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  #1  
Old 07-07-16, 09:51 PM
RTP RTP is offline
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Default Blackadder - Upper Arm Sleeve Insignia/Patch identification?

Hi all,



First time posting - hopefully some one can help me out identifying this as I'm very much the novice!



In Blackadder goes Forth, which I imagine a lot of us have seen - in most episodes when Captain Blackadder and Private Baldrick are wearing their army issue uniform jackets - they bare a
"red I (capital i)"
insignia on their upper arm/shoulder sleeve. It's a sewn-on patch (see photos, below).



Because I'm new to this, I've been trying my best to research what this signifies online and in books, but without the correct lingo sometimes it's hard to define.

From my muddled stumblings - I believe it to perhaps be a Divisional/Battalion patch, or flash - signifying perhaps what Division/Battalion the boys are supposed to be in on the show.



However - it'd be great if someone with much better knowledge of this than I, could please tell me;



1) What the patch is supposed to signify - their division, brigade, something else entirely? etc



2) Is it a fictional patch, made up for the show, or does it actually represent a real-world something (e.g. an actual ww1 division)



3) Once clarified what it defines, it would be great to see other real-world alternatives to this patch (e.g. other variations, other divisional badges) that would be used on this location on the upper arm sleeve




Thanks for baring with me!









Rich
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  #2  
Old 08-07-16, 09:41 AM
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manchesters manchesters is offline
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You are correct in what you believe it to be.
It is though a fictional representation like their cap badges.

regards
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  #3  
Old 08-07-16, 02:50 PM
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thanks for your response.

Out of curiosity - where would the best place to look for a list/images of actual Battalion badges used during WW1.

And do you know if these badges/patches were always placed on that location of the arm - and if it was common practice to do so in the British army during WW1?

Thanks again for your help,

R
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Old 08-07-16, 08:28 PM
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grey_green_acorn grey_green_acorn is online now
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RTP View Post
thanks for your response.

Out of curiosity - where would the best place to look for a list/images of actual Battalion badges used during WW1.

And do you know if these badges/patches were always placed on that location of the arm - and if it was common practice to do so in the British army during WW1?

Thanks again for your help,

R
Look out for a copy of Osprey Men at Arms 182 - British Battle Insignia (1) 1914-18 by Mike Chappell.
Cloth battle insignia was worn on both uniform sleeves, shoulder straps and the back of the neck and also painted on helmets.

Tim
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File Type: jpg osprey bbi.jpg (12.2 KB, 7 views)
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Last edited by grey_green_acorn; 08-07-16 at 08:51 PM.
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Old 08-07-16, 08:35 PM
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Peter Brydon Peter Brydon is offline
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Rich,

I see you are a member of the Great War Forum, some good illustrations of cloth insignia in this thread there:

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/fo...signia/&page=6

P.B.
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