Quote:
Originally Posted by fairlie63
Hi Brian, yes, it is a nice bronzed one. I also have the smaller version and am intrigued by what it is having seen the previous posts which establish that it was not worn as a collar.
I hadn't realised the 19 Rocket Regt badges were so scarce, I gather it had a fairly short existence?
Keith
|
Hi Keith
Yes, those small SAHA appear to be more "sweetheart brooches" than collar badges. I have silver and brass versions. I have somewhere a photostat of a WW1 era advert from a SA Jeweler (based Cape Town if I recall?), showing them being sold as brooches. Just wish I could find it, filed away in my research somewhere.
Yes, from what I remember the 19 Rocket Regt was disbanded back in the 1990's (stand to be corrected, and hope for some clarity on this) BUT who took over using these weapon systems, I am not sure. The SA Artillery still use them, that I do know.
The rarest SADF era artillery badge is the Regt East Transvaal badge with a small rat in it. In Afrikaans their name is Regt Oos Transvaal thereby giving the initials ROT, which is a Rat in that language. Apparently only around 25 ever issued officially, and these only to Officers and senior NCO's of high standing in the unit. They were Approved on the 23rd September 1992. If you see one buy it quickly, they sell quick when they do show up. One was recently found in a scratch box at a flea market in Pretoria, the guy paid around 5 pounds for it, a total bargain!The vendor obviously did not know what it was. You can see one in the bottom right hand corner of the first frame picture. They were an Anti Aircraft unit.
Brian