Are trade badges fading out of wear?

[red rags]

When at the tailoress this week to obtain new badges for wear only about a 1/3 or 1/4 are still available that should be?...in a MAJOR UK Garrison with MANY units.

When I showed her pictures of what I needed she said some of them she'd never even seen! & this was no spring chicken, an old tailoress, a colonial wife picked up when the Empire was a lot bigger than it is today.

MTP is causing havoc.

Are we the last sane people left, 'oh I forgot medal collectors as well, the supreme discipline.

Social media is destroying society,

& before I forget (senility) why do magazines now think we cannot read an article of more than one page...just look at Soldier magazine.

[Mike H]

My thoughts on this :-
Yes,they are fading out.Weve seen various trade badges discussed on here. Usual comment ,no longer available. In years to come the only trade badge will be wings.

Ive noticed that even in the Cavalry ,the use of arm badges is on the wane. Cloth badges appear to be replacing metal and in certain cases no arm badge at all.Penny pinching in the extreme. New regiments have been created and come the amalgamation day,no badges are available. Ridiculous situation. How is that supposed to get everybody pull together ?

[FMT600]

I never really used to bother to much about wearing trade badges, even back in the 1980's 1990. some of the hardest courses that gave you a trade qualification had no badge, two I will mention are dismounted close reconnaissance commander (the latter especially when attended by a colour sergeant who was in his late 30's) and Jungle warfare instructor, both considerably harder, physically and mentally from personal experience than the Infantry Section commanders and Platoon Sergeants Battle course's. Passing a course and gaining a qualification did not make you the man, using the knowledge gained on such qualification course along with experience to efficiently train and lead your soldiers is what you got respect for in the eyes of your superiors, peers and subordinates so whilst trade badges maybe nice to collect they really did not mean much to me as a career solder, once gained the only one I wore was the PSBC crossed bayonets in a wreath badge as devoid of any Reconnaissance badge being available that was one up on the have not done Brecon anti tanks, mortars, signals, MT and QM's NCO's in the Battalion, to me the only badge that really mattered (above any soldier's banter about which platoon and company was the best) to help foster esprit de corps was the Regimental cap badge, that having been robustly instilled in me from day one of basic training and something I passed on when training recruits myself irrespective of which Regiment they were joining.

Cheers FMT600

[red rags]

I qualified for 5 & never wore 1! I think one didn't want to look like a boy scout... the demise of the badges is a pity

[REME245]

I think the rot set in when they reduce the size in 1960 after which they looked very insignificant.

Interesting how the Guards kept theirs at the full size.

[oc14]

A few years ago I called in at the Tailor's Shop at the Infantry Training Centre in Catterick and explained to the very nice Scots Guards Master Tailor that I was interested in badges and did he have any bits and pieces that had been taken off uniforms. He invited me behind the counter and showed me a wall lined with small plastic "Lin Bins" and told me that I didn't want the old tatty badges but to help myself from the bins full of brand new examples. There was pretty much every rank and trade/qualification badge worn in the Infantry including "tribal" variants such as those for the Gurkha Regiments, Royal Irish etc. This was shortly after the introduction of "Future Army Dress" (FAD now referred to as Number 2 dress). All of the khaki trade badges were of the new pattern (both standard and Guards size). When I asked about the old pattern badges worn on earlier No2 dress uniform I was informed that I was too late by three weeks, all the old stuff had been loaded into several black bin liners which had been thrown in the skip - had I been there at the time they were getting rid of them I could have had the lot !
Always found the Master Tailor at Arborfield very helpful too - I think Arborfield has closed now although could be wrong.
PL