Youth Training Brigade 1941 - 1946
 

Does anyone have any information about the wartime Youth Training Brigade, or a photo of a member in uniform? I am particularly interested to know if there was an air section or air training, or if it was general training and afterwards members joined all three services.

I'm sure I read in the past that boys joined at 15 and at 17 moved on to one of the three services, but recent research seems to indicate that it was purely military training with boys only going into the Army after turning 17.

Insignia on the cap and collars was a hand holding a flaming torch in bronzed metal, with woven cloth titles in yellow on green - 'Youth Brigade' in English on the right shoulder and Afrikaans on the left.

Thanks

From this https://www.britishpathe.com/video/s...le-like-father it appears that in training they wore "fatigues" Khaki Drill without colalr badges and the polo pattern helmet (in this case appears to be the Canadian Hawley version) and Frocks, Khaki Drill, with collar badges for parade. Officers appear to wear four pocket drab Jackets, Service Dress with Caps, SD and the interetsingly the YTB badges. I was expecting the officers to wear Instructional Corps or regimental badges actually but they do seem to have worn YTB torches as well.

OC YTB
 

I am very lucky to have the OC of the 1st Batt YTB medal group, he was Lieut. -Colonel Noel Douglas McMillan, V.D.

OC from early 1942 to 1945. At the start of the War he was the OC Natal Mounted Rifles and served as such for most of the East African Campaign but fell ill and sent home where after recovering posted as OC YTB and also involved with enlistment drives throughout the Union. His collar badges in picture appear to be YTB, so suspect he wore the cap badge as well.