1944 Airborne beret
 

Hi Guys,
Picked this lovely beret up recently and wanted to show you as it is the only airborne item in my collection, just couldn’t resist it.

Regards
Irv��

A very nice item, well done. My only other comment would be to lose the very dodgy looking moustache on the Royal Marine on the extreme right in your last photograph.

Back in the day(1980) it was very popular! All Marines had a dodgy top lip!

Great looking beret.

12th Devonshire

In the autumn of 1940 they reverted to the name 12th Battalion and manned the defences on the coast near Dawlish, moving in December to Budleigh Salterton. In the late summer of 1942 they moved from Exeter to join 214 Brigade on the Isle of Wight, where they remained until they moved to Truro in May 1943. A few weeks later the 12th Devons were suddeny ordered to Bulford to become a glider-borne battalion and part of 6 Airlanding Brigade of 6th Airborne Division.

On D-Day the 12th Battalion landed in France – one company by glider, the rest by sea – and fought in the Orne bridgehead and throughout the campaign in Normandy. After three months back in England, the 12th were rushed back overland to help halt the German thrust in the Ardennes in December 1944. In early January they fought near the villages of Tellin and Bure. After a spell in the Netherlands in late January and February 1945, the 12th were again withdrawn to England to prepare for their part in the crossing of the Rhine.

In the airborne part of the assault across the Rhine in late March 1945 the task of the glider-borne 12th Devons was to capture the village of Hamminkeln. Having taken this objective, they then took part in the rapid advances that led them across the Rivers Weser and Elbe to the shores of the Baltic. 21st Army Group’s arrival there before the Russians prevented Schleswig-Holstein and Denmark from becoming part of the Soviet bloc. Advancing east, the 12th Devons finally met the Red Army in early May, just before the German surrender.

By 19th May 1945 the 12th Devons were back at Bulford, preparing for the invasion of Japan. The dropping of the atom bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki made what would have been their final operation unnecessary.

Not one I like sorry
The two extra rows of tight machine stitching and lack of loose stitching around the beret liner would suggest that this has been a wartime liner married with a post war exterior.
SC

Nice piece Irv, looks spot on for a wartime Beret Industries Ltd lid, cheers,

Paul

That is a feature found on berets from a limited number of manufacturers, Beret Industries is not one of them. Go do you your homework first.

It’s my opinion, just as you have yours
Personally I don’t like any non Kangol berets on the basis their use was more limited. If you want one always go for a Kangol.
That’s my personal view as other people will have theirs. It doesn’t mean I’m wrong and you’re right or vice versa
SC

Thanks for the comments guys, even SLinkys. Every day is a learning day and if you only like Kangols then that is your option. I would suggest taking a look at the WW2 beret thread which goes through the differences in the other manufacturers of war time berets. We don’t have too many people show their ww2 berets so Slinky if you could show us some of yours I would love to see them, especially commando ones if you have them. Cheers:)

seek and ye shall find

Airborne, Elite and Special Forces Insignia topic. a nailed to the mast guide.

" it's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care ". Peter Gibbons

Hello gents
Understood I see your point re the guide but my personal preference is for Kangol made berets. You pay your money you take your choice as they say. I do have a few wartime commando green berets, all Kangol but sadly without their badges
SC

No problem Slinky, still love to see them and the details. You can replace the badges easy enough.:)

I’m the same about FS knives, I won’t have one that has been stamped with the ‘England’ mark. Some collectors don’t mind.

Regards
Irv

Are those the export ones?
If so I read you loud and clear!

I’ll post some beret pics this week
SC

Thanks for that, should have done it myself:)