93rd Anti Tank Regiment, 1st Division

[loupie1961]

Recently bought an epaulette slip on with the insignia of the 1st Infantry artillery, 93rd Anti Tank regiment (Bth battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) that has fought in the BEF and then in Tunisia, Sicily and Italy. What's your opinion? It is a quite known formation insignia combination, and there's always the chance that somebody having read the Osprey book on British Formation insignia could have decided to put together a whole slip on... by the way, is there any specific reason why you can find so many 1st Division Artillery printed patches on ebay?

[cymro]

Hello there,

I collect formation signs to the Italian campaign, and of course, most of these are in the form of slip-ons and combinations. I've had a look at the scan and although it's hard to say without it being in one's hand, I think it looks ok.

You're right though, this particular combination is vulnerable to being 'made up' as both the constituent parts are not that hard to come by. 1st division was a real law unto itself when it came to signs and there are weird and wonderful variations. I shall take a scan of my examples to the division and post in due course.

Proper slides of course took a bit of a battering when worn on such a well-used part of the body (in term of load bearing), which is why the looped, drop-down ones were increasingly adopted. I've got pics of these in use by 1 Div.

[loupie1961]

Originally Posted by cymro

Hello there,

I collect formation signs to the Italian campaign, and of course, most of these are in the form of slip-ons and combinations. I've had a look at the scan and although it's hard to say without it being in one's hand, I think it looks ok.

You're right though, this particular combination is vulnerable to being 'made up' as both the constituent parts are not that hard to come by. 1st division was a real law unto itself when it came to signs and there are weird and wonderful variations. I shall take a scan of my examples to the division and post in due course.

Proper slides of course took a bit of a battering when worn on such a well-used part of the body (in term of load bearing), which is why the looped, drop-down ones were increasingly adopted. I've got pics of these in use by 1 Div.

will be looking forward to see your scans, than, and very much so!

[cymro]

Hi there - here is a pic of some of the 1st Div signs as promised - I believe the maroon circle is mobile ambulance RAMC, but the black square remains a mystery, despite an enquiry in a recent copy of 'The Formation Sign'...

[cymro]

One more...

[lettman]

Lovely signs, Cymro! When was the red border around the triangle adopted?

[cymro]

My best guess would be 1944 sometime, although I'm very happy to be proved wrong by someone who knows the definitive answer!

Anyone?

[Voltigeur]

Gentlemen,if may intrude on the subject. Two photographs taken in 1947-48 in Tel-Aviv and showing members of the HLI with, on the uniform,the 1st Div sign.
Jo
http://images.google.com/hosted/life...b09995183dc31d

http://images.google.com/hosted/life...a7702dbd38a46b

[cymro]

Great pics Jo - thanks...

I was aware that the 1st Division carried on with at least the white triangle after the war. As the arm-of-service stripes disappeared at the end of the war and the units in the division changed, one can generally identify the wartime pieces. Interestingly, the 1st seemd to have had Bevo Weave combination signs that incorporated arm-of-service stripes made up during the war - see the 2nd N. Staffs, 2nd Inf Brigade in my scan.

[lettman]

My 3rd edition of Cole's Badges on Battledress (1953) shows the red border, while my 2nd edn of his Heraldry in War (1947) doesn't, so it was sometime between the two. I was just hoping someone knew exactly when it came in.

[erracht]

Back on the 93 A/T Regt slip-on, the troubling thing for me is that the A&SH flash is placed upside down - the red ends should be to the top...

Dean