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  #1  
Old 01-12-17, 09:31 PM
Cpl692 Cpl692 is offline
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Default Help to identify unit markings on duffle bag

Anybody be able to help in identifying the unit number and markings on this bag? 848/1 is the number and in pics you can see the 3 painted stripes. Thanks for helping!
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Old 02-12-17, 07:14 AM
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Mike Jackson Mike Jackson is offline
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Unit Serial Number

All British Army headquarters and units were allocated a unique four or five digit serial number. The listings were of course classified information and no comprehensive listing has been found by researchers post war.

The fragmentary information that is available has been collated from official and personal photographs and mostly relates to formations and units in 21st Army Group in 1944. A little material has also come to light on the system in use in the British Expeditionary Force of 1939-1940.

Unusually for an operational deployment in World War 2, the formations and units of British Second Army and Canadian First Army deployed directly from their staging and assembly areas to the Normandy beaches. Consequently it was not deemed necessary for the units of the assault divisions to be anonymous.

When a British Army unit deployed overseas from the United Kingdom its unit equipment and the soldiers’ personal kit was marked with a colour-coded identification system.

Numerals from 1 through to 10 were allocated a colour. The paint colours allocated were all readily available, official War Department colours such as “Ammunition Yellow” ( the colour that high explosive artillery shells were painted in British service) and “Red, Oxide of Iron” (an undercoat paint). Equipment was marked with the Unit Serial Number in white paint (on a dark background) or black paint (on a light background). Below the Unit Serial Number were three coloured horizontal bars denoting the last two digits of the Unit Serial Number.

The colour bar representing the tens digit was painted above and below that representing the units digit. In this way, if the markings were painted on a large crate for example, the last two digits of the Unit Serial Number could be read even if the crate was upside down. This must have been a lesson learned the hard way on some operational move.

A very similar system was in use throughout the US European Theatre of Operations, but the colours representing the numerals 1, 2, 6, 7 and 8 were different from the British system. This must have been the cause of considerable confusion!

Number British System US Army System
1 Red, bright Q.D. Buff
2 Blue, Q.D. Olive, drab
3 Yellow, Ammn Yellow, bright
4 Green, light, Q.D. Green, bright
5 Grey, Ammn Grey
6 Buff, Q.D. Blue, dark
7 Red, oxide of iron, Q.D. Maroon
8 Deep bronze green Red, bright
9 White, lead, Q.D. White, lead
10 Brown, dark, Q.D. Brown, dark


QD = Quick Drying. Ammn = Ammunition

Last edited by Mike Jackson; 02-12-17 at 05:42 PM. Reason: Formatting
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Old 02-12-17, 06:10 PM
Cpl692 Cpl692 is offline
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Thanks for the info. This bag belonged to a Canadian Shoulder who enlisted in Calgary Alberta. By the Numbers 848/1 and the colours is there any info to what unit these numbers belonged too? Be interesting to see what unit he served with.
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Old 02-12-17, 07:06 PM
edstorey edstorey is offline
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Default Unit Serials

Check out this link.

https://servicepub.wordpress.com/201...rseas-1943-45/
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Old 02-12-17, 07:54 PM
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fairlie63 fairlie63 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cpl692 View Post
Thanks for the info. This bag belonged to a Canadian Shoulder who enlisted in Calgary Alberta. By the Numbers 848/1 and the colours is there any info to what unit these numbers belonged too? Be interesting to see what unit he served with.
Possibly 2 Corps and Army Troops Sub-Park, Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps, which had the serial number 848. I'm not sure if the /1 referred to a detachment of this unit or a totally different unit.

Presumably the rest of him enlisted with his shoulder.

Keith
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Old 02-12-17, 09:50 PM
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Mike Jackson Mike Jackson is offline
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Outstanding. Many thanks. Mike
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Old 02-12-17, 11:12 PM
Cpl692 Cpl692 is offline
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Many thanks for all the info. Very much appreciated..and I just realized the typo on the “shoulder”..hahaha. Good catch!
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