Helmet flash ID

[Alex Rice]

Hi All
Can anyone ID this helmet flash please? Orange-brown-black.
Thanks, cheers,
Alex

[Milmed]

Hi Alex,
Assuming it is South African, I can suggest it belongs to one of the ACF units.

Helmet flashes to ACF units were made up of the top half in the colour of the Province (Red for Cape, Green for Transvaal, Blue for Natal) and bottom half black for Infantry and grey For Mounted troops. These units were then allowed to add a central colour/colours between the upper and lower half of the flash but the central portion could not be more than 1/3rd of the design.

So this could be a Cape based ACF Infantry unit. Cannot pinpoint which unit the brown represents though. You can see similar flashes for Kimberley Regt. having a white central portion and PAG having central portion made of alternating red and black stripes.

Maybe looking at other Cape ACF Infantry unit colours in the SADF era may indicate which unit this flash belongs to.

Regards
Steven

[Alex Rice]

Hi Steven
Thanks, that sounds very probable. I wouldn't know where to start to look for ACF colours though
It was pinned to a Kimberley Regiment badge I just got, so maybe a unit based in that area?
Cheers,
Alex

[Arthur R]

If it's South African, and is orange rather than red, it would indicate an OFS regiment. There weren't many : only Regiments De Wet, Louw Wepener and President Steyn, and this doesn't match their flashes. RDW was orange over black, RLW was black over orange, and RPS was orange / white with a black triangle / black.

The proportions don't look right for a SA flash, though. The correct size was 2" x 3".

It could, of course, be a home-made and inaccurate Kim R flash, using orange fabric instead of red, and brown instead of buff.

[Alex Rice]

Hi Arthur
The proportions for this are not quite 2" x 3", it's a few mm's short on each side, though that might just be shrinkage.
Cheers,
Alex

[milhistry]

Could it maybe be a Kafferarian Rifles or First City flash that has faded in the sun?