East Africa Command formation sign design change

[Chacal]

Can anyone tell me when the East Africa Command formation sign changed from crossed pangas on a green rectangle (A), to crossed pangas on a red disc bordered black on a green square (B)?

As always I'll be very grateful for any information.

All the best

Graham

[lettman]

As no one has yet replied I'll put in my two cents' worth: according to Jon Mills' vol.2, sign B was introduced in 1951. There seems to be doubt as to whether sign A was ever made or worn.

[Chacal]

Originally Posted by lettman

As no one has yet replied I'll put in my two cents' worth: according to Jon Mills' vol.2, sign B was introduced in 1951. There seems to be doubt as to whether sign A was ever made or worn.

Thank you, that's perfect, just what I needed to know. So it existed on paper - signs, vehicles etc., but probably not as a physical badge.

Thanks again

Graham

[Mike Jackson]

"Badges on Battledress"(Lt Col Howard N Cole) 3rd Edition August 1953 states that "this" (ie the East Africa Command sign - scarlet circle surrounded by black ring set on a khaki square etc etc) was "similar to the war-time badge of the Command. which was crossed pangas on a bright green background." My comment: Unfortunately, this neither confirms nor denies that the first pattern sign was worn on uniform.

[mike_vee]

The scarlet/red badge is described on numerous dealer sites as WW2 , some even quote Jon's book :

This is a WW2 printed cloth formation sign badge to the East Africa Command (Jon Mills BoBD 4872)

What is confusing is that he states the badge was introduced in 1951 (source ?) yet the East Africa Command was formed on 15 Sept. 1941 so what patch did they wear in the interim ?

An auction sale on 24th April 2018 of "The Professor Charles Thomas Collection" includes a lot "Insignia of East African Colonial Forces" (which sold for £1000) which has "two formation signs of the East Africa Command" . The description of the formation signs may have been taken from Cole's book (see photo).

https://www.olympiaauctions.com/sale...18/view-lot/8/

Is it possible that the green badge was worn (or produced for) the "East Africa Force" from July 1940 until the East Africa Command was oficially formed in September 1941 ?

Interestingly , a lot of 'reference' sites show the square green formation sign for the East Africa Command .

.

[Postwarden]

From my book Badges on Battle Dress

Jon

When HQ East African Command asked the War Office in June 1951 if it had a sealed pattern of the Command’s formation badge, they were informed that no record could be found of an authorised sign although a schedule of signs used by subordinate formations of GHQ Middle East received eighteen months earlier had included a drawing taken from the Command notepaper of ‘a scarlet circle surrounded by a black ring, within the circle a pair of pangas or African matchets, crossed left over right, each with silver blades and black handles’. In use on the Command’s notepaper ‘and, it is assumed being worn by HQ personnel’, the War Office agreed to this design becoming the Command’s official badge. Although an order for 50,000 pairs was placed with Calico Printers on 10th September 1951, embroidered versions of the Command sign were also worn, a sign with the crossed pangas on a red shield-shaped background was recorded worn before the introduction of the official Calico sign.