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  #1  
Old 14-12-09, 10:27 PM
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Cool Cooks or Cyclists?

About twenty or so years ago, a lot of shoulder titles appeared on the collectors market with the letters "ACC", these were quite large and were attributed to the Army Catering Corps which was formed in 1941. They were to my mind genuine, probably originating from a store where they had been languishing for years.

I have just received a collection of various badges, cap, collar, sweetheart and shoulder titles, among them T/CYCLISTS, CYCLIST, CYCLISTS (with the T removed) and ACC. Also an Army Cyclist collar badge which arouses my suspicions that ACC were from World War one and not World War two!

I know these titles are attributed by Westlake to the Army Catering Corps, but do any Forum members have any thoughts on this or better still any evidence that they were worn by cyclists.
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  #2  
Old 15-12-09, 05:32 PM
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Default Cooks or Cyclists?

When the Army Catering Corps were formed in 1941, battledress was all the rage, metal shoulder titles I don't think were worn on battledress, quite possibly some of those titles that had been lurking in the store since 1919 were issued to the Army Catering Corps at some point to be worn on whatever uniform suited. There are smaller ACC titles which as you say Andy were more likely to be worn than the large ones by the Catering corps.
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Old 15-12-09, 06:12 PM
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I had a photo of them being worn by a WW1 ACC private, will see if I can dig it out...

Tom
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Old 15-12-09, 07:14 PM
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Cool Cyclists

Tom that would be great if you could post that photo, it would certainly prove my theory. I have had this thought for years and looked out for such a photo without any success.
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Old 16-12-09, 02:37 PM
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Default ACC WW1 title

Hi fairly new on here and no expert at all. Sure though that the Catering Corps did not exist prior to WW2 however there is an article in an old issue of Crown Imperial showing badges worn by the Armoured Car Companies of WW1 and their shoulder title was ACC, my memory is that there may have been a number or letter of the alphabet worn with it.
Hope this helps
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Old 16-12-09, 09:56 PM
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Smile MGC titles

There were certainly a variety of shoulder titles that were worn by units of the Machine Gun Corps with various letters underneath and above, some privately made and unofficial. The armoured motor batteries had 1/AMB as a title and these may well have been worn by armoured car companies, the letters "ACC" fit with this as they do Catering Corps and Cyclist Corps.

Several badges of the collar and sleeve variety were worn by different regiments such as the POW feathers for sergeants of the 10th Hussars and the 3rd Dragoon Guards, the POW feathers for the West Yorks and Leinster Regt collars, as well as the flaming grenade worn by numerous units.
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Old 17-12-09, 07:58 AM
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I have an ACC title and have to say it is not WW1 construction IMHO, but perhaps I'm wrong, I always though Catering Corps.

Tom
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Old 17-12-09, 06:01 PM
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Default ACC

There is no doubt that the Army Catering Corps wore the ACC title, the titles that arrived with the "T/CYCLISTS" measure 18mm deep x 40mm wide. Whether my theories are correct or not would largely depend now on any photographic evidence as the cyclists have all passed on, as of course many of the original catering corps cooks.
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Old 17-12-09, 06:24 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sonofacqms View Post
There is no doubt that the Army Catering Corps wore the ACC title, the titles that arrived with the "T/CYCLISTS" measure 18mm deep x 40mm wide. Whether my theories are correct or not would largely depend now on any photographic evidence as the cyclists have all passed on, as of course many of the original catering corps cooks.
......From their own cooking ;-) lol
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Old 15-04-10, 05:21 PM
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Default ACC

I recently had an e-mail from 8th Foot regarding a shoulder title for sale.

http://www.gnmilitaria.co.uk/shop/vi...h=10998&phqu=2

I think from this title and what Sapper 533 mentioned in his thread about Crown Imperial's article on ACC titles that my conclusion is that these were first made for the Army Cyclist Corps probably just before their disbandment in 1919, used by the Armoured Car Companies with a numeral soldered above in the 1920's and finally issued to the Army Catering Corps post 1941.

Recycling at it's best . . !
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  #11  
Old 16-04-10, 11:54 AM
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I thought it was to the "Andy Capp Commandos"

I have one of these large titles myself, the lettering is very unsual since it is about 1/3 the thickness of the example shown on Geoffs website.

Is this the shoulder title we are discussing here?
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  #12  
Old 16-04-10, 04:45 PM
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Default ACC

Yes, this is the title that I was told about by PB. I started this thread as I bought a collection of Army Cyclist Corps titles (T/CYCLISTS) etc with a pair of ACC titles among them. I have always thought that these pre dated 1941 when the Army Catering Corps were formed.
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  #13  
Old 16-04-10, 04:49 PM
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The Large ACC (same size as the large RHA, RGA ones) are just Pre WW1 Cyclist Corps. This was covered in some detail in the MHS bulletin, If I find it I'll post it.
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  #14  
Old 19-04-10, 09:47 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jibba Jabba View Post
I thought it was to the "Andy Capp Commandos"
Nope - Aldershot Cement Company. I have a copy of their recipe book. It's very short:

"Heat till black then scrape till desired colour"



J
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  #15  
Old 28-04-10, 08:38 PM
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Default ACC

I think someone has been looking at this thread and has this title on ebay,

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/WW1-ARMY-CYCLI...item1c121ea8c5

From it's appearance with thin letters I would say it is Army catering Corps as opposed to the thicker letter variety which I originally bought with the "T" cyclist titles.
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