Quote:
Originally Posted by navyfred
The orange cloth denotes that they were South African. I have seen many variations of the shade of orange so would suggest that they are both just SAN.
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Agree. The orange triangles were the naval equivalent of the orange strips which the army and air force wore across the other end of the shoulder strap. On the jacket, the orange flash was worn as a square, balanced on one point like a diamond, above the rank lace.
The orange flash was more than just an indicator of nationality. It meant that the wearer had attested for service "anywhere in Africa" (1940-43) or "anywhere in the world" (1943-45). As the Union Defence Forces were restricted by law to operating in southern Africa, this voluntary attestation was the only way in which its personnel and units could be deployed farther afield.