RAF Apprentice's modified badge.

[High Wood]

I bought this RAF apprentice's badge this morning as I was rather taken with the unusual modification which must have cost the apprentice at least a ha'penny.

[leigh kitchen]

An interesting backing plate.
I have a pair of the Apprentice made badges but their backings are round discs of the brown bakelite or plastic type of sheeting found in ammunition boxes.

[dragon166]

We used to do this to the badges we wore on battledress so that they could be more easily cleaned. On No1 we still sewed them on. If I remember correctly the screw used was 8BA and were converted during our workshop training with full collusion of the instructors. The backing disk was usually made of aluminium sheet or a piece of "Paxolin" as used for circuit boards. The same instructors always tried to obtain the odd wheel or two. They would remove the prop from the wheel to use on Mess Dress of a male Chief Technician (Chf Tech). As an aside, the whole badge was used by the WRAF Chf Tech as a rank badge on the old Hartnell Mess Dress.

[High Wood]

Many thanks for the information.

[leigh kitchen]

So this red backing is Paxolin then?
Better to use this or aluminium sheet than misuse beer tokens as backings.

[dragon166]

Your badges appear to be quite old and have been heavily polished on the front obliterating the pebble dash pattern and raised edge. The screws look as they are brazed rather then tapped like the first post. The backing of yours appears to be a type of fibreboard not "Paxolin". Paxolin is a resin and linen concoction and the fibres of the linen would show at the edge.

[leigh kitchen]

Ta, the screw fittings are visible in the centre, from the he front.
The backing looks like the material found in ammo boxes and that I used as a beret badge backing in the early 70's.