Royal Engineers Mystery Battledress

[Postwarden]

I have recently acquired the 1949 battledress shown which is badged to a Royal Engineers Staff Sgt serving with the Territorial 42nd Division.

All the badges are as expected except for the yellow braid stripes sewn to each side of the pocket creases. They appear to be contemporary with the jacket and are of similar woven braid to that used for coloured shoulder slip-ons.

I can think of no reason for them to be there nor anything they could represent. Anyone got any ideas?

Jon

[peter monahan]

No, but I recall years ago reading a memoir in which a serviceman told of some of his comrades who wore a white or yellow flash on their head gear [can't recall which] and he and his mates told the local lasses it meant they had VD! Great hilarity all round.

Some kind of instructor's identifying mark? Certainly not something I'd want to wear on active service!

[JerryBB]

I noticed this for sale and I wondered as to the significance of the stripes. Hopefully someone can answer your question and my curiosity.

[54Bty]

Curious. As the colour yellow is (was) connected to the Chemical side of NBC Defence (Warfare), possibly to show the wearer is an instructor in Chemical Defence.

Marc

[Mike Jackson]

In the late 1950s and early 1960s many TA units had to do a Civil Defence Annual Camp rather than a conventional military Camp one year in three. I attended one at a large Civil Defence training centre at Millom, Cumberland. Could the BD have been adorned with, in this case, two yellow stripes to replicate a CD rank badge in order to allow members of CD to understand that an Army SNCO had an equivalent CD status? Mike

[Postwarden]

Gentlemen,

Thanks for your thoughts. It looks like this may go into the enduring mysteries file.

Jon

[Unknownsoldier]

Any further thoughts on this?

[fusilier27]

I attended a camp at Millom with the %th BN inniskillings the Sussex where also there