Soldiers in the Canadian Army, by 1916, were issued fibre discs for identification purposes, both for security and for casualties. The octagonal green disc was looped around the soldier’s neck, and the red disc was often looped onto that or onto the string lanyard that held the green octagon.
In the event of casualty, the idea was that the green disc would remain with the soldier’s body, whether it lay on the battlefield or it was transported to a grave behind the front line. The red disc would be returned to the base, thereby enabling the sad but necessary communication to the soldier’s next of kin.
Although these fibre discs were issued throughout the first world war, their use was discontinued in favour of metal discs, often called ‘dog tags’ by American soldiers, because the fibre discs were susceptible to destruction by fire.
Sometimes, the only remaining parts of a soldier and his kit, in a shell crater, were their ‘tin hat’ (helmet), parts of boots, and the ID discs.
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