New SANDF Inf Badge

[Brian Conyngham]

Guys

This is the "new" SANDF Infantry badge, that I believe will eventually replace all Infantry related regimental badges country wide.

Brian

[rockape560]

hi bryan,

just wondered if the SANDF did away with the SADF regimental arm shields system when the new uniform was brought in and were new regiments formed

philip

[Milmed]

Thanks for posting this Brian,
They have been wearing this for a number of years already, but I am not sure when they started. There is also lucite covered collar badges for wear on ceremonial dress. I had a pair of these and passed them onto George English about four years ago.

Steven

[Brian Conyngham]

Steven

I have not been able to get a decent pic until yesterday. I know there was a recent discussion here regards the demise of the "old Colonial" badge system to be replaced with a common badge, and decided to post this example as it is very clear.

For me it is an ugly badge, not much thought has gone into this sadly. How the various units are going to be distinguised from each other is a mystery?

Philip... the "arm shields" or flashes as we called them, were basically a replacement for shoulder titles. Cannot honestly say why/when they were removed from the uniform, I will have a chap with a retired senior NCO who was in the Permanent Force. He is very knowledgeable regards uniform details as worn by the SADF and early SANDF era.

Brian

[Frank Kelley]

That is not good Brian, so is it the way forward? I suppose it might save a bit of money, it does nothing for me I'm afraid.

Originally Posted by Brian Conyngham

Guys

This is the "new" SANDF Infantry badge, that I believe will eventually replace all Infantry related regimental badges country wide.

Brian

[craigen]

Hi All

When the new(ish) Infantry badge was designed a few years ago, it was already being proposed as the replacement for all Infantry badges. I suspect that was delayed by a combination of resistance from many serving members (permanent and part-time) and budgetary constraints.

Love it or hate it, a number of the badges designed and worn before 1994 were not much better conceived in my opinion.

Flashes were not actually done away with (unless it happened very recently); they are still worn by unit "top 5" (or top 4?) but only with step-out dress, although some units did run out of supplies at times and so might have effectively stopped wearing them. Senior unit staff have been known to borrow flashes for special occasions or otherwise improvise, leading to some very non-regulation but generally unnoticed or ignored flashes in use at times.

The only 'flashes' worn with field dress are the SA flag and, for medics deployed outside SA, the red cross on white field. Also, 7 Med had or have a shield embroidered on the breasts of their jump suits as far as I know, which might qualify but I don't know if that is official service dress.

Regards
Craig