8 HTS Home Guard + unknown

[badjez]

I bought these badges at Woking a few weeks back. The 'HTS' is for Hertfordshire Home Guard, and the '8' for the 8th Bn, recruited around Watford. The other patch is unidentified but appears to be a cipher of 'NWUC' and a Gryphon surmounting it.

These, and some RAF badges supposedly came from the same source. The HG badge had apparently belonged to a man called Cadman who was awarded an OBE for HG services. The RAF pieces belonged to his son, a Mosquito crewman who had been killed in action.

A little internet search, plus John Sainsbury's book on Hertfordshire HG revealed that a Major WH Cadman had served in 8 Herts Bn, HG and had been awarded an MBE in the Stand-Down honours list.

His son, Flying Officer William Guy Cadman DFC (known as Guy Cadman) had been a navigator in a Mosquito shot down by a nightfighter over Hannover on 07.02.45. He is buried in Hannover War cemetery. Pre-war he had been awarded a state scholarship to London University where he had joined the RAFVR. During the war he served with 141 Sqn, and was in 600 Sqn at the time of his death. His parents are listed as Major William Henry Cadman MBE, and Lucy Lloyd Cadman of Redenhall Norfolk. [I presume they had moved there from Herts after Stand-down].

Despite all this family background I have yet to identify the Gryphon patch. It does not appear to be connected to the Cadman family Arms, or London University colleges. Can anyone help please?

Stephen.

[Mike Jackson]

Is the cypher a combination of NWCU in whatever order? Mike

[Chacal]

Hi Stephen

Just a thought, but is it definitely a gryphon? To me it looks like a dragon, in which case "W" could stand for Wales.

Graham

[badjez]

Mike,

Yes, any order, unless there is a specific way of interpreting cipher letters that I am unaware of.

Graham,

Yes, Gryphon, dragon but not a wyvern. My first thoughts had been for London Passenger Transport Board but the cipher doesn't fit. I suspect it is a school shooting team or similar.

Stephen.

[Mike Jackson]

Originally Posted by Mike Jackson

Is the cypher a combination of NWCU in whatever order? Mike

A branch - Wales? Westmorland? Wiltshire? - of the National Cycling Union perhaps? Mike

[schnorts]

Hi Badjez - very delayed responsse to your posting of 14 years ago about the Cadman Badges. I am working with the local branch of the British Legion doing biographies of all those men whose name appear on our War Memorial and am now moving ont tohose whosse names do not appear but have links - Guy Cadman being one. I am very interested inthe RAF badges - do you have photos? BTW - it appears he may have gone to Emmanuel, Cambridge not London University - seems to have been a mistake in the original records. And that looks an awful lot like a Welsh Dragon - though dont know of Welsh links with the family.

[Beaker123]

Just to add another belated comment - Jimmy Perry, one of the creators of Dad's Army served in the Watford Home Guard having joined when he was about 16.

Attached is a Herts 9 Home Guard Battalion title from the Second Phase HG raised in the 1950s. The battalion was located in Watford.

Steve