Bletchley Park Despatch Riders Badge

[Rob Miller]

I have just purchased one of these on the off chance, but has anyone ever seen an original?

Rob

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bletchley-...item33d54bc9bc

[leigh kitchen]

Presumably its made post c1977-ish, or whenever the pin & butterfly clip fittings started appearing?
The entry states its a replica. Do you mean you've bought it on the off chance it is actually copy of an original?

[Rob Miller]

Sorry Leigh I didn't make myself clear.

Yes I have bought an identical copy from this seller. The construction is not going to be the same as a genuine wartime example but I think that's a good thing.

But I wondered if anyone here had seen or heard of this being worn during the war?

Rob

[leigh kitchen]

Sorry, I've no knowledge of such badges,
As an aside I note GCHQ issued pin back badges to Bletchley Park veterans to a year or two ago, they look interesting

[Hoot]

Considering what went on at Bletchley Park I can't imagine their DRs advertising the place. That would be like them wearing a "Follow Me" sign across their backs.

[Frank Kelley]

!

Originally Posted by Hoot

Considering what went on at Bletchley Park I can't imagine their DRs advertising the place. That would be like them wearing a "Follow Me" sign across their backs.

[David Tremain]

Surely they would have just worn a regular Despatch Rider badge?

David

[Rob Miller]

In the description the seller says

"This is a replica of the badge understood to have been worn by dispatch riders to Bletchley Park in WW2 under their lapels as a secondary form of identification without which entry to Station X would have been denied.

The BP motif is to be found in the centre of one of the two types of official Veteran's Badges."

If that's true no one would be able to see it until the lapel was turned.

I was under the impression that Bletchley received hundreds of DRs each day, I wonder if they were the same small group operating from a local relay base to help with security?

Rob

[Unknownsoldier]

Originally Posted by Rob Miller

In the description the seller says

"This is a replica of the badge understood to have been worn by dispatch riders to Bletchley Park in WW2 under their lapels as a secondary form of identification without which entry to Station X would have been denied.

The BP motif is to be found in the centre of one of the two types of official Veteran's Badges."

If that's true no one would be able to see it until the lapel was turned.

I was under the impression that Bletchley received hundreds of DRs each day, I wonder if they were the same small group operating from a local relay base to help with security?

Rob

Bletchley I think (from the depths of my mind, somewhere, so probably not 100% right ) used mainly R.Sigs DR's.

[peter monahan]

A 'secret' badge as secondary ID sounds a bit Dick Tracy-ish to me. I would think that having the proper papers and, if used, the sign and countersign of the day would be the ONLY acceptable means of identifying oneself and gaining admittance to a Top Secret facility. Nice story but...

[Rob Miller]

If the seller has had these manufactured then he/she isn't making much money out of them, so perhaps it was done for historical or re-enactment purposes???

Rob

[leigh kitchen]

Looks the sort of thing that would be sold by a souvenir shop as a little Bletchley Park visitor's souvenir.

[54Bty]

Ask them!

Marc

[leigh kitchen]

Aren't they sworn to secrecy?

[peter monahan]

Good point, Leigh!