ww2 Side Cap grenade badge

[MarleyManUK]

Wondered if anybody could offer me some help here please. Both My Grandad and my Aunts Dad were in the Royal Artillery during ww2.

Now my Grandad was on LAA and my aunts dad was on howitser;s 5 1/2" i think.

Both of these photos show them with the grenade cap badge.





My questions are :-

1) would this badge be a cloth version, it looks like it too me on the bigger picture, (because of the dark backing around the badge) however i can only find reference to "officers" having cloth badges, and neither were officers .

2) if not cloth would it in your opinion be the brass one or the brown plastic one ?

I obviously know i would have ubique at the bottom. However seen another post elsewhere in this forum about number of flames on top of grenade means different things.

Many thanks for any help you can offer.

[oc14]

The illustration shows a common or garden brass RA grenade collar badge on a cloth backing (almost certainly red) worn as a cap badge on the cap GS

OC14

[dak580]

G’day

Both badges look like brass on a cloth backing neither look plastic to me as they would have shown up black on the picture.

With the introduction of the beret as a general form of headwear it was found the old gun cap badge was too big so they wore the collar badge instead. The small beret gun badge didn’t come out until after the war.

Cheers
John

[MarleyManUK]

thanks guys i appreciate your help, would there be any difference between this badge and any other version ? you say "collar badge" which is throwing me off a bit.

thanks

[BWEF]

Originally Posted by MarleyManUK

thanks guys i appreciate your help, would there be any difference between this badge and any other version ? you say "collar badge" which is throwing me off a bit.

thanks

It was a standard Royal Artillery "flaming grenade" collar badge. Worn because, as Dak says, the Royal Artillery cap badge was thought too big.

The plastic badge was an economy measure introduced later in the war, and is exactly the same ex collar badge, but made of dark chocolate coloured "bakerlite" - I know the spelling on that is wrong.

After the war smaller sized Royal Artillery gun type badges were made for wear on the beret.

[Peter Brydon]

Another R.A. " collar" badge being worn as a cap badge this time on a TOS and being worn on forbes tartan backing by the BSM of the 655th LAA/SL Bn.

P.B.

[badjez]

A little bit of detail:
On 09.06.41. the WO sent a telegram to all Commands 'RA cap badge will be of the 'grenade' type. Collar badge (Catalogue CB 0520) will be utilised for this service. Cap badges of the 'gun' type (Catalogue CB 0289) already in possession will continue to be worn until unserviceable, and no complete change over by units to the new badge will be permitted. No objections will be raised to both types of badge being worn in any one unit.'
This was followed on 26.06.41. when Army Orders refers to above, permitting retention of 'gun' badge for horsed units wearing 'Cap SD Stiff'.

Hope this helps. Stephen.

[MarleyManUK]

thank you guys very much for the information, it has answered the question I had.

oc14 you said that it was cloth backing almost certainly red, have you got anymore information on this ?

many thanks again guys

[Op-Ack]

MarleyManUK

See 54Bty album at this link http://www.britishbadgeforum.com/for...hp?albumid=102

Good colour picture of this badge on the first page.

Phil

[MarleyManUK]

A Gilt and Silver Royal Artillery grenade worn by Officers on the Khaki General Service Cap

Thank you mate, helps alot, is the red a general RA thing, is there any specific colours to various regiments, brigades and stuff, and is that why you say its more than likely red ?

if that does not make sense lol, i mean - my grandad was Royal Artillery, Light Anti Aircraft battery. Would this have been anything different or would it be red cos of RA ?

i gather thats an officers one because the bottom bit is silver ? the one i have is all gilt ?

many thanks again and sorry for all the questions lol