Sherwood Foresters

[Postwarden]

From 1935 as Britain's Anti-Aircraft defences were strengthened, large numbers of infantry battalions were converted to Searchlight Regiments of the Royal Engineers or Anti-Aircraft Regiments of the Royal Artillery.

If they wished these converted regiments were permitted under the terms of Army Council Instruction 2 of 1937 to retain their original cap badges but wear the collar badges of their new arm.

The first photo shows a soldier wearing the cap badge of the Sherwood foresters but the collar badges of the Royal Engineers. Both the regiment's 6th Battalion based in Derbyshire and its 7th (Robin Hood Rifles) Battalion based in Nottinghamshire were converted, the 6th as 40th SL Regt, the 7th as the 42nd. The second photo shows a soldier of the former 10th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (3rd City of London) converted to 69th SL Regiment.

Does any one else have similarly badged photos for other ex-infantry units that they'd care to share?

Jon

[badger123]

I believe I have (somewhere) a photograph of the 5th Bn York and Lancs from 1936 when they converted to 67th Heavy Anti Aircraft Artillery Regiment.

I recall they had RA collar badges and York and Lancs cap badges.

I'll try and dig it out.

Ivan