Many people will be familiar with the classic Spitfire embroidered badge worn by members of the Royal Observer Corps as the Master Observer (Ground) qualification.
However, this picture shows something quite-different being worn by a particular (pre-1947?) Observer.
My immediate thought was that it was a "Dakota" badge, being worn by someone on their ROC uniform as a former Air Dispatcher, but obtained through previous service, in a sense similar to the rare-but-occasional instances of para wings being spotted on ROC uniform.
The thinking I had was that perhaps this Observer had gained this 'qualification' through earlier service in the Royal Army Service Corps (the original predecessor AD service to the RCT in this role, nowadays RLC).
However: my understanding was that such badges were strictly
formation identifiers rather than being, say, the formal Air Dispatcher half-wing (which would, fairly-unambiguously) have been a transferrable qualification badge onto ROC uniform (except it wouldn't: read on ☆).
There was also a thought at the back of my mind regarding similar formation badges perhaps having been worn by members of the Glider Pilot Regiment, but I'm unsure on this point.
But: it has been pointed-out to me by my more-observant former ROC comrades that on closer examination, this is NOT a Dakota twin-engined aircraft embroidered on the badge at all, but a squat single-engined fighter (even with the poor picture resolution I do now see I was wrong). So it looks like a Hurricane: and neither a Dak nor a Spit.
So what on earth is it? I am extremely puzzled.
(☆ ps my point about AD half-wing badges being worn on RAF/ROC uniform, on the shoulder....they're not meant to be, as many of you will already know. I've just been reading on the forum about that fascinating odd example of an AD wing badge having been found, made as a bullion RAF No5 mess brevet.....could
this WW2/pre-1950s Observer have been AD-qualified through previous service, been told he was not allowed to wear his AD half-wing.....so got a privately-made badge that was worn as some kind of a hybrid Master Observer-cum-Air-Dispatcher....? A real mystery- which I hope someone here can help solve)