Artillery Cloth Patches
 

I've had these two for some time, but its just occurred to me that with the blue/grey backing they might be Australian? the coloured bits are 1.5 inches square. All thoughts welcome.

Please be aware I may move these on if they can't be fitted into my collection.

Rob

2 AIF
 

7 Aust Div RAA I believe - the version worn on the left arm. Mike

Or turn them upside down and you can wear them on the right arm!;) (Sorry, Mike -- no malice intended!)

I was asking for that comment (!), but did not know which the definitive position was ie as worn on the slouch hat. Red to the front as worn I assume? Mike

Surprisingly, that's a much more contentious issue than you would think. What the orders said about 'red to the front' and what was actually worn by units and individuals often were two different things, and this applied to several divisional artillery patches, both First and Second World Wars.

2 AIF patches
 

Agreed. This, from the book "Australia in the War of 1939-1945" Series One, Volume I published 1952 illustrates the problem. Look at the order of colours of the signs for 6 Div Cavalry and 7 Div Artillery. Also from the same book - "No gunner worth his salt ever wore his colour patch except with the red to the front" (representing the flash from the gun barrel followed by the blue smoke), declared 9th Division artillery sergeant - but he could not remember whether the left-hand patch was cut from 2 o'clock to 8 o'clock, or from 10 o'clock to 4 o'clock.
Attachment 130946

Yes -- as can be seen from that chart the 7th Div RAA wore blue to the front, as did its antecedents the 2nd Div in WW1. In fact, charts of WW1 patches throw up other possibilities that RAA patches were worn in 'wrong' ways.