Unknown Cloth Badge

[pressguard]

Recently purchased a Jersey full of cloth badges, can anyone identify this shoulder title

[Sonofacqms]

Royal Australian Motor Transport Service . . ?

[Cardiffbloke]

Royal Artillery Mounted Tea Servers

[BWEF]

Originally Posted by pressguard

Recently purchased a Jersey full of cloth badges, can anyone identify this shoulder title

Royal Artillery Mechanical Traction School?

http://home.quicknet.nl/qn/prive/ahum/markings1.htm

[54Bty]

As far as I know (always willing to learn) RAMTS did not have a different title. White on blue are normally the colours of the Royal Corps Of Signals.

[High Wood]

A friend of mine was lucky enough to buy an A.T.S. uniform at a flea market yesterday which has the same R.A.M.T.S shoulder titles on it. We are working on the assumption that it represents either Royal Auxiliary Motor Transport Service or perhaps Royal Artillery Motorised Transport Service. As yet I have not been able to find out anything regarding either of these units which probably do not exist. I can say that the R.A.M.T.S seems to have been a sub section of the A.T.S.

The photograph shows a third example of the badge which was also sewn onto the lady's pullover along with several other cloth badges.

[Postwarden]

A very interesting find.

My forthcoming cloth badge book due later this year identifies this as the title of the Royal Artillery Mechanical Traction School formed in September 1941 from the Military College of Science's Mechanical Transport and Workshop Branches.

As an application via Western Command in November 1941 for a formation sign for the School was turned down the designation may have been produced instead. Although the School trained Gunners it seems likely that the staff came from the mechanically-experienced RASC and the title's original colours of blue and yellow - although faded clearly evident in the sample I saw which is attached - would reflect that. At the time of the School's foundation curved cloth arm titles were not an official issue, although they were already widely worn.

It is interesting that an example has turned up on an ATS jacket. Does it also have a formation sign? And would it be possible to see the whole jacket?

Jon

[High Wood]

Jon,

I can contact the owner and get a photograph of the entire tunic jacket. Unfortunately, I cannot remember seeing a formation sign as I was bewildered by the formation signs on the pullover which he allowed me to photograph.

Simon.

[Postwarden]

Simon,

That would be great. Many thanks.

Jon

[High Wood]

Jon,

here are the photographs of the ATS tunic. The RAMTS badge is only present on the right shoulder but may once have been present on the left shoulder. The second RAMTS badge is now on the jumper. There is also evidence that there once was a brooched badge above the left breast pocket. A photograph of a group of A.T.S. women that came from the same house clearance shows that they are all wearing a small metal badge above the same pocket.

The original owner's name is known.

[Mike Jackson]

Fascinating stuff! It's remarkable how these unusual items continue to come to light. Mike

[Postwarden]

Further to the discussion on this rare title I attach evidence of the abbreviated version of the school's name and an armband with the abbreviation and the steering wheel device at the centre of the menu.

The design is also interesting as the steering wheel is backed with the quartered sign carried on the vehicles of wartime War Office Controlled Units. A cloth version of that badge also exists.

Jon

[grenadierguardsman]

A very interesting thread.
Andy