Munitions Workers

[Chipper]

Excellent group, that. Thanks, it's always good to see documents to go with badges and medals.

Many thanks, Tim

[dumdum]

Hi Tim

I'll have a look at my "spares". I can probably help with a nicer example of the HMNZT badge and I MAY be able to track down an enamelled one (no promises, mind). Logically they are easier to find here.

I suspect that your one made its way to the UK by means of a British citizen working on one of the transports as around 1914 the vast majority of "kiwis" were of British origin and the shipping types would have almost certainly been from the UK.

I scanned a lot of my OWS badges a year or two back for a UK collector who was putting together a listing thereof. Still got these on my home PC so I could post some of these also.

That marking on the half-moon clip must be the design of the fitting but there might be a way to find out: get someone to go to Public Records Office and look at the "registered designs" files. There are a whole series of these in National Archives but it takes a "johnny on the spot" to look at them.

If you do find someone prepared to do this, please let me know as I have a badge with an "RD" number that cries out for identification!

[dumdum]

Hi

National Archives of Australia may just have a file on him. Search by name and date(s) : 1914-1920. His service number may throw up something too but you might need to combine it with the name.

There is also a possibility that Trove (the Australian searchable newspaper archive) may have something as well.

Hope this helps

[kingsley]

A couple of years ago I posted a picture or two relating to Australian Munitions worker's badges, can't find them at present in my picturte file.
There was a round Dept of Defence lapel badge with Munitions Worker, similar to the well known Medically Unfit and Required for Home Service. Also a couple of enamelled rarities. Not mine, sadly, but I found the pictures somewhere in my travels.
Maybe someone with more savvy can retrieve the pictures from the Forum.

[Chipper]

Hey, Ok, if I get across to the UK I'll see if I can't look into it, will keep you posted. (I live in France at the moment). If you have any spares, shoot me a PM and we can take it from there. I have a few NZ items on my list....

Any info on OWS badges would also be great to see, the more we pass on info and discuss theories, the closer everyone gets to the truth, so post away! Plus I just like chatting about them...lol

Kingsley, I'll have a search as well, see if I can come up with them. I know the Munitions badge you are talking about, missed getting one a few months ado when my internet went down at quite the critical time, but as they say, another will come along eventually.

Thanks lads

Cheers, Tim

[dumdum]

Hi Tim (and anyone else with half an interest in this topic...)

Here are some of the "1915" "generic" badges that I have. I've just tried to upload another lot of more specific ones that have companies on them but it wouldn't load...

I'm amazed that there were SO many types of this badge as they were clearly "unofficial" and yet they had the 1915 Ordnance badge to choose from.

This is possibly a gross simplification, as maybe they weren't entitled to the "official issue" badge so took the next best thing.

I know the Defence Department badges that you talk about and if you are after any please PM me and I'll look for you. I got one of the Australian
"In Camp 1918" ones at a real steal some years back as the seller had no idea of its rarity.

The "Balloted" one is hideously expensive and very hard to find.

[dumdum]

Hi all

At last! Here is the other lot of On War Service badges. Comments welcome!

[dumdum]

Hi Tim

When you say "a few NZ items on your list" do you mean "wants" or "trades"?
Either way, happy to help!

[dumdum]

Sorry about the quality of the pics. Just looked at them. They were MUCH better when I scanned them so guessing that the "upload" might have degraded the quality.
If anyone wants a better pic I can "snip" them individually!

[dumdum]

Hi all

Curiousity made me do a search, first on CWGC, then on Australian Archives.

Have a read if you want!

https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/Sear...aspx?B=1838812

[dumdum]

Just read it (18 pages).

Posted to A.N & M.E.F. (Australian Naval & Military Expeditionary Force) "Trop. Unit" (Tropical Unit) who went to Rabaul. No mention of the UK that I could see, assuming that this is the right guy!

Actually, it MUST be as the CWGC details tally.

[Chipper]

Originally Posted by dumdum

Hi Tim (and anyone else with half an interest in this topic...)

Here are some of the "1915" "generic" badges that I have. I've just tried to upload another lot of more specific ones that have companies on them but it wouldn't load...

I'm amazed that there were SO many types of this badge as they were clearly "unofficial" and yet they had the 1915 Ordnance badge to choose from.

This is possibly a gross simplification, as maybe they weren't entitled to the "official issue" badge so took the next best thing.

I know the Defence Department badges that you talk about and if you are after any please PM me and I'll look for you. I got one of the Australian
"In Camp 1918" ones at a real steal some years back as the seller had no idea of its rarity.

The "Balloted" one is hideously expensive and very hard to find.

Hi Mate,

great lot you have there, and while I don't tend to collect the unofficial ones (more because it's a can of worms I don't want to open just yet...lol) I love seeing them. I suspect when there was an apparent crackdown after the 1914 badges seemed to be given out like tic-tac's, companies made these either as a stop gap till official ones could be issued, or to protect hitherto unbadged workers from the clutches of the white feather brigade.

As for me, like to see a pic of the "in camp" badge - I seem to recall seeing a picture of one once, but was a long time ago. I've not ever seen any for sale.

I would dearly love a Balloted badge, but as you say, they seem to be virtually impossible to find (especially over here, obviously), and when they do come up, very expensive. I will start a seperate post dealing with the Aus/NZ badges later today or tomorrow, so we can keep that discussion seperate to this topic. Plenty of great things to discus and show there.

Thanks for taking the time to show your stuff

Cheers, Tim

[dumdum]

Hi Tim

Greatly enjoying our exchanges. Thought you might like to see this wee badge that I've had for years (rescued from an obscure website).

Only got it because of the two crossed shells and had been really racking what few brains I have to work out the letters.

Found the answer quite by chance about a year or so back in a book picked up from eBay.

There is another slightly damaged one on the 'Net that has been listed for months but they don't know what the letters stand for AND they've read them in the wrong order...

Answers in my next post!

[dumdum]

Hi Tim

Here are the scans of the lot that belonged to Wroe. The Munitions badge you might recognise and the "hand made" dog tag was maybe designed for a tool box or even intended to be worn.

The silver badge is for the R.V.A or "Rejected Volunteer's Association" ("I volunteered, you didn't want me" sort of thing). Looks as if they had one for each state with some more common that others.

If you look at the back of the R.V.A. badge it has been engraved with "Norman S. Wroe" "Deceased 1919" suggesting that someone wanted to preserve his memory and service.

Hope you like them. More to come!

Cheers

Ray

[dumdum]

Hi Tim

Here are two "variations" on the Imperial Service "tablet". Both picked up here. Wonder about the G.S. buttons but I guess you never know when you might need one......