Quote:
Originally Posted by silverwash
the black background of 151/151 Parachute Battalion qualification wings being attributed to parachute training fatalities is a bit of a red herring. a good few years ago in conversation with Tony Thomas, CQMS, MID, retired Maj.(QM) Para.Regt. who was with the battalion during the war stated that the black background was the result of a " production problem " ( cock up ) with the local Indian manufacturer/supplier of kit. might as well use them up while we've got them. tradition ensues. however, this is only hearsay.
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In an earlier thread on 156 Bn wings, Postwarden very helpfully pointed out that the 1943 Indian clothing regulations described the wing background as being black but the 1945 regs said ‘dark blue’, so the Indian made wings were as per their regulations. No doubt 156 Bn perpetuated this to celebrate their India origins and make them stand out - the story about commemorating the casualties sounds like it was told to justify this choice.