From my book Badges on Battle Dress
Jon
A sign for HQ Local Land Forces, Persian Gulf, its design said to represent ‘Al Khalij’ Arabic for ‘The Gulf’ to be worn by all troops in the Persian Gulf area - HQ Troops, the Trucial Oman Scouts and possibly by the British battalion in the area - was originally requested by GHQ, Middle East Land Forces in June 1957 . Acknowledging that a long term review of formation signs was under way, GHQ asked for immediate approval which the War Office transmitted to Middle East Land Forces on 18th September 1957. In 1959 a permanent British HQ, Land Forces Persian Gulf was established in Bahrain with responsibility for Kuwait, the Trucial Oman States (later the United Arab Emirates) and the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman.
On 7th March 1959 a further request for the design first applied for in 1957, now described as the sign for Land Forces, Persian Gulf was submitted. Told that the sign would be worn by HQ Land Forces, Persian Gulf, the detached infantry battalion in Bahrain, the Armoured Car Squadron and any British troops permanently detached to Oman it was approved on 9th July 1959. Admitting that the sign could not be made in Aden, the submission asked for a quote from The Calico Printers Association. A third request for the sign in January 1964 noting that ‘it is understood to be War Office policy that formation signs shall no longer be worn’ was firmly rebutted; ‘It is not War Office policy that formation signs should no longer be worn. However as a consequence of a ruling that they will not be worn on either No 2 Dress or Combat Dress, there is no uniform in temperate climates on which they can be worn’. Assured that they could indeed wear signs HQ Land Forces, Persian Gulf noted that those wearing theirs included the HQ Staff, 255 Signal Squadron and 65th Station Workshops, REME. After Britain withdrew from Aden in September 1967 HQ LFPG, effectively successor to Middle East Land Forces, became the hub of British defence commitments in the area from its main base at Sharjah.
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