Some of my RAAC battledress flashes
 

Hi Everyone,

Happy New Year!

I thought I'd share some of my Royal Australian Armoured Corps battledress flash collection.

I still need the follow canvas (summer) titles to finish it off.

Prince of Wales's Light Horse, South Australian Mounted Rifles, 10th Light Horse, Australian Horse and a Western Australian Mounted Rifles.

Mick

Good to see at least one full set, Mick -- some of these units were quite short-lived.

Thanks mate.

Yes - some of them only existed for a small number of years. Others such as the 6th NSW Mounted Rifles also went to infantry and so they also have a red/white flash.

The white NSW Lancers flashes are the super rare 1949 interim issue flashes. Only worn for a year or so.

Still need another 5 canvas ones to finish of that set.

Mick

Interesting that those interim titles are in the original NSW Lancers colour patch colours of light blue and white. I wonder if any other regiment tried to do the same in their own colours? Those are great items -- well found.

As far as I now it was just the NSW Lancers who actually had an interim title made.

This interim title is even mentioned in their unit history book.

Mick

Draft Military Board Instruction - Titles Embroidered, MGO to AG Branch dated 10 February 1948. "For concurrence and return please."

TITLES EMBROIDERED
1. The undermentioned Titles Embroidered have been approved: -

Royal New South Wales Lancers Sky Blue lettering on Scarlet background
Northern Rivers Lancers Mid Green on Scarlet
New South Wales Mounted Rifles White on Scarlet
Hunter River Lancers Purple on Scarlet
Victorian Mounted Rifles Scarlet on Gold
Prince of Wales's Light Horse Sky Blue on Gold
South Australian Mounted Rifles Scarlet on Gold
Royal Australian Armoured Corps Scarlet on Gold

Response dated 30 March 1949, DAG to MGO, DRAFT MBI - SHOULDER TITLES. "With reference to your memo B1576A of 10 Feb 48...."

2. "It is noted that in many cases the colours of the background and lettering prescribed in the draft MBI do not correspond with those in ACI 905/43..."

(a) Scarlet on Gold (Aust)
Red on Yellow (British)

4. It is observed that in the case of armoured units the basic colours of "red on yellow" are not being used for all units...

AHQ Letter B6429 of 30 May 49, MGO to AG, CMF Member, DRAAC
1. CMF Member recommends on 9 May 49 the retention by the RAAC of red lettering on a yellow background.

2. "...the retention of red lettering on yellow background for the RAAC is agreed to and approved."

AHQ Letter 13141 of 17 Jun 49, DRAAC to MGO Br
2. Colours of shoulder titles of Regular units of RAAC to be red lettering on yellow background.

AHQ letter B9695 of 26 Jul 49, MGO to all Commands, Districts, BCOF, etc
12. No more titles will be purchased privately.

ACI 905/43 is a reference to the British army authority for shoulder titles, I'm sure I've got a copy somewhere, basically all our colours had to match the British and long-term Australian corps or regimental colours were over-ridden despite protests from Corps Directors, etc, to ensure this occurred.

It was recognised that some units and formations had privately purchased titles. The designs of titles were not approved until December 1948 and some of the privately purchased titles did not conform with the patterns eventually approved. I can't say how many armoured units were affected but the practice seems to have been the most prominent in NSW.

Keith

Amazing -- I've never heard of or seen these before. Something to look out for in future (ha ha)! Thanks for the additional info.

I think you will find that most of the units that Keith posted about never had any flashes made up in those colours.

Apart from the yellow/red flashes and the NSW Mounted Rifles in red/white the NSW Lancers were the only ones to have flashes in other colours.

Great info BTW Keith - thanks for sharing.

Mick

and then there was this one of the screen printed type.
what other cavalry screen printed titles were there?
bc