R M SOUTH AFRICAN SHOULDER SLIP ON

[actionoke]

I picked this up and would like clarity on it.Is it a RM slip on with a RM orange strip or a South African who was serving with the RM during WW2.I think the latter but someone told me the RM had strips of colour for unit markings?

[Milmed]

PM sent

[Ray6930]

Hi
I've never seen this sort of shoulder title/epaulette for Royal Marines - and as a former Bootneck collecting RM badges, would love to know if you learn anything to indicate that it is actually related to Royal Marines.

I know there was colour (geometric designs/colours) used for Iceland and I think in some of the other WWII units but these were worn on the arm. I've not heard of WWII colourings on the shoulder.

As I say, if you learn more then please post it or PM me as you've spiked my curiosity now
Yours Aye
Ray

[stonehouse boy]

In the book The Royal Marines 1939-93 No 57 Osprey Military.
It states this shoulder strap was worn by 45 Cdo RM in 1944.

John

[Sunray9]

There was a Lieutenant T. Thomas SAUDF serving with 45 Commando RM in Europe ...wounded and went on to receive an MC.

Ritchie.

[Postwarden]

Back in the 1970s the Royal Marine collector and ex-Royal John Bailey produced a guide to RM insignia which included as his black and white Fig 18 an illustration of an orange braid epaulette slip-on which he identified as 'Worn by officers seconded to the Royal Marines from the Union of South Africa Defence Forces2.

Colour is a problem with all cloth badges but for comparison I attach two South African coloured tape examples.

Jon

[Postwarden]

Probably not associated with 45 RM as they did not serve in a khaki drill-wearing area, their service confined to UK and NW Europe..

Jon

[milhistry]

About 70 or so South African Officers were seconded to the RM during the Second World War. Generally (not always the case), personnel seconded to the British Forces from the South African Forces, continued to wear their South African uniform e.g. seconded air force officers wore SAAF uniform while serving in the RAF (those who joined the British Forces direct wore Brit uniform and often with 'South Africa' nationality titles). As South Africa did not have marines of their own at the time officers seconded to the Royal Marines wore RM uniform. There is a photograph in a South African Militaria magazine of Captain McKay MC wearing RM blue uniform. Unfortunately the picture is cropped to exclude the shoulder seam but it looks as though a small triangle of 'orange' flash may just be visible.

[Arthur R]

Originally Posted by milhistry

There is a photograph in a South African Militaria magazine of Captain McKay MC wearing RM blue uniform. Unfortunately the picture is cropped to exclude the shoulder seam but it looks as though a small triangle of 'orange' flash may just be visible.

An uncropped copy of this photo appears in the SA Naval Museum booklet 'The South African Naval Forces in World War 2 : 1939-1945'. It shows that Capt McKay was wearing a metal 'RM' shoulder title pinned onto a strip of cloth across the end of the shoulder strap.

[milhistry]

Thanks! After a bit of searching I found my copy of that little booklet. He is clearly wearing the orange/red tab under his RMs.