Munitions Workers - British & Commonwealth Military Badge Forum

Chipper · #1 20-09-17, 01:25 PM

Just making sure this new forum keeps ticking over...

I am sure most people are well acquainted with the Great War "On War Service" badges in the UK, both official and unofficial. Lesser known are badges like this below. They were supplied to Australian workers who came to work in factories under an Australian Government initiative to send skilled workers to Great Britain.

Maker marked Stokes & Sons, Melbourne, they were also individually numbered on the reverse.

Cheers, Tim

Mike Jackson · #2 20-09-17, 02:08 PM

To my amazement I have the same badge, but in typically Australian bronzed finish with two N-S lugs, in a frame on my study wall. I've been wondering what it is for decades. Thank you for telling me. Mike

Postwarden · #3 20-09-17, 02:19 PM

Thanks for sharing what must be an unusual badge.

Jon

Rob Miller · #4 20-09-17, 02:34 PM

By amazing coincidence I took this picture yesterday in Efford Cemetery, Plymouth, Devon.

Rob

Chipper · #5 20-09-17, 03:28 PM

Hi Mike, this is what i imagine is the same bronze colour, just the phone camera making it look brassy. Also same NS lugs. Glad you finally know!

Thanks Rob, that's amazing! Funny how these things happen. Thanks for showing

Cheers, Tim

Mike Jackson · #6 20-09-17, 03:43 PM

Tim,
This is my example.
Mike
Australian Munitions Worker_WW1.jpg

Chipper · #7 20-09-17, 05:44 PM

Hi Mike, yep, same colour as mine. I have only seen these by Stokes (but in reality, I have only seen 6 or 7) is yours Stokes as well? I suppose Amor from Sydney could have also made them - they certainly made many of the other Aussie home front WW1 badges.

Thanks for the pic

Cheers, Tim

Chipper · #8 21-09-17, 11:17 AM

Not to leave out the Canadians, here we have a Canadian Woman Worker badge, issued by the Canadian "Imperial Munitions Board".

Individually numbered, they were all (I think) made by Ellis Brothers in Toronto.

The IMB answered to the British, but was headed by a Canadian, Joseph Flavelle, and it employed some 30,000 women in various roles in the armaments industry. By 1917, ⅓ of all British Shells were being produced in Canada.*

To qualify for this badge, a woman had to work a minimum of 30 days and was given a bar for each 6 months service.

*Source: "Toronto, Then and Now"

tonyb · #9 21-09-17, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob Miller

By amazing coincidence I took this picture yesterday in Efford Cemetery, Plymouth, Devon.

Rob

Hello Rob,
Look here for similar headstone and follow link below image, interesting.
http://www.britishbadgeforum.com/for...ictureid=49375
Cheers Tony.

dumdum · #10 22-09-17, 02:57 AM

Hi guys

I have a small "lot" (including one of these) to an Australian who must have gone to the U.K. as a "specialist" but died in 1919. I'll post a photo of this wee holding (includes a "home made" dog tag) if anyone would like to see it.

There is a list of the numbers to be found on the back of the badge that I believe has been published by the very obliging Lt. Col. Neil SMITH.

I also have a "war service" New Zealand badge that I will post separately if there is the interest.

dumdum · #11 22-09-17, 03:02 AM

Hi Tim

Back again! Most of those "war service" badges for Australia are Stokes & Sons. Armor tend to be post-WW1 although they no doubt did the "rising sun" badge.
Keep any eye out for the "rising sun" with a British slider or the "desert cast" ones! Have both but didn't know it until I did a "head count"!

Chipper · #12 22-09-17, 11:53 AM

Thanks Mate, the info about Amor is particularly interesting.

Love to see the NZ badge, is it one of the HMNZ transport ones? Let's see it!

Cheers, Tim

(PS, I recently picked one up, so very keen to see another.)

dumdum · #13 25-09-17, 01:15 AM

Hi Tim

I'd make a terrible witness! I looked at my Australian badge lot and found that it was ACTUALLY a different badge to the one that you showed. I do have that other badge also by the way....

The man in question is Norman Stanley WROE and you'll soon see the sad little "lot" that he left.

Your HMNZT badge is getting harder to find these days and there is also a version that has blue enamel in the outer ring (rumour has it that this was for "officers" but I'm not so sure) and you'll see that it is styled after the 1914 Admiralty pattern badge. Your badge will have "C.M. Bay" on the back and this stands for Cecil Montagu(e?) BAY who made an awful lot of badges and things.

His firm also made a silver,gold and greenstone casket that was presented to HRH The Prince of Wales in 1920 and contained a gold Returned Soldier's Association badge as befitting the "Soldier Prince". This was to signify "life membership" of the Association.

Wonder where THAT is these days?

Chipper · #14 25-09-17, 11:09 AM

Hi, I know the feeling, so not to worry! The HMNZ badges is, as you indicated, marked CM Bay, although the back is well worn and been bashed around a bit, and as you say, they are very hard to find, so I'm pleased to have one at all. I live in hope of getting an enamelled one at some stage. I tend to agree it was more likely a similar situation to the 1915 OWS badges in the the scope of issue as time went on necessitated a single metal issue.

Cheers, Tim

Jackhr · #15 25-09-17, 08:23 PM

Here is one with the letter from the people he worked for also his BWM and service book from the R.A.N.R stating he was engineering apprentice then became ill and was unfit for duty then went to England to work for Vickers

Cheers