Badge backings and other matters

[Peter Brydon]

Not quite sure where to put this thread but it ocurred to me following a conversation with a retired RAPC Major yesterday, that you come across the occasional snippets of information that whilst not earth shattering, should perhaps be recorded somewhere so that it is not completely lost.

The major was telling me that when he was attached to the Gloucestershire Regiment he wore the RAPC cap badge in the front of his beret and also wore the Glosters back badge on the back of his beret.

When he was attached to the Kings Regiment in Berlin in the 1960`s he wore the RAPC cap badge on the Kings red badge backing on his beret.

P.B.

[matti467]

Hello Peter,
If my memory serves me correctly, units and personnel attached to the Dukes wore a red ouline to their own cap badge and the correct khaki beret.
Matti

[Peter Brydon]

Thanks Matti,

Just the sort of thing that should be recorded somewhere since sadly there wont be a revised edition of "Badge Backings and Special Embellishments "

Peter

[Chacal]

This seems as good a place as any to add a piece of information I recently learned from a friend who served nine years in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders during the 1980’s and 90’s: namely that soldiers of the 2nd Battalion would modify new headdress badges by placing a golf ball behind the Princess Louise’s cypher and tap it repeatedly until the cypher stood proud of the badge in a slight dome. Attached are pictures of one that has been so modified (though not as much as it might).

The first image shows the whole badge, the second a side view, and the last a close-up of the raised cypher.

When I see him next I will ask if he knows when this tradition started.

Anyway, I hope someone finds this of interest.

Fig. 1


Fig. 2


Fig. 3

[Peter Brydon]

Thanks Graham,

Just the sort of thing I, and I hope other members, find fascinating.

P.B.

[Mike Jackson]

Presumably 2 A&SH disappeared into oblivion in the 1950s?

[Peter Brydon]

In the ( vain ?) hope that others might find obscure details of what was actually worn on head dress worth recording, at the weekend I was talking to a former member of the RAPC who told me that when attached to the Royal Irish Rangers he wore his RAPC cap badge in a RIR caubeen complete with hackle.

If you come across such an item of head dress dont dismiss it as a made up item, it may be a piece of history.

P.B.

[REMEVMBEA1]

When I was attached to 32 (Scottish) Signal Regiment (V) in 1972-3 REME personnell wore the REME badge on a black glengarry with red toorie and a suare of Grant red tartan behind the badge. I also wore issued brogues.

[BILL DUGGAN]

I was always told that troops on attachment to a regiment were supposed to wear the special regimental dress distinctions of that regiment but retain their own parent unit badge.

I've seen some strange manifestations of this regulation but all are correct.

Hackles behind R.E.M.E. or A.C.C. badges etc.

When I was in Osnabruck in 1963 we had a U.S. Army infantry company from Munich attached to us for a month or so on exchange.

This company of G.I.'s looked quite comical marching around the camp with primrose yellow hackles sticking up from the front of their khaki green U.S. army kepi's.

TRUE STORY,.........Bill

[tonyb]

Originally Posted by Chacal

This seems as good a place as any to add a piece of information I recently learned from a friend who served nine years in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders during the 1980’s and 90’s: namely that soldiers of the 2nd Battalion would modify new headdress badges by placing a golf ball behind the Princess Louise’s cypher and tap it repeatedly until the cypher stood proud of the badge in a slight dome. Attached are pictures of one that has been so modified (though not as much as it might).

The first image shows the whole badge, the second a side view, and the last a close-up of the raised cypher.

When I see him next I will ask if he knows when this tradition started.

Anyway, I hope someone finds this of interest.

Fig. 1


Fig. 2


Fig. 3

Graham picked this Victorian version of your badge this morning centre has been ''dished''. Doesn't come much earlier than this?
Cheers Tony.

[2747andy]

An unusual combination?

[matti467]

I think I might know the provenance of that beret!
My mte was attached from 87 sig sqdn to 1 Royal Scots. He wore the Jimmy in the 1 Royal Scots head dress.
Matti