Right-facing East Anglian Viking Badge
 

Does anybody have one of these?:

Attachment 36955

I have left-facing examples, but have never seen a right-facing one like this, except in red.

With thanks,

Peter

The yellow viking head on blue shield was the East Anglian Brigade (Training Group) formation badge in wear circa 1948 - 1958. It was based on the East Anglia District formation badge of a yellow viking head on a red shield.
Presumably the East Anglian Brigade wore the badge on the left arm with viking facing forward whereas the District sign was worn on both arms?

Tim,

Thanks for your reply.

Have you ever seen an example of a right-facing blue shield?

Does/did it exist?

Regards,

PJ

East Anglia District signs - white on red - came in facing pairs, embroidered on felt and printed, and was worn on both arms.

Since in theory they were worn only on the left arm - the East Anglian Training Brigade Group sign - yellow on blue, printed and embroidered on felt - should only face left (ie to the front). However, I have a BD blouse badged to a RB 2Lt serving in 7 Armd Bde who wears the Greenjackets Training Brigade Group sign - printed - on both arms below the 7 Armd Bde sign. I mention this to indicate that the rules ref "left arm only" were in this case ignored. This - or the oft-quoted "manufacturer's error" - may account for the occasional yellow on blue Viking's head facing right. I also have a note - from photographs seen years ago in 1 Green Howards' Officers Mess that for some unaccountable reason members of that battalion in Malaya in Jan 52 were wearing the Yorkshire and Northumberland Training Brigade Group sign on OG shirts. Perhaps they could not bear to be separated from the white rose?

Mike,

Thanks for your reply.

The main reason I ask this question is because of a photograph taken at the time of the amalgamation in 1959, at Britannia Barracks, Norwich, during the closing service of the The Royal Norfolk Regiment (see thumbnail):

Attachment 36973

In the photo (from Tim Carew's 'The Royal Norfolk Regiment') the Lance Corporal (on the left) is wearing a right-facing viking, on his right arm, and to the best of my knowledge (which is not saying much) only the blue badge was worn at this time by men stationed at the barracks, though I may have this wrong.

The man pictured is a family friend, and I shall, in due course, endeavour to ask him about this badge, but until I am able to do so, I am wondering whether or not the badge he is wearing may in fact have been red, but as mentioned above, I am under the impression that only the blue version was worn by men stationed here.

Peter.

Can anyone else throw light on the possibilty of a right-facing East Anglian Training Group badge (blue version), or the above photo taken at Britannia Barracks?

Regards,

PJ

Right facing badge
 

Can anyone else throw light on the possibilty of a right-facing East Anglian Training Group badge (blue version), or the above photo taken at Britannia Barracks?

Regards,

PJ
That's easy PJ : They are a sinister lot.

Cheers mate,

John

Hello John,

So it would seem.

If only your heraldic dexterity could assist me in this instance!:D

PJ

Right-facing EA Viking badge
 

Peter,

The following extract from a policy document may shed light on this. I appreciate it is later than the dates of wear for this badge but I don't know when this instruction was issued.

'24.05.61. Current instructions were that the FS was to be worn on both sleeves of the battledress only, except in infantry regiments who wore an Infantry Group sign or regimental flash. In their case they wore the FS on the right sleeve only.'

As the blue EA Viking was a Training Bde FS it would account for it only being worn on the one arm.

R. Lincs continued to wear the Midlands Training bde Group FS whilst serving in 1 Div, BAOR and later in Malaya.

Stephen.

Thanks Stephen.

I think we have to concede that the FS in the photograph must have been the yellow on red badge, as it is right-facing and the photo is definitely not inverted.

Thanks for your help with this.

All the best,

Peter

Notwithstanding the instruction quoted above, "Badges on Battledress" Third Edition (1953) Lt Col Howard N Cole states on p 72 that "these Training Brigade groups have adopted distinctive signs which are worn below the shoulder title on the left sleeve". This would account for the East Anglian Brigade sign being almost invariably seen to be facing to the left ie to the wearer's front. If the HQ Christmas card can be acccepted as being authoritative, it seems that the facing left Viking was the definitive version of the HQ East Anglian District sign.

But to put all this in context, in 137 (Java) Bty, 40 Fd Regt RA in Munster in 1962 an unfortunate Gunner applied a number of 6 Inf Bde formation sign transfers to Battery vehicles - upside down (despite the fact the design of the design incorporated the numeral 6!) Such things happen.

Following further research, I am pleased to say that I am now able to provide an update to this thread...

The blue Viking flash was worn (on the left arm) by Royal Norfolks once basic training had been completed; not before.

Attachment 42950

Members of the permanent depot staff, and elsewhere in the East Anglian Division/District area also wore the red Viking badge, but on the right arm.

Attachment 42952

Therefore, members of the permanent staff at any of the East Anglian Regimental Depots wore the red Viking on the right arm and the blue Viking on the left. The red Viking was the East Anglian Divisional/District badge; its headquarters being at Colchester, Essex.

Attachment 42952Attachment 42950

Whereas only permanent staff of the depots, or Divisional/District HQ, wore both red and blue Vikings, any other regimental or corps personnel actually posted under the command of Division/District, wore just the red Viking, plus their own insignia on the other arm - this would include such people as Royal Signals, Royal Engineers, RASC, Catering Corps staff, etc., based at Divisional/District HQ, or posted to one of the East Anglian depots, or staff at Stanford Battle Area, etc. However, some personnel were unable to wear the red Viking on the right arm since this was where either their own Corps or Regimental insignia, or trade badges were worn, thus it would have been necessary for the red Viking to have been worn on the left arm, which would also have been the case for some infantry units under the direct command of Divisional/ District HQ. This accounts for the left-facing, red Viking pattern badge.

Attachment 42951

So in answer to my own initial question, there was no right-facing blue Viking badge.

Hope this is of interest/use, and thanks to everyone who has contributed so far.

Regards,

Peter.

Great piece of work Peter

Thanks for posting



John

Great post everyone