Infantry Sash
Officers, Warrant Officers, and Senior Non-Commissioned Officers in Canadian infantry regiments wear coloured sashes as an indication of their status while on parade in DEU or full dress. It is not a form of "battle honour" and is not a "dishonour". Like many traditions in the Canadian Army, the infantry sash has been passed on from the British Army and is a long established distinction of dress.
- Officers - wear a crimson sash, either over the shoulder, or in The Royal Canadian Regiment and Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry around the waist.
- Chief Warrant Officer - if worn, a crimson officers' sash
- Master Warrant Officer - a crimson sash made of silk over the right shoulder
- Warrant Officer - a scarlet sash of worsted wool over the right shoulder
- Sergeant - a scarlet sash of coarse wool over the right shoulder
Origin
According to The Maple Leaf the sash originated in the 1800s, to assist officers and senior NCOs in the removal of injured from the battlefield. As with many once-functional items of military dress, the sash is now purely ceremonial and worn in a specific manner depending on regimental tradition.
Queen's Scarf
The infantry sash is not to be confused with the Queen's Scarf, a very specific award made by Queen Victoria during the Boer War, including one award to a Canadian. The scarves, eight in number and made of yellow wool, were hand made by Queen Victoria and as a distinction are more rare than the Victoria Cross.
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