From my book Badges on Battle Dress
Jon
When HQ East African Command asked the War Office in June 1951 if it had a sealed pattern of the Command’s formation badge, they were informed that no record could be found of an authorised sign although a schedule of signs used by subordinate formations of GHQ Middle East received eighteen months earlier had included a drawing taken from the Command notepaper of ‘a scarlet circle surrounded by a black ring, within the circle a pair of pangas or African matchets, crossed left over right, each with silver blades and black handles’. In use on the Command’s notepaper ‘and, it is assumed being worn by HQ personnel’, the War Office agreed to this design becoming the Command’s official badge. Although an order for 50,000 pairs was placed with Calico Printers on 10th September 1951, embroidered versions of the Command sign were also worn, a sign with the crossed pangas on a red shield-shaped background was recorded worn before the introduction of the official Calico sign.
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