Special Services Batallion
 

Hello all,
I'm looking for some help. In simple terms I understand that this Battalion was established during the Great Depression to help youth by training them with military fitness and various trades to enable them be employed by the Dept. of Labour and Welfare.
What uniforms were they issued?
Did they wear caps or berets?
On the attached doco. what does A/Sgt stand for (I get the Sgt part)?
Also what insignia was issued?

Any and all help appreciated.
Tony

Sorry only noticed the post on the YTB. However was the SSB similar to this earlier post on the YTB?

Hi Tony, they wore a badge consisting of 3 Proteas. These were worn as cap, collar and mess dress They had SSB SDB(English and Afrikaans) shoulder titles. I am not at home at the moment, so can't post a picture. Regards Andrew

Hi Tony
A/Sgt would be Acting Sgt.
Cheers,
Alex

Pre-War uniform consisted of Jacket, Service Dress, Khaki Drill with SSB buttons (three protea flower heads), SSB collar badges, worn with shorts, Khaki Drill. Depending on the occasion belt was either P'08 webbing or a Boy-Scout type buckled leather belt. Polo helmet, Khaki Drill or caps, SD. Shoulder titles SSB over SDB. Will see if I can dig up a picture of the one in my collection for you. Puttees originally worn until replaced by canvas leggings. Brown boots.

It is only from 1943ish that black berets were adopted as by then the role of SSB had changed from purely a training unit to an armoured regiment.

Thanks all for you replies.

Thanks all for you replies. Just as an afterthought. Why would you have an A/Sgt.
and still be classified as such on your release and shown on your documentation
?

Hi Tony
I don't know the reason but often medals were named with acting ranks impressed on them, so they were recorded as such officially. Probably saved them a lot of money by giving people acting ranks but still paying them in their official rank.
Cheers,
Alex

Tony

There has been a misunderstanding here. This chap attested into the "Special Services Company" Royal Durban Light Infantry NOT the SSB that served in WW2.

The Special Services Company are today called a "Support Company", still exist as such.

Regards
Brian

The document is confusing, because the second block, and the rubber stamps at the bottom, refer to the Special Service Company of the RDLI, but the third block clearly states that he was discharged from the Special Service Battalion, to approved employment, and was transferred to the SA Police reserve.

That would not have been the case if he had been an ordinary ACF member of the RDLI. He would have been placed on the CF Reserve, and his employment would not have been anything to do with the defence force.

Nor does his service number look like an ACF number. They normally had a letter of the alphabet in front.

The original SSB had detached companies in various cities. Might their Durban company have been attached to the RDLI?