Post WW2 Officers' cap badges
 

An interesting letter from the War Office addressed to Colonels Commandant and Colonels of Regiments and Corps dated 4th October 1949 regarding Regimental Badges.

The policy as regards cap badges has been that a cap badge of the same design and size should be worn on all headdresses. These to be of the dress type e.g. gold or silver plated. Bronze cap badges were to be regarded as obsolescent. In the case of the beret an embroidered badge of the same design and size as the metal badge referred to above might be worn if desired.

The reintroduction of the khaki SD cap (ACI427/1949) for wear by officers with BD and tropical dress has made it necessary to review the present position. At the same time consideration was given to the probability of the introduction of the coloured forage cap to be worn with non-ceremonial and ceremonial No 1 dress in place of the coloured beret.

As a result of this review it has been decided that the following rules should in future apply to officers cap badges:-

Coloured forage cap with peak and khaki SD cap with peak: Design and size to be the same for both. Finish to be gilt, silver plate etc. With the SD cap the badge may be bronzed if desired.

Beret – design as for caps above. Finish gilt, silver plate or embroidered. Size as for forage or SD but may be reduced in size. A collar badge which is of a different design will not be worn in the beret.

If a bronze cap badge is adopted for the SD cap then collar badges on SD must also be bronze.

Jon

Post-WW2 Officers' cap badges
 

It is also worth noting that silver plated badges came into use post-war as a direct result of the financial state of the UK.

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08.10.53. WOL 54/Officers/4025 (Ord17d): War Office pro-forma letter mentioned that it has recently been decided that Army funds shall bear the full cost of the officers regulation outfit on first appointment, and that, in view of the high cost, including Purchase Tax, of badges consisting wholly, or in part, of silver, officers regulation badges will prescribe a silver plate finish instead of silver in future, outfit allowances being based on the cost of the former type. Obsolescent silver badges already in possession of officers may continue to be used until due for replacement in the normal course.

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It might therefore be correct to consider any QC badge made of silver to be suspect.

Stephen.

Stephen,

There must have been some officers who were quite prepared to buy silver badges at their own expense?

Jon

Stephen and I have spent some time trying to find when bronze OSD badges were made obsolete - unless you've now found it S ?

I agree that 'some officers were prepared to' go above regulations. I have a nice King's OSD collar badge given to me by the wearer many years ago who said that he wore it in his beret. He was in the army from about 1936 to the late(?) 1950s and I wish I knew the date and circumstances of his beret badge !!

Incidentally Major Edwards in the 1st edition (1951) of Regimental Badges, notes that silver was about to give way to silver plate - some two years before the 1953 order you cite. He must have had fairly close contacts with the Dress Committee.

The Officers of the Royal Regiment of Artillery still wear bronze cap and collar badges.

Marc :)

Interesting point about Major Edwards. I have evidence that in 1945 he was working in WO Dept/Section AG4c which dealt with cloth badges but he does not appear on the list of those attending any Dress Committee meetings in the 1950s.

Jon

A small sidelight on the bronze cap badge question.

The Standing Orders for Dress for Officers of 571 LAA Regt (9th Middlesex) TA issued in May 1958 specify for battle dress a forage cap with a bronze Middlesex regiment cap badge together with bronze Middlesex Regiment collar badges and brass Middlesex Regiment pattern ie Eversleigh stars 'which will be cleaned'.

Jon

Thanks Jon and Marc, I had a feeling that some units - like the RA ! - continued to wear bronze. Does anyone know what criteria were used for continued wear ?

My guess is nobody told them not to.

Marc :)

It was at the same time that Gilt/Silver Officers Cap & Collar badges became official issue instead of a Private Purchase.

In my own Corps the introduction of the slimmer 'Tua Tela Tonanti' Badge in Gilt/Silver with long lugs, and Other Ranks in Gliding Metal became the 2 main badges worn, with an Officers Collar Badge being worn in the beret when in the field. Bullion Badges did not come into common usage till the mid 1950's Kings Crown Bullion badges being scarce and mainly worn on the coloured side cap.

It would have been a decision of the RA Dress Committee at the time, using the options as stated in post 1.

Jon,

I cannot lay my hands on the Act, but the badge manufacturers were actually forbidden to use these precious metals without a form of 'planning consent', and that was not issued for military insignia.

Stephen