Cloth Royal Armoured Corps Badge

[GregN]

Hi guys, I picked this up in a large lot of militaria. I have the badge in white metal but I've never seen a padded cloth version. The previous collectors' note says that this is a arm badge. To me it looks like a hat badge, the idea being that banging around in a bouncing tank, smacking you noggin on all those sharp bits, it made sense to have a soft hatbadge on your head. But then again, I don't know British stuff. Please fill me in.

Greg

[Peter Brydon]

This badge was featured in an article in "The Formation Sign" July-September 2007-it was an arm badge- pattern sealed 4/12/1947 and an initial contract placed for 68,000 badges,but War Office told the preferred manufacturer could only produce 500 per week. ( There were also wire embroidered variations )

Declared obsolete in 1953.

P.B.

[GregN]

Arm Badge it is. Thanks.

Greg

[sean michael cronin]

I remember seeing in Soldier Magazine, members of the then newly formed and short lived Scottish Yeomanry Regiment, wearing an embroidered RAC badge on a grey beret prior to the adoption of the regimental badge.Cheers Sean.

[Yeoman]

The Scottish Yeomanry got through a lot of head gear in its first few months.

At the annual Yeomanry Sunday parade in Ayr, a few days after the regiment formed, the Ayrshire Yeomanry badge was worn on blue QOY berets. The powers that were (HQ Scotland) got all stroppy and issued a load of v nasty Staybrite RAC badges. Being then a stroppy subbie, I ordered about 20 embroidered RAC badges for the officers from someone in London, (mainly to annoy the afore-mentioned ptb) which we wore for a few weeks until the Scots DG asked us if we'd like to wear their grey berets. So scissors out, cut RAC badges off blue berets and sew onto grey ones.

Situation continued for a couple of months until (after lots more argy-bargy) the new Scots Yeo cap badge was agreed. New embroidered badges appeared quite quickly and the (really quite good) metal ones a month or so later.

[Alan O]

Very intersteing post. Always nice to hear the background. As an aside were the Ayrshire yeo ones themselves in a/a?

Alan

[Yeoman]

Originally Posted by Alan Owen

As an aside were the Ayrshire yeo ones themselves in a/a?
Alan

Is a/a anodised aluminium? If so, no, they were old brass stamped ones, with the scroll underneath, presumably from the pre 1971 Ayrshire Yeomanry stocks. Really a bit big for berets, designed I think for forage caps (which of course were what was worn on the Yeomanry Sunday parade, as I should have said).

On a different subject, perhaps you could point me in the right direction. I joined the forum to try to find where I might source a WW1 Rifle Brigade cap badge. I'm looking for something to mount with some medals - appropiate for a 1914-1918 Serjant, and if different, a Lt in 1918. He was in the 9th Bn 1914-1918, then 20th Bn after being commissioned.

Thanks

[Alan O]

A longshot but I don't suppose you kept one of the brass Ayrshire badges as a keepsake? There are several versions. The most common (and thus faked) is identical to the a/a one whereas the reference books all show the other versions and not this one. What I would love to find out if there was an identical last issue brass one to the a/a or if the fakes are made using a copied a/a design.
http://www.britishbadgeforum.com/for...hp?t=55&page=2
This is the original thread:


Alan

[Yeoman]

I'll need to go digging and then see if I can manage to get a decent photo (digital cameras aren't my thing). Probably be next week.