Quote:
Originally Posted by Regimental Saddler
Gday Mick,
According to Cossum, the KC 1st Armoured Regiment badge was issued in the 1948-53 period as collar badges only with one of the collars, the LH? collar being worn on the beret. I have never seen one.
I once was a serious collector of pre WW2 Light Horse Badges but with the high cost and unavailability of so many LH badges, I ended up selling most of my collection to a badge dealer in Melbourne and buying a 20 year old Porsche 911!
About 5 years later in 2000, I commenced collecting post war RAAC badges with what I thought would be the achievable aim of completing a collection of the post war RAAC badges. KC 1AR badges have eluded me. Badge dealers such as Melbourne based Les Stillman said they have not had one for sale for several years.
Collectors of RAAC badges may be interested to know that in the 1990's I was given a guided tour of the badge makers factory in Frankston, Vic: J Cash and Son who bought out Swan and Hudson who were also in the same factory.
The manager showed me a chrome plated Rising Sun badge of the current type and told me he had been given an order for a quantity of these for approval by RAAC to wear on their slouch hat. The badge was subsequently not approved and not issued.
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G'Day,
From my discussions with various knowledgeable people within the RAAC, the 1st Armoured Regiment wore a chrome Rising Sun badge on their berets prior to receiving the QC badge around 1954. Several other units (6 NSW Mounted Rifles, 15th Northern River Lancers and 7/21 Australian Horse) also wore a chrome Rising Sun badge prior to receiving their own regiment (QC) badge in the mid 1950s.
I've seen pictures of the full size chrome RSB being worn on berets but have not come across any pictures of the KC 1AR collar being worn as a beret badge.
In regards to this hat badge, I'm 99.9% certain its a fantasy badge with the QC crown being replaced by a KC one.
I also have a chrome Rising Sun badge ("The Australian Army") and was told that it was worn by the Federation Guard. How true this is I don't know - it was told to me by a Melbourne based militaria dealer.
Regards,
Mick