"Bakelite" badge site.
 

A link to an (American) page with a collection of plastic economy badges. Several are not British (the Canadian plastic badges were not technically bakelite; I think at that time the term was a trade mark?) There is a big question about the existence of the 10 CRT badge. It is a CEF badge, long obsolete by the time of the Second World War. And a couple of the badges are not plastic. https://photos.google.com/share/AF1Q...Y4RWI0MWFPNkR3

British plastic badges were made of cellulose acetate, a wholly different material than bakelite. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakelite https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellulose_acetate

The website is a mess with lots of non-plastic badges shown. It seems images were collected solely based on their looks.

Rgds, Thomas.

When I think of bakelite, I think of the hard brittle plastic used for early headset ear pieces.

Phil

Hi Thomas, reviewing that site again, I think the images were "collected" from other places, and perhaps enhanced with images of his own accumulation.

Exactly, writing 'BAKELITE' on a found image doesn't necessarily make it so.

Rgds, Thomas.

Even though wrongly called Bakelite I think most people are aware that it's the wrong name but know what is meant , similarly with Plastic.

Pretty pointless site as it is a collection of photos and several mis-attributions. The Northants is a Bronze offr collar!

These are all mine and not pictures nicked off auctioneers' sites and ebay.

http://www.britishbadgeforum.com/for...p?albumid=2372

The 10 CRT is a picture I took of a badge once in my possession. I sold the badge as a novelty a while ago, I believe it was some sort of "homemade" badge. Pretty sure it was Bakelite, hard and brittle with no give.

Cheers, Ian.

Alan,
Looking at your Glosters WWII economy (won't ever call them Bakelite again!) is your Glosters back badge silver? I have several, but all are brown.
Ken

It's a light. Bronze colour.

Phew! Panic over. It's looked silver on my screen.
Thanks Alan.
Ken ��

Back in 1974 I made notes at the Glosters museum, then in Bishop Hooper's House in Gloucester.

They had on display two plastic back badges which were identified as silver colour for officers and gold (probably brass coloured for ORs.

There was also a waterslide transfer of the back badge for the steel helmet similar to that shown.

Jon

Marcus Cotton in the old Militaria Magazine articles of 1994 states officers plastic economy back badges were silver coloured, OR's light bronze.

Edit - the term "field copper" rather than light bronze is used in the articles.

Were Officers issued plastic badges? I thought they had to buy their own in OSD?

Rob

Its just occurred to me that pips and crowns exist is plastic so they must have been.