Commemorative Remembrance Day Jersey

The first-ever Commemorative Remembrance Day jersey design represents Canada with its maple leaf imprints while paying tribute to those who fought for us in battle with a special logo over the left chest. The jersey also recognizes the Rangers’ two Memorial Cup Championship teams with an emblem on both shoulders.

Based on the 1936 Kitchener Greenshirts jersey, our 2006-07 Commemorative Remembrance Day jersey represents our local hockey history, including Royal Canadian Air Force veterans Bobby Bauer, Milt Schmidt and Woody Dumart. The design also commemorates those who fought battles throughout the years and still fight today for our freedoms.

This special jersey displays the Remembrance Day theme and honours the 1956 K-W Dutchmen Canadian Olympic Hockey Team. The jersey was designed to be fully crested, with Rangers’ shields on the shoulders and the maple leaf with a poppy centred on the chest.

As well, in 2008 the Kitchener Rangers hosted the Mastercard Memorial Cup. As part of that event, the Rangers created a commemorative jersey that would be worn for the opening game and benefit local charities. The jersey featured a crest inspired by Lord Kitchener which was eventually used as the front crest of the Rangers’ third jersey. Following the 2008 Memorial Cup in Kitchener, a commemorative jersey has been created and used for all opening games in the tournament. Now a tradition in the CHL.

 

This design was based on the jersey that armed forces personnel wore in Europe during and after WWII. The three stripes replicate the stripes on the ribbon of the Medal of Military Valour, awarded to members of the Canadian Forces or allied forces serving with Canadian Forces for “an act of valour or devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy”.

The Highland Light Infantry of Canada had its headquarters in Galt and mobilized in the 1940’s. Their motto, Defence not Defiance, is proudly displayed on their badge, which is featured on the front of the 2009 Remembrance Day jerseys.

The 2010 commemorative jersey paid tribute to the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada, a reserve regiment that has two armouries, one in Cambridge and one located beside the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium. The crest featured on the front is the regiment’s cap badge.

The 2011 commemorative jersey pays tribute to the 31 Combat Engineer Regiment (The Elgins), and the 48 Engineer Squadron of Waterloo, active from World War II until 1965. In 2004, the army reactivated the Squadron and many of its members completed overseas tours of duty with Canada’s Regular Force. The crest featured on the front of the jersey is the Canadian Military Engineers’ Branch Crest.

The Waterloo Region boasts a proud naval tradition: nearly 7,000 members of the Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service trained at HMCS Conestoga in Galt during World War II, and four World War II naval vessels were named after communities in our region. The 2012 Remembrance Day jersey features an image of the HMCS Kitchener, the only Canadian corvette to participate in the D-Day invasion of Normandy.

The 2013 Remembrance Day Commemorative Jersey pays homage to the Royal Canadian Air Force, its service men and women, and its tremendous hockey legacy. The sweater colours are inspired by the jerseys worn by athletes like Bauer, Schmidt and Dumart and the numbers and font are replicas of those found on RCAF aircrafts and ships.

The 2014-15 sweater was inspired by the Victoria Cross, the British Commonwealth’s highest honour for conspicuous bravery, valour or sacrifice in the face of the enemy. This most famous British military valour decoration was introduced in 1856 and was awarded to 64 Canadians for actions during World War I.

The 2015 Remembrance Day Commemorative Jersey is inspired by the jerseys worn by the Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen in the 40’s and 50’s. The sweater pays tribute to all of the service men and women who have been a part of the Canadian Forces.

The 2016 Commemorative Remembrance Day Jersey Crest is inspired by the Canadian Women’s Army Corps. The sweater pays tribute to all of the service women and men who have been a part of the Canadian Forces.

The 2017 Commemorative Remembrance Day Jersey Crest is inspired by the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Modeled after a badge that was given out at a ceremony to honour veterans of the battle at the opening of the Vimy Ridge Memorial.

The 2018 Commemorative Remembrance Day Jersey is inspired by the 100th anniversary of the armistice ending World War I. On November 11, 1918, the ringing of church bells erupted spontaneously as an outpouring of relief that the war had come to an end. The front crest features the Dove, a symbol of peace, with a bell adorning the right shoulder of the jersey.

The 2019 Commemorative Remembrance Day Jersey was inspired by 16-year-old Daniel Kreller. He wrote us with his idea to pay tribute to his great-grandfather:

“My great-grandfather was a medic in World War II and my thoughts were to have a medic symbol on the front of the jersey to mark his unit,” said Kreller. During the First and Second World War, the Canadian Army Medical Corps (CAMC) played an essential role in keeping soldiers alive. More than half of all Canadian physicians served overseas during the First World War. The badge of the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps consists of the rod of Asclepius (a serpent entwined around a staff) surrounded by a wreath of maple leaves, surmounted by the Royal Crown, with the name “Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps” on a scroll below.

The front crest of the 2019 jersey features the rod of Asclepius over a maple leaf, while the left arm has a white stripe simulating a Red Cross armband.

The colours used are close to those worn on the berets of the CAMC following the Second World War. As always, a poppy is positioned over the left chest.

The 2021-22 jersey was inspired by the Kitchener-Waterloo community and their ability to come together to support WWII efforts.

In June of 1940, a local Kitchener Citizen heard reports of an urgent need for modern tanks. The person who wished to remain anonymous walked into City Hall, placed a cheque for $100 on the mayor’s desk, and said it was to be used to start a fund to buy a tank for the C.A.S.F.

The Kitchener-Waterloo Sales and Advertising Club took over the fund, added $1,000, and launched a community campaign. The Buy-A-Tank campaign raised $38,000 as of June 22nd and continued to climb. Word spread and inspired other communities such as Toronto to organize similar campaigns.

The front crest of the 2021 jersey featured a design inspired by the Ram Tanks that were used. The shoulders feature the Kitchener clock tower with WWII markings and the Kitchener Rangers shield.

The 2022-23 jersey is inspired by The Canadian Rangers. 2022 is the 75^th anniversary of The Canadian Rangers, a sub-component of the Canadian Army Reserves who live and work in remote, isolated, and coastal communities across much of Canada.

Initially established in 1947 following the Second World War, the Rangers were formed to protect against emerging threats in the north from the Soviet Union.  Their responsibilities today include surveillance, sovereignty patrols, search and rescue, disaster relief, and training of other Armed Forces personnel with survival skills.

There are approximately 5,000 Canadian Rangers in more than 200 Patrols across Canada.  In Ontario, the 3^rd Canadian Ranger Patrol Group leads almost 600 Rangers in 29 First Nations communities across Northern Ontario.  They recently completed the busiest year in their history, at one time having more than 170 Canadian Rangers on active duty.  The Rangers assisted ORNGE, the province’s air ambulance service, in providing COVID-19 vaccines to 34 First Nations in Northern Ontario.  They also played a leading role in community evacuations due to tainted water, power failures, and forest fires, and so far this year they have saved the lives of 27 missing persons during 18 Ground Search and Rescue operations.