44th & 50th Royal Tank Regiments

Good Morning Members,
Can anyone help me with an image of a colour plate from the History of the Royal Tank Regiment book, by George Forty please?
I'm looking to view the epaulettes slide colours for two converted RTR units from Infantry battalions, and I am told these are shown in the colour section in the middle of the book.
I'm interested in the eppaulette slide colours of the 44th and 50th, descended from the Gloucestershire Regiment. I believe the 44th were yellow/mauve and the 50th were black/green/black.
As a former Infanteer I'm confused with different reports. One says the 44th continued to wear Glosters badges on a black beret but another source says they definately wore RTR badges. Also, one source states the 44th wore a red/yellow slide with the word GLOSTERS embroidered on it. But another source say the slides had a yellow/mauve strip at the bottom. Help 🤔⁉️
Thank you.
Ken 👍

[leigh kitchen]

I've seen photos of 44 RTR men wearing RTR badges, I can't remember where though........

On this site, about half way down the page. I remember the photo because of the "Goliath's".
http://www.desertrats.org.uk/bde/4thABartefacts2.htm

[Wmr-RHB]

According to G.L.D. Alderson's Cap-Badges of the British Army 1939-45, the 44th was converted from the 6 Bn early in 1938 and changed to RTC (from 1939 RTR) badges.

The 50th was not really converted from infantry as it was the result of the doubling of the 44th in 1939. I assume they also wore the same as their 44th original.

Henk, Got all that. Thank you. ��

[Alan O]

There were at least some converted regts that wore both their original infantry badges and later RTC badges so both reports on the 44th's badge could be correct.

The Yeomanry did the opposite and many gave up their RTC or RA badges that they had worn since conversion in the 1920's and readopted the 1908 pattern yeomanry badges in 1943/44.

[rac1944]

Ken,
The colour plate you refer to is of the old wooden boards held at the Tank Museum with painted colours against each regiment, they are well known to contain errors so if you do ever see it, treat with caution. The best source for these colours is Tanks Again or Militaria Magazine No 257, naturally for copyright reasons I can't post from these. Tanks Again points out the pitfalls of this subject and 44RTR are amongst those with differently reported colours. One difficulty with the RTR colours is a major source is a post-war ACI.

The colour orders are yellow over red-brown (maroon) for 44 RTR, the photos on the page Leigh has linked to definitely show the brighter colour as the upper one. They defintely wore the RTR cap badge, for the RTR regiments raised from infantry roots the cap badge was always RTR unlike the RAC infantry converted regiments some of which did wear the badge of their infantry parent. Nothing in 44 RTR's history makes any mention of wearing anything relating to the Glosters.

50RTR's history doesn't mention the slip-on colours but there is a good photo on p206 showing men in KD with the black/green/black slips, the green shows quite bright in the b/w photo.
John

Thank you for the info Alan. I've now got pictures of 44th Tank men wearing Glosters and RTR badges. I'm just wondering that if upon amalgamation the chaps clung onto (?) their Glosters roots (?) but later fully adopted RTR badges/Insignia.
A good December 1945 picture I've been given shows men of the 44th in BD's and all are wearing RTC cap badges.
Very interestingly, the image shows NO cloth curved RAC shoulder titles being worn, but all the chaps are wearing the yellow/mauve eppaulette slides and the Desert Rats formation cloth badge with a RAC AOS below it and a cloth (WWI) cloth tank below that on both arms of their BD jackets.
I haven't mastered how to post pictures/images on here yet, but if anyone wants to email me I can show you the colour images I have. Again, thank you so much for helping me. Very much appreciated. ��

Leigh, very many thanks for that. Really appreciate your kind help. ��