DR / AFV & Para Badges - Your Opinions Please

[Car_Commander]

I have just acquired these badges together with a Paybook. I am no expert on trade badges and would appreciate your opinions.

Les.

The wing is ww2


peter

[Bill A]

The DR and AFV patches are unofficial. Edwards and Langley show both, and the AFV one is identified as possibly for Drivers, of light AFV's for glider born tanks. They indicate that very few would qualify for this trade patch.

[AAC_GPR]

Originally Posted by Bill A

the AFV one is identified as possibly for Drivers, of light AFV's for glider born tanks. They indicate that very few would qualify for this trade patch.

I definitely concur with the latter Bill, if indeed the description in the book is correct then it's a rare beast I'd say. The tank-carrying 'Hamilcar' glider was produced in far fewer numbers than the more well-known Horsa and not all Hamilcars carried tanks on operations.

Kev C

[Car_Commander]

Many thanks Peter, Bill & Kev.

The AB64 states that he joined up 11.9.41 at Halleaths. He was given the service number 10600468 (468 into the block allocated for the Reconnaissance Corps).
He was trained as a Motor Cyclist at No1 Recce Trng Centre - Jan 42.
Passed Regt Driving Test (MC) - 25 Feb 43.
Fired Bren at Hythe - 23 Oct 42 (1st Class shot)
Fired Rifle at Lydden - 25 Feb 43 (2nd Class shot)
Fired TMC (Thompson Machine Carbine) at Lydden - 18 Dec 42
Fired TMC at Old Park - 26 Feb 43
Fired Rifle at Lydden - 28 Apr 43 (1st Class shot)
Gas Chamber Test - 9 Jun 43
Qualified Parachutist - 2.3.44.

I obviously need to do some research. Could this guy be a Recce Corps reinforcement to 6th Airborne Armoured Recce Regt? Would other regiments use the AFV badge? There is no mention of him being AFV qualified in his paybook.

Les.

[AAC_GPR]

Hi Les,

I'm no expert but I believe the tank guys that were flown into battle by glider served with the RAC as part of an Airborne 'Light-Tank Squadron'. Our man was Parachute trained, not something I would've thought was a requirement of being a 'tanker' unless he switched Units later on. I see that there are no more entries in his AB64 for after March '44, shame that.

Best 'o luck with your research.

Cheers,

Kev C

[Luc]

Les, the AFV badge is a replica. Perhaps that explains why there is no entry for it in his paybook.

[NEMO]

hi there , sorry but i too have doubts about the AFV badge, the lettering on the front is poorly constructed and the back is just typical construction of a modern far east manufactured fake but would need it in hand to say 100% regards ,NEMO

[grey_green_acorn]

Originally Posted by Car_Commander

Many thanks Peter, Bill & Kev.

The AB64 states that he joined up 11.9.41 at Halleaths. He was given the service number 10600468 (468 into the block allocated for the Reconnaissance Corps).
He was trained as a Motor Cyclist at No1 Recce Trng Centre - Jan 42.
Passed Regt Driving Test (MC) - 25 Feb 43.
Fired Bren at Hythe - 23 Oct 42 (1st Class shot)
Fired Rifle at Lydden - 25 Feb 43 (2nd Class shot)
Fired TMC (Thompson Machine Carbine) at Lydden - 18 Dec 42
Fired TMC at Old Park - 26 Feb 43
Fired Rifle at Lydden - 28 Apr 43 (1st Class shot)
Gas Chamber Test - 9 Jun 43
Qualified Parachutist - 2.3.44.

I obviously need to do some research. Could this guy be a Recce Corps reinforcement to 6th Airborne Armoured Recce Regt? Would other regiments use the AFV badge? There is no mention of him being AFV qualified in his paybook.

Les.

It may already be in the AB64 but it look like your man was based in East Kent from October 1942 to April 1943. Hythe = School of Musketry, Lydden = Rifle Range on the white cliffs between Folkestone and Dover, Old Park = Barracks north of Dover town.

[Bill A]

Good spot Luc. It hadn't even crossed my mind that they would repo trade badges. So much for innocence.

[grey_green_acorn]

Opinions on this one please?

[Arnhemjim]

Les,
I would personally question the Dispatch Rider (D.R) patch. This is principally due to the irregularity of the thread in the back, not the configuration of the badge. I have two other virtually identical badges; one is Bren Carrier (B.C) the other Dispatch Rider. The tire is brown outlined in white, with more spokes (very regularly spaced), and the wings are a different shape and picked out in black thread. I obtained both as a midshipman from a tub at Laurence Corners Surplus in London in 1956. Brian Davis shows both along with a variant similar, but not identical to your example, on page 69 of his book, British Army Uniforms & Insignia of World War II. He also shows two variants of AFV proficiency badges on the same page, one very similar to yours. You may want to check the Davis book for a direct comparison.
Regards,
Jim

[Staffsyeoman]

Just my two-penneth of thoughts; the Dispatch Rider badge looks fine as an unofficial private purchase issue. To me the wings look later than WW2, more akin to 1950s manufacture onwards? The AFV badge is indisputably duff; agree, modern south asia/far east manufacture.

[Luc]

Originally Posted by Staffsyeoman

To me the wings look later than WW2

I find it very hard to put an approximate date of manufacture on such wings. The rectangular ones are the earliest pattern, but how do you know this example is much later or even post-war? They have remained unchanged well into the fifties as far as I'm aware.

no i still think the wing is ww2 and looking at the 100+ of wings i have i say ww2


peter