17/21 Lancers shoulder titles - British & Commonwealth Military Badge Forum

loupie1961 · #1 17-10-09, 02:06 PM

A question concerning the shoulder titles worn by the 17/21st Lancers during WWII: I'm quite sure that they should have worn the brass shoulder straps titles, but are the arc cloth titles definitively postwar, or is there any evidence of their being worn 1939-45? Thnak you in advance for your help!

loupie1961 · #2 19-10-09, 12:57 PM

No replies? My sources are quite confused over this issue: Brain Jewell in his Osprey Men at Arms British Battle Dress 1937-61 states that "regular cavalry regiment were not immune [to the use of arc titles]; the 17/21st Lancers wore white-on-black '17/21st Lancers' titles". Brian Davis in British Army Uniforms & Insignia of World War Two leaves the question open, stating that there would be no sense in trying to put together a list of the regiments adhering to an unofficial practice, and provides evidences only of Guards regiments having adopted arc titles.... maybe Erracht could help here?

fearnaught · #3 19-10-09, 07:23 PM

Hi, the only uniforms I've seen with these titles were post-war. I'm off for a while but when I get back I'll try and find one and see what date it was. Mike

rboorman · #4 22-10-09, 05:52 PM

contact HHQ The Queen's Royal Lancers [inc 17/21l]. Location via a google search.

loupie1961 · #5 26-10-09, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rboorman

contact HHQ The Queen's Royal Lancers [inc 17/21l]. Location via a google search.

thank you for your advice! I've just sent an email to the QRL Museum curator but on the web pages of the Museum there's a pic of a BD badged to a Corporal of the 17/21st Lancers complete with... white on black cloth arc shoulder titles! Not much of an evidence, possibly, but if this is regarded as a WWII artifact by the QRL museum, who am I to disagree?

http://www.qrlassociation.co.uk/m_tour7.htm

3748 Hussar · #6 26-10-09, 06:17 PM

hi loupie,

I am not 100 % sure if the cloth shoulder titles were worn by the Lancers during WWII . See attached collection with BD Slip on.

3748 Hussar

Quote:

Originally Posted by loupie1961

thank you for your advice! I've just sent an email to the QRL Museum curator but on the web pages of the Museum there's a pic of a BD badged to a Corporal of the 17/21st Lancers complete with... white on black cloth arc shoulder titles! Not much of an evidence, possibly, but if this is regarded as a WWII artifact by the QRL museum, who am I to disagree?

http://www.qrlassociation.co.uk/m_tour7.htm

loupie1961 · #7 27-10-09, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3748 Hussar

hi loupie,

I am not 100 % sure if the cloth shoulder titles were worn by the Lancers during WWII . See attached collection with BD Slip on.

3748 Hussar

I agree with you, Hussar, and this is exactly what I thought, also, but if you give a look to the pic, taken form the QRL Museum website, you'll find what is supposedly a WWII BD with cloth arc titles... in any case, I'm still waiting for new from the museum's curator....

loupie1961 · #8 29-10-09, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rboorman

contact HHQ The Queen's Royal Lancers [inc 17/21l]. Location via a google search.

and this is the reply I've just obtained form the QRL museum:

Thank you for your email. Captain (Retired) J.M. Holtby, our Curator, confirms that the 17th/21st wore the shoulder titles you mention during the Second World War and we have examples of them in the Museum collection.

Best wishes, David Nalson, Volunteer