contacts type game?

Anyhow.. any help would be welcomed with open arms

Greg

On a side note, I think what I would really like to find are items related to either the Calgary Highlanders or the PPCLI. A guy has to cheer for the home team eh?

[DJT]

Hi Greg,

Getting a WW2 Canadian impression together is still relatively easy. Your lucky in the fact that it is easier to obtain Canadian uniforms and badged ones at that than the British equivalent.

However I think it will take you some time to find an original badged Calgary Highlanders or PPCLI uniform if thats what you really want. But if you want a generic Canadian WW2 impression you could easily pick up a wartime Battldress Jacket and helmet. How serious do you want to go. Just a mannequin bust display with jacket and helmet or a full mannequin done out head to toe?

Ebay is the main source for Brit & Commonwealth collectors as our stuff is not banned There are some dealers out there. Michel Perrier is in Canada and has an extensive stock http://www.cam.org/~perrier/british.htm

The Collectors guild also gets a bit of Brit and Canadian gear however Peter is not an expert in this area and I have noticed quite a few errors there. Its like anything you need to know what you want and what your looking at.

Let me know a bit more about what type of display your after and I & the other guys here can give you some more pointers.

[DJT]

Whoops sorry should have looked at the title of your post closer Tunics eh? Well Badged Battldress Tunics are tough to find but as I said previously its easier to find a Canadian badged BD than a British badged BD. Depending on unit you could pay from $175 USD to around the $1500 USD mark for something special. Unbadged BD tunics are obviously alot cheaper and you could pick up a Canadian one for maybe as little as $60 USD.

[Greg Kubasek]

Thanks for the reply Des. I figured I would start a nice Battle dress tunic and then piece together the trousers, boots helmet field gear etc to make a full mannequin display out of it.

Is Canadian stuff messed with as much as in the German world? Or if you find a tunic with nice insignia is it a safe bet they are original to the tunic.

So it sounds like ebay might be the best bet eh? A local militia shop here has a couple plain BD's but he wants $200 for them and I figured right away that he is asking too much for them.


Greg

[lnijherald]

Hi Greg,

Canadian stuff isn't messed with yet, at least not on a large scale.
Ebay.com is indeed a good source or you could try some continental online sellers; I've read that most Canadian BD's were left in the UK when the war had ended. It was expensive to take it all back so it was sold to Holland, Denmark and perhaps some more countries.
Regards, Luc

[DJT]

Hi Greg,

Well you will find wartime BD tunics that have been badged up with fake or genuine badges so you do need to excercise some caution. Its not as bad as the German market, yet!

You can probably find most if not everything on ebay and for reasonable prices.
If you want to post links to stuff on ebay for us to check out for you thats no problem.

[Greg Kubasek]

Thanks gents,


I really do appreciate the help.

I saw a book on ebay that I was thinking I should pick up "Dressed to Kill" any other suggestions on refernece books to get me started?

Greg

[darryl-P]

Greg,

Check out Peter Whamond's site, the Collector's Guild www.germanmilitaria.com He has a section with Canadian WW1 and WW2 militaria.

For your info, I also collect the "home-grown" stuff. I collect post-war early jet-age RCAF flying gear...1950s and 1960s.

Cheers,

[John F.]

I saw a book on ebay that I was thinking I should pick up "Dressed to Kill" any other suggestions on refernece books to get me started?

Greg

Hi Greg: Being part Canadain I'm looking to do the same thing concerning a Canadian impression. I found an excellent reference called "The Canadian Soldier - From D-Day to VE-Day" (ISBN: 2-913903-51-7) by: Jean Bouchery. It is in color and covers multiple topics from, Order of Battle, uniforms, insignia, awards, equipment, armaments, tanks and vehicles. I picked it up on overstock.com for about $22 USD. I also found a dealer in Victoria, BC. They have a shop called the Command Post. Here is their contact info: 250-383-4421 or commandpost@shaw.ca .

Good luck,
John

[Para82nd]

If your gonna collect Canadian Miltitria, u need this site.
http://www.canadiansoldiers.com/