Quote:
Originally Posted by badjez
Peter,
The following extract from a policy document may shed light on this. I appreciate it is later than the dates of wear for this badge but I don't know when this instruction was issued.
'24.05.61. Current instructions were that the FS was to be worn on both sleeves of the battledress only, except in infantry regiments who wore an Infantry Group sign or regimental flash. In their case they wore the FS on the right sleeve only.'
As the blue EA Viking was a Training Bde FS it would account for it only being worn on the one arm.
R. Lincs continued to wear the Midlands Training bde Group FS whilst serving in 1 Div, BAOR and later in Malaya.
Stephen.
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Notwithstanding the instruction quoted above, "Badges on Battledress" Third Edition (1953) Lt Col Howard N Cole states on p 72 that "these Training Brigade groups have adopted distinctive signs which are worn below the shoulder title on the left sleeve". This would account for the East Anglian Brigade sign being almost invariably seen to be facing to the left ie to the wearer's front. If the HQ Christmas card can be acccepted as being authoritative, it seems that the facing left Viking was the definitive version of the HQ East Anglian District sign.
But to put all this in context, in 137 (Java) Bty, 40 Fd Regt RA in Munster in 1962 an unfortunate Gunner applied a number of 6 Inf Bde formation sign transfers to Battery vehicles - upside down (despite the fact the design of the design incorporated the numeral 6!) Such things happen.