Cloth badge on WW1 Soldier

[badger123]

Anyone any idea what this cloth title is on this soldier? It looks like a cross but maybe it has a crown? I'm not sure.

The soldier is 11424 Pte William Thompson of A Coy 7th Battalion Y&L. He is believed to have been a pioneer but also has crossed flags badge on his arm.

Many thanks, Ivan

[leigh kitchen]

24 Div wore a system of battle patches (which included a cross - 2nd senior bde) in different shapes and colours to indicate brigade and battalion and small symbols above those insignia to indicate company.

[Postwarden]

According to the Imperial War Museum's records the 7th (Service) Battalion (Pioneers), The York and Lancaster Regiment serving as Pioneers to 17th Division wore a red and black cloth diagonal cross made of two strips of cloth 2inches by ½ inch with the black superimosed on the red. Worn at the top of both sleeves 1” below the shoulder seams. Adopted for wear for the opening of the Battle of the Somme 1/7/16.


Jon

[badger123]

Fantastic Jon, thanks for that.

Ivan

[peter monahan]

And the crossed flags on his lower sleeve are a 'trade badge', indicating that he was qaulified as a signaller, using semaphore flags for communicating messages over a distance, a useful trade in a pioneer. Below is an example of a WWI cloth signaller's badge. They also came in brass, which the one in the photo may be.