Gold cap badge

[markinbelfast]

taken at the 60th anniversary of the
Market Garden!

Perhaps this chap had his badge gold plated. Once in civvy street he wasn't restricted by Regulations. I wonder if anyone asked him at the time ? Regards. David

[Peter Brydon]

Untill fairly recently I was in touch with an ex Liverpool Scottish Drummer. He showed me a magnificent gold plated ( or gilded ) Highland Brigade/ Highland Volunteers Glengarry badge which he had won as a prize in a competition.

I am not saying that he wore the item ( he may or may not have done so- I dont know ) but what a mystery it will be for future collectors if this fine item every comes onto the market.
P.B.

[Jibba Jabba]

I have noted gold plated badges and chrome plated badges. All were plated post war by veterans. Nickel plated examples, often the cap badge with pierced crown were plated by the manufacturer. Supposidly the very first batch of cap badges produced for the Parachute Regiment were all brass.

I seriously hope you dont not consider me an expert in this field everything I know I learnt from the Wermacht Awards forum and there is still a great deal I have to learn!

[fougasse1940]

Originally Posted by markinbelfast

taken at the 60th anniversary of the
Market Garden!

The Arnhem veterans who still wear their original badges after 60+ years are a minority. This gentleman doesn't seem to be one of them.

Rgds,
fougasse1940

[Jibba Jabba]

Ive always wondered how many berets were pulled off the lads heads when they were captured as trophies by the Germans? Obviously I`m not wondering about the exact number, more like the frequency of that occurrence.

[fougasse1940]

Originally Posted by Jibba Jabba

Ive always wondered how many berets were pulled off the lads heads when they were captured as trophies by the Germans? Obviously I`m not wondering about the exact number, more like the frequency of that occurrence.

I've never heard of that actually happening, I think most were lost during the battle or escape across the river, or given away post war?
Either way, would you want to wear a discoloured, mottled 60+ year old beret during remembrance, I think not.

Rgds,
fougasse1940.

[wright241]

For what its worth.
As an ex-army brat - my impression (we all lived in Barrack MQ's) when asking the typical youngsters questions about "what did you do during the war etc" to the various soldiers I met - and those who were prepared to talk about it - was that he (the Para), and what was left of his mates were treated extremely well by their German captures - and apart from his weapon and ammunition, they took nothing off him when he was captured.
This soldier (I was enthralled by his wings and out of the ordinary medals that he had at the time- I am assuming that I was probably too young at the time to realise that he may very well have had a bravery award to the left of his 39/45 star + others) who I briefly met, whilst highly p....d off at the way it had gone, was very emphatic about this - which stuck in my mind due to all the news and stories I was used to hearing and reading about how prisoners were treated. This occurred at Mildam barracks (Portsmouth) in the mid 50's.
david

[Deejayuu]

Originally Posted by markinbelfast

taken at the 60th anniversary of the
Market Garden!

I have an all brass paras badge in the collection. Looks right to me as being original and unaltered. I was told by a dealer that the first paras badges were issued in brass but quickly changed to nickel as they did not look smart enough on the red beret? Old wives tale or fact i could not say!

Cheers, Dave

[Jibba Jabba]

I too have read of the good treatment of British special forces POW's during and after Normandy. The Germans could of shot all the Commandos captured at the Merville battery under Hitlers orders but they did not in fact the war diary comments on how well treated they actually were.

I`m wondering about the earlier operations, because there are several mentions of how the germans held the maroon and green beret in such high regard it would seam it might be something they would want as a souvenier, just like many troops wanted a luger, an iron cross or even a Japanese sword.

I can state with absolute accuracy that special forces personnel captured after several raids on Norway were executed by the Nazis. I have this from my father who, being a merchant seaman, was a POW in Norway and Sweden and witnessed events which confirmed this. Having been sunk 5 times in the North Atlantic and the Arctic, captured twice and escaped twice, my father had the greatest respect for the Kriegsmarine he encountered but none whatsoever for German land forces who dealt with him - and others. Are we drifting a little from 'gold cap badge' ? Regards. David

[BWEF]

Originally Posted by David Douglas

I can state with absolute accuracy that special forces personnel captured after several raids on Norway were executed by the Nazis.

David

There are photos of some of them in a picture book on Colditz I read once. In transistion to wherever they were shot, dressed in full battle dress uniform and still with toggle ropes.

They were led by a Canadian officer (serving with the British Army), called "Cowboy" Black.

Details of the raid: "The small team selected for the operation was led by Captain Graeme. D Black MC from Ontario, Canada with Captain Joseph. B J Houghton MC 2nd in command. There were 8 other ranks from No 2 Commando - Rflm. Cyril Abram, Pte. Eric Curtis, Cpl. John Fairclough, L./Sgt. William Chudley, Pte. Reginald Makeham, C S M Miller Smith, Sgt. Richard O'Brien, Pte. Fred Trigg and two Norwegian corporals working for the Special Operations Executive (SOE) Cpl. Erling M Djupdraet and Cpl. Sverre Granlund - in all a party of 12."

....and details of the murder of the captured Commandos:

"

The seven captured men were taken by boat, train and truck to Colditz Castle. Despite the best efforts of the Germans to isolate them from the regular prisoners there was sufficient contact to confirm their presence there. There was some confusion amongst the Germans about what should happen to the Commandos. Ominously they were removed to Berlin arriving at Camp Sachsenhausen in the afternoon of October 22nd. They were detained overnight in what was effectively a prison within a prison. At about 11pm the names of the Commandos were posted up with an "S.D." designation signifying that they were to be executed. Just before dawn on the 23rd they were taken out under S.D. command. Each was killed by a single shot in the back of the neck and their bodies cremated. None of the prisoners or regular guards in the camp knew what had taken place. These Commandos were the first to fall victim to Hitler's Commando Order of 18 Oct 1942. On the 15th of November 1945 Capt Black was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Order effective from 22/10/42."

Source: http://www.combinedops.com/glomfjord.htm

[hagwalther]

Hi Guys,

Two points to raise here.

See attached photos of a QC Gold Parachute Regiment cap badge in anodised aluminium. This is labelled by me as a factory mistake for now but looking at the photo in post #1 I wondering if it could be some sort of commemorative piece.

If anyone has any ideas please let me know as I am putting together some work for possible publication and would like this little puzzle sorted if possible.

On the second point of treatment of Royal Marine Commandos. My wifes Grandfather was captured at Dieppe serving as a Sergeant with one of the RM units. He told me that they were all lined up against a wall by a squad of men under the command of an officer with hands on head. Thinking that they had seen their last day they were most surprised to be given a knife by the German Officer and told to remove all Royal Marine insignia from their clothing. This they did immediately and the officer even inspected them before being marched away.

He spent the rest of the war in a POW camp in Poland and was surprised (as was the whole camp) that the Germans had one morning left and the camp was theirs. Not wishing to be picked up by Russian forces whos artillery they could plainly hear he with others set out to and kept on walking before eventually being challanged in the middle of the night by American troops who let them advance into their lines at first light. He thinks this was in Austria at this time.

The old boy is still very active and recently re-married from being a widower aged 90 last year.

Regards

Chris