Colourful CD breast badge - war, post-war or repro?
 

I would like your valued opinion about this badge I picked up recently.

It is the standard embroidered Civil Defence breast badge but it has been machined/picked out in colours.

I know that the wartime CD armlet was sometimes picked out in colours, but was the breast badge?

Is this a post-war version or even a modern repro? (The jagged edging looks like it has been removed from a uniform and the quality of the machine embroidery says it looks more official than cheap repro, though).

Thanks.

Your badge may be an early pattern intended for the CD Experimental Demonstration Column formed in the early 1950s.

As this extract from The Formation Sign shows they wore an identical QC version. As the EMC was first formed before the Queen was crowned when the version used on badges changed, your badge may be a KC version intended for the first column in 1952/53.

Jon

In 1952 as part of the re-formed Civil Defence organisation, the Home Office drew up plans for mobile CD Rescue units which in nuclear war would provide trained support to local CD services and an Experimental Mobile Column (EMC) staffed by volunteers from the Army and RAF was to be formed. Established in January 1953 at a depot at Epsom in Surrey - which came complete with a purpose-built bomb site - the EMC, equipped with 76 vehicles and 14 motorcycles was commanded by Brigadier DAL McKenzie, DSO, MC a former Indian Army officer. During the two years of its existence it worked with every one of Britain’s local authority CD services. Although deemed a success the 1955 Defence White Paper announced that nuclear war required a disciplined, military body to act as a link between CD units and the armed forces in Britain and in 1955 this emerged as the Mobile Defence Corps

Although all EMC members came from the Army or RAF the EMC wore CD blue battle dress, OR’s retaining their rank badges, officers adopting slip-ons displaying their appointment like the Commandant’s shown. A new CD-style badge based on the wartime CD pocket badge was worn on beret and breast pocket, a Queen’s crown with red centre replacing the wartime crown. A curved label with the Column’s full title was worn under breast badge, the initials worn as an arm title. EMC Chief Instructor Captain Oxbury is shown wearing the badges in the photo

Thanks Jon - appreciated! On closer inspection, it is post-war yellow, rather than wartime gold: still, a nice variation.