SAS Cap badge - Design History required

[Arthur 257]

Can anyone tell me how the SAS cap badge was designed?

[Unknownsoldier]

I believe it was designed in Cairo by one of the units member but can't for the life of me remember whom.

Tom

[HamandJam]

It was designed in 1941 by Sergeant Bob Tait who was a nco in L-detachment Special Air Service the first unit designation of sas. The motto who dares wins is from David Stirling. The sword is exalibur the sword of King Arthur and not a fairbairn sykes dagger. The dark blue and camdridge blue refer to Oxford and Cambridge were Jock Lewis studied. Jock rowed for Oxford and an officer called Langton rowed for Cambridge. Cheers JB

[David Tremain]

Hamandjam is correct. It's referred to in a number of the more recent books about the early origins of the SAS. One that springs to mind is 'Sterling's Men'. Can't remember the author, but you can Google it. There's a couple of other titles, but I'll have to look them up. It may also be mentioned in Virginia Cowles's 'The Phantom Major', an early account of David Sterling.

[Roy]

I could be wrong here but I seem to recall reading somewhere that the design was supposed to be a Fairbairn Sykes knife but the maker did not know what that was but 'everyone' knew about Excaliber, so that is what he used!

Regards, Roy.

[HamandJam]

Hi Roy

There is a lot of counfusion about it as the badge is known as the winged dagger. I have also seen somewhere a reference sword of Damocles. The most times I have seen however is reference to Exalibur. Also when you look at the badge it is clearly not a FS knive but a sword. The commando insignia however have the FS dagger like No 2 commando and thecommando brigades dagger.

Cheers
JB

[trackman]

Hi, I think the following is correct, I read it somewhere, there was a competition to see who came up with the best badge design, Duncan Tait's design was chosen, he knew it was the "Sword of Damocles" meaning, if you hear someone say "The Sword of Damocles is hanging over them or him" something very bad will happen to them or It will fall on you at any time. This makes sense. BUT, the officers and some others thought/assumed it was Excalibur so its was named as so for a while until he informed them of what it was, who knows how long this took, my guess is that both names were used, or may be it has never been corrected or for that matter did anyone care? as they had far more worrying things to think about, after all they now had a badge. "the Winged Dagger"

[Padre]

It's true it was a competition amongst the units members, something confirmed by several of them in more recent years.

[Royal]

Its certainly a sword, not a dagger and is referred to as such in official MoD documentation to this day.

As to Damocles vs Excaliber within the wider UKSF, the monument at Poole is very much the latter as it includes the arm coming out of the water...

[silverwash]

obviously influenced by a visit to Cairo Museum.

[Jolly Jack]

I am somewhat late to the party as this is an old thread. However, i once knew an ex member of 1st SAS. To my recollection, the badge represents the sword of Damocles suspended from a pair of wings. To symbolise that the wearers lives were continually at risk wherever they went. As opposed to the original sword of Damocles that was suspended by a hair above him.
The motto is paraphrased from a poem by The Great Montrose,
"He either fears his fate too much or his deserts are small,
Who dares not put it to the touch, to win or lose it all "

[Farang]

As a scion of a Clan family David Stirling would have been raised with a full understanding of that great Covenanter rallying call of Montrose’s Toast.

[mike_vee]

Originally Posted by trackman

there was a competition to see who came up with the best badge design, Duncan Tait's design was chosen

Found this explanation :

Cap badge, a downward pointing flaming sword worked in cloth of a Crusader shield. Designed by Robert Charles 'Bob' Tait, then Corporal (subsequently Squadron Sergeant Major in both the wartime British Regiments and latterly an officer in the RAF Regiment).

The sword depicted is King Arthur's Excalibur (references to it as the Sword of Damocles derive from an article originally published in Mars and Minerva, the Regimental Journal written by a highly respected veteran of both British Regiments and the post-war re-raised Regiment. He was subsequently proved to be incorrect, but the story was picked up by the media and still gets repeated.)

.

[bess55]

Very informative thread.

Interestingly, my copy of 'The Phantom Major' appears to have been at one time, part of the station library at RAF Hornchurch, catalogued as 'C.32' . . .

[Colin S]

Definitely a flaming sword of Damocles when designed because, as Johan says, the ‘winged dagger’ only came from Roy Farran’s book title.