Hi Dudley,
I can shed all the light on this badge. It has been wrongly identified as a cap badge in Owens book and since then everyone refers to it as such, some even to it been WWI
.
This is the SAMNS training school badge and worn by SAMNS nurses who qualified after 3 years nurse training. It is on the same lines as all civilian nurse/hospital qualification badges and was worn as a brooch at the closure of the collar in ward uniform (ie. ward whites).
In 1952 a pre-nursing course was instituted at various nursing colleges to attract new nurses to the profession and provide non-matriculants with matriculation certificates. The SAMNS made good use of this scheme, training 88 of their staff at a Pretoria Nursing Colledge by the time the course was discontinued in 1955. By 1954 a training school badge for SAMNS was approved and registered under the Names, Uniforms and Badges Act No23 of 1935. The badge design was that of the SAMNS cap badge with bilingual title, one and a half inches in diameter, and produced in sterling silver bearing the hallmarks of the South African Mint.
From the above we could say that at least 88 of these were issued, but I assume many more may have been manufatured and come onto the market from a store clearout (either SAMS store or manufacturers store) as these appear fairly often and all with the same 1950's SA MINT markings and all in mint unissued condition.
Attached is a picture of two nurses at 2 military hospital in the 1950's wearing the brooch at the close of the collar.
The left nurse(with veil) is a Grade II sister, she has ruby coloured shoulder boards with two rings of gilt gimp braid and the universal SA badge worn midway between the gimp and button as per regulation.
The right hand nurse is a nursing assistant wearing khaki shoulder board with one inch white melton cloth and SA badge. The SA badges were worn on the shoulder boards only in ward dress. These badges were also worn on the lower collar below the SAMNS collar badges in service dress (step out) uniform.
I hope this clears up the misidentification once and for all
Regards
Steven