Silver "TA" Territorial Army Lapel badge
 

Please can anyone tell me what period these badges date from and also is it possible to reseach the Regiment or owner from the serial number on the back?

Thanks, Rob.:)

It's only a start point for the answers, but I was issued with one, along with the rest of my kit, when I joined the TA in London in January 1952
johnG

Of no direct help, but in hope of illumination. My partner is not a 'collector' per se, thinking it a 'man thing'. But as I'm an ex-TA officer, and she's an ex-RAFVR officer (only grudgingly accepting the shotgun marriage of the VR and the AUX AF) she does like picking up the RAFVR lapel badges of the same pattern. We have also picked up a badge with its receipt.

So, we get to thinking. With the British military mind, if you sign for something and get a receipt, there must be a system somewhere where these receipts are collated - and a name is connected to a number (think of the Silver War Badges). But much seeking has not yet turned one up.

Correlate across to the TA lapel badges...

According to the newly-republished Doing Their Bit : Home Front Lapel badges 1939-1945 by Jon Mills (Sabrestorm Publishing) the badge was approved by the King in March 1938 and an initial order placed with the Royal Mint that month. It was designed by a Mr Coombes who worked at the mint and the silver colour was chosen as a link to the silver badges and trimmings worn by the Volunteers.

The badges were numbered and numbers 1 and 2 were presented to the King and Queen as Honorary Colonels of TA regiments. It was issued to all TA officers and ORs on enlistment and came with a certificate but issues ceased in 1939 when the TA was absorbed into the army. All pre-war examples have a lapel fixing. It was revived for the postwar TA in 1947 when a pinback version was introduced for the ATS (later WRAC) TA.

Similar badges exist for the ATS, Royal Army Reserve, Regular Army Reserve of Officers and the RAFVR.

Postwarden

That is very interesting as the one issued to me as late as January 1952 had a lapel fastening, so it was probably old, pre-war stock. Sadly I lost sight of it many years ago.
johnG

I have several TA ones and also a RAFVR one that has it's certificate with it. I am sure there must have been records kept of who they were issued to but where they are now is anyone's guess
Lee

Does anyone know when they stopped issuing badges?

I joined about 1981 and did not get one. Possibly in 1967 when the old TA was disbanded.

Issue date
 

I joined the T A in 1968 and was not issued a badge. However my father joined in 1938/9 and was issued his - number 133804.

I was not issued one in 1979; but I wore my grandfather's in mufti. He was also a WW1 veteran and remained in the TA between the wars.

Silver TA lapel badges
 

The serial number was for the TA Association to record to whom the badge was issued as they were supposed to be returned when the soldier left the TA. I doubt if any of these list survive today.

Stephen.

Pushing this old post up - just picked up one of these without knowing what itI got from flee market in Spain for €1 - probably worth the money.

Number is 151,958. Really like the design of it. Especially swimming lion at the bottom :)

I didn't know lions did the butterfly;) perhaps he's leaping toward you.

TA lapel badge
 

Mine was issued to me April 1962, have to dig it out and record the number! DJ.

another one that I just got has a number 363,468.

My father's badge - he joined the Surrey-based 47 (HC) Field Ambulance RAMC (TA) in 1955 - is numbered 504044. Mike