Issue of badges

[fougasse1940]

Hi,

What were the official regulations regarding the issue and property of cap and collar badges during WWII?
Were there any changes in these regulations pre- or post-war?
When were badges issued? Upon joining your regiment? By whom?
Officers private purchase, were there any guidelines?
How many badges per soldier?
What if you lost your badge(s)?
Were they Govt. property?
If so, were you allowed to keep them upon leaving the Army?
It would be interesting to gain some general background info on badges.

Regards,
fougasse1940.

[Jibba Jabba]

I`m afraid I cannot give you anything official but I do know that in the inter-war period all territorial soldiers had to buy their cap badges. Most soldiers did keep the cap badges they purchased.

[Alan O]

In answer to your questions:
1. yes there were. The Army Orders listed the decisions of the Army's Dress Committee and authorised the production and issue of officially approved badges. The AOs are often quoted to give the date of the decision. These were often ignored by units who wore their own badges, differnt patterns, old designs etc.
2. The regulations changed continually but some regiments wore the same badge from 1901-53 (and even later) but others changed them with change of headgear demanding a smaller badge, or change of regimental title or on amlgamation or just becasue the regt wanted a new badge.
3. Yes issued by the QM but some regts decided to wear non issue ones and made soldiers buy their own. At the outset the TF did buy their own badges.
4. Officer sprivate purchase were provided by Regtly approved outfitters and I am sure that the Adjt would inspect the new subalterns!
5. I would imagine 2 badges per solider but it could have been 3 or more if you had different headgear.
6. If you lost it the QM would bill you or you could buy your own from the NAAFI or shop.
7. Tecnically the WD's property but I doubt that many soldiers left the Army without a keepsake.

Hope that is a start.
Alan

[fougasse1940]

Hi Alan,
Yes its a start. Any forum members with access to those AO's and or ACI's?
Surely 2 or more badges must have been regulated somewhere.

fougasse1940.

[KLR]

The number of badges allocated to other ranks were usually noted in the Vocabulary of Clothing and Necessaries. They also gave the catalogue numbers (as CB xxx from 1933). The official patterns were recorded in the Army Clothing Dept records (avaliable at Kew), from then there was a series called List of Changes (available at the NA in Leeds - I've yet to see them). From about 1946 there was the CCN - Catalogue of C & N.
and after 1958 I lose interest so others will have to tell you what the regs were (though CCN continued at least into the 1908s).
Individually, you might find more things like battalion / regimental / corps Standing Orders from the regimental museums.
There are also minutes of the post war Dress Committee meetings at Kew (hundreds of them ! - WO 32/) that Alan mentioned.