Help needed with pith flashes

[GatinhoDeGato123]

Greetings all, I'm already 50% sure about this subject, but to confirm it, I thought I'd ask it here anyway. Did South African pith helmets have their regimental flashes on both the left and right side of the pith?

[Milmed]

Yes according to Dress Regulations, worn on both sides of helmet.
Also worn on slouch hats but only on one side (turned up side)

[GatinhoDeGato123]

Many thanks!

[DM1968]

I would like to ask a follow-up question on this subject as I am doing research on South African units in German East Africa in WWI.

First of all, I wondered if anyone is an expert on the colour schemes of South African helmet flashes. I am looking at the 5th South African Infantry, and the Osprey book on this theatre (Armies in East Africa 1914–18) lists 5SAI as having a green and white diamond flash. I have seen other online sources claiming it was blue and white.

Secondly, was the arrangement of the colours on a helmet flash reversed for the other side of the helmet. In other words, would this flash always have the green (or blue) section of the diamond to the front of the helmet, or would it be shown in the same arrangement regardless of which side it was on?

I understand that this is a very picky question, but I want to get the details right if at all possible. I have written to the Ditsong Museum of Military History but I haven't heard back. I will post here if I get a reply, but in the meantime, if anyone has any insight I would be very grateful!

[Brian Conyngham]

Originally Posted by DM1968

I would like to ask a follow-up question on this subject as I am doing research on South African units in German East Africa in WWI.

First of all, I wondered if anyone is an expert on the colour schemes of South African helmet flashes. I am looking at the 5th South African Infantry, and the Osprey book on this theatre (Armies in East Africa 1914–18) lists 5SAI as having a green and white diamond flash. I have seen other online sources claiming it was blue and white.

Secondly, was the arrangement of the colours on a helmet flash reversed for the other side of the helmet. In other words, would this flash always have the green (or blue) section of the diamond to the front of the helmet, or would it be shown in the same arrangement regardless of which side it was on?

I understand that this is a very picky question, but I want to get the details right if at all possible. I have written to the Ditsong Museum of Military History but I haven't heard back. I will post here if I get a reply, but in the meantime, if anyone has any insight I would be very grateful!

Hi

I have a set of mint helmet flashes to the Railway Brigade WW2 and they are definitely reversed. So I take it that if they were different ( colours being vertical) they would be reversed and that is if the colours were Horizontal (many were) they are not different, I hope this makes sense?

There are detailed sheets regarding the helmet flashes on here somewhere, one of the members Darryl Wall compiled detailed sheets for his many publications.

Hope this helps a little?

Regards
Brian

[Brian Conyngham]

Here is a link:

This should help with Rhodesian flashes..

https://www.britishbadgeforum.com/fo...helmet+flashes

Some South African flashes.

https://www.britishbadgeforum.com/fo...p?albumid=2704

[DM1968]

Thanks for those very helpful replies. I have also dug something up since posting my question a few days ago. A site called The War Store has a listing for a 5SAI helmet flash as worn in the German East African campaign. It is mounted on a leather backing with a safety pin, so it would have been easy to reverse the alignment of the colours depending on which side of the helmet it was placed. It is also clearly green.


5SAI_Flash_front.jpg

5SAI_Flash_back.jpg

[GatinhoDeGato123]

Since I've got another question related to pith helmet flashes, what were the colours of the Kaffrarian Rifles pith helmet flash?

[Madziro]

This may help. The one is a supplement to the old Commando magazine and was drawn up by Dr Curson who wrote several books on insignia in the 1950s - 1960s. There is another one on the helmet flashes of the inter war and WW2 period. The second attachment is of the SAI badges in the collection with drawings of each flash.

[GatinhoDeGato123]

Unfortunately not very much, seeing as how it only shows the shoulder patch of the Kaffrarian Rifles, rather than the pith flash.

[Madziro]

They are all pith helmet flashes. (As per the heading of the poster)!

[GatinhoDeGato123]

Even if that is the case, it has the word 'shoulder' above it eitherway. Besides, I have seen it worn as shoulder flashes on some uniforms, albeit that none of them were from the second world war. I've also attached a picture below of what is also supposedly the pith flash of the Kaffrarian Rifles.