Question re the WRAC

[Home Guard]

Does anyone know how long or when the WRAC wore the WRAC red tear drop behind their cap badge? Did they just wear it on the beret or on the cap too?

Thanks,

Terry

[Expat Yeoman]

For what it is worth, the WRAC in my unit (Signals) wore the tear drop on beret only.

I can't help re dates, sorry.

EY

[Home Guard]

EY,

Many thnaks, as that certainly helps!!! Did they wear the standard cap badge on the beret as well, or was there a special cap badge made for the beret?

Terry

[Expat Yeoman]

No worries.

They wore the same badge in both types of headdress.

M

[grey_green_acorn]

This sealed pattern is dated 1980 with a contemporary pattern number. However I suspect this is a redesign perhaps to simplify manufacture, as I believe the teardrop backing was worn on the beret long before.

Tim

[grey_green_acorn]

Here is a recruiting poster for WRAC Territorial Army from the 1950s.

Tim

[grey_green_acorn]

Another poster from the mid 1960s, again showing the backing.

Tim

[leigh kitchen]

I have a WRAC officers' 1950's or 60's dated beret which has the St Edwards Crown bullion badge without the beech brown backing - was this the norm for officers?
I've seen photos of WRAC OR's wearing their green beret's GS Cap type predecessor without the brown backing.
Was the brown backing always worn on the beret and if so, was it worn by all ranks?

[oc14]

The beech brown teardrop was only worn by ORs and was worn up until the WRAC was disbanded and all its members were absorbed into the relevant regiment or Corps for their trade group. As far as I know all WRAC soldiers wore the rifle green beret as their “working dress” headgear.
PL

[leigh kitchen]

Thanks for that info.

[Home Guard]

Thank you all VERY much. This is a big help for me!!!

Terry

[leigh kitchen]

Originally Posted by Home Guard

EY,

Many thnaks, as that certainly helps!!! Did they wear the standard cap badge on the beret as well, or was there a special cap badge made for the beret?

Terry

I think that in a sense there may have been a "special" beret badge.
The Kings Crown badge was lugged, the St Eds Crown slidered, the slider not piercing the lining of the beret and thereby not catching in the wearer's hair.

There is a thread on the forum that shows a Kings Crown badge with slider - it may he unconnected with the badge fittings catching in hair issue but perhaps the problem was recognised and the fittings changed because of the beret coming in to wear?

(Edit to add that a 1963 dated beret with beech brown backing that I have also has a King's Crown slidered bimetal badge).

[grey_green_acorn]

Here is my theory regarding the beech brown tear drop badge backing worn on the beret by other ranks of the Women’s Royal Army Corps (WRAC) from the early 1950s to 1992.

At some point in the early years following the formation of the WRAC (1949) a green beret, unique to the WRAC, was issued with the badge backing already sewn on. The beech brown Melton cloth badge backing was itself backed with thick hessian and had a slider pocket sewn-in. This was because the unique WRAC issued beret was made either unlined and/or without a built in leather slider pocket. Officers of course would have purchased their berets and bullion badges from military tailors shops.
In early 1980 it was realised that the colour of the WRAC beret was “Rifle Green” and the same as the beret worn by the Light Infantry and the Royal Green Jackets which was then issued to the WRAC with the unique WRAC beret discontinued. The issued Rifle Green beret now required the beech brown badge backing hence its introduction with a Sealed Pattern in July 1980 (see post 3 above and example below).

Tim

[leigh kitchen]

I can see that - took 30 years before the penny dropped.......

[Home Guard]

Again, more valuable information. Let me then ask would I want to have a teardrop behind my collection of WRAC cap badges, or just the A/A ones maybe?

Again just wanting to set up my displays as correctly as possible.

Thanks again,

Terry