Dress Regulations in the TA 1960

[Mike Jackson]

in 1960 I served in 298 Fd Regt RA (TA) (Surrey Yeomanry (QMR)) and in my brief period as a Yeoman I noted the following:
1. My brand new "best " BD came to me with RAChD shoulder titles neatly applied. Was this a hint from the Almighty?
2. My beret badge was WM, KC (in 1960) and the size of an OSD cap badge.
3. Collar badges were not issued but wearing them was optional.
4. An ex-Queen's Regt National Service Private working as permanent staff with the colocated RASC unit came to work daily in a Denison smock with WO2 badges of rank!
5. At summer camp I met an attached ex-Grenadier Guards National Serviceman who wore his TA regimental badge (Essex Yeomanry) in his khaki SD cap.
And nobody turned a hair. Mike

[Peter Brydon]

Mike- fascinating.

No apologies for saying yet again, it is not what should have been worn which makes our hobby so interesting, it is what was actually worn.

Peter

[leigh kitchen]

In 1972 I was briefly a member of "HQ" Battery, 100th Medium Regt. (Yeomanry) RA, based at Grove Park.
The Surrey Yeomanry were "B" Battery.
I remember a fairly new recruit being issued Battle Dress, the only man I saw thus outfitted.

[2747andy]

Dress, TA and Regulations are not three words I would ever associate with each other!

What a waste of money that was drafting DR's for an organisation that has an inbred distain for any word that has Regular in it!



Take Cover!

[grenadierguardsman]

[badjez]

I note the pot shots taken at the TA, but I'm not sure ex-Regulars are able to cast the first stones- you only have to look at the Regular Army when in an operational environment to see that all regulation is dumped for comfort and practicality. Jon's 'Two Types' were based upon WW2 examples, and the resurgence of cloth insignia during the Gulf war 1991 is a prime example of modern disrespect.

Long live the independent spirit that produces so many variations for us collectors to hunt down.

Stephen.

PS- if anyone does have examples of Clothing Regs, Materiel Regs or Priced Vocabularies they wish to dispose of (on the grounds of their irrelevance to collecting) please pm me before re-cycling them!

[fairlie63]

Originally Posted by 2747andy

Dress, TA and Regulations are not three words I would ever associate with each other!

What a waste of money that was drafting DR's for an organisation that has an inbred distain for any word that has Regular in it!



Take Cover!

Now now Andy,

No different in any Commonwealth army, the officers of 3RAR (Australian regular infantry battalion) in the mid 1970s were resplendent in US combat boots and '44 Pattern belts, dogs and other assorted non-regulation dress. Apparently it was cravats before that. God help the digger though who forgot to remove the AMF patch from his shirt after returning from overseas.

On the other hand those of my Reserve Gunner unit during the 1980s conformed pretty well to the Dress Manual, in fact they were probably a bit put out when the Regular training officers were posted in and turned up with embroidered beret badges and all the rest of the stuff the RAA Regimental Committee had specifically forbidden to be worn.

Cheers

[Peter Brydon]

I am always amused by Robin Hodges comment in " Badge Backings and Special Embellishments" page 90 " on the Kings Regiment where he says- " We have never been very good at obeying Dress Regulations "

P.B.

[Mike Jackson]

Originally Posted by Peter Brydon

I am always amused by Robin Hodges comment in " Badge Backings and Special Embellishments" page 90 " on the Kings Regiment where he says- " We have never been very good at obeying Dress Regulations "

P.B.

And not just the King's Regiment - this example of a collar badge as worn on Officers' Mess Kit was given to me by the wearer on his promotion to Colonel (and thus change of Mess Kit). He had never noticed the missing title scroll - "that's how they came from the tailor!" Mike
Int Corps.jpg

[oc14]

Between 1998 and 2001 I wore King's crown, Major's rank badges on my regimental pattern pullover - no-one ever noticed!
PL

[sapper533]

I remember when my father was a WO1 in Naples with HQ AFSOUTH the small British Army staff invited the American Admiral in charge to drinks, the Admiral pointed out that there were no two British soldiers wearing the same clothing. There were Warrant Officers wearing Regimental Pattern items, Italian tailored bits and pieces and all manner of things. Two soldiers who seemed to be dressed alike turned out to have different footwear, one in desert boots the other in oxblood brogues..........The Admiral asked 'Why the hell do ya call it uniform?
Sean

[Mike Jackson]

In the 1960s 22 Engr Gp (TA) had a formation sign - yellow XXII on a blue shield. In 1980 I saw this same sign being worn by a Bdr of 22 Loc Bty RA who was part of a team visiting BF Belize. I've never found out whether this was officially sanctioned. Does 54 Bty know? Mike

[54Bty]

Originally Posted by Mike Jackson

In the 1960s 22 Engr Gp (TA) had a formation sign - yellow XXII on a blue shield. In 1980 I saw this same sign being worn by a Bdr of 22 Loc Bty RA who was part of a team visiting BF Belize. I've never found out whether this was officially sanctioned. Does 54 Bty know? Mike

Unfortunately 99% of any documentation that may have existed on badges and changes in uniform was destroyed many years ago. The Regimental Annual Historical Returns that had a paragraph for such things was nearly always missed out, although I did discover one entry for the introduction of Barrack Dress Trousers.

I do believe that the RE badge had the Roman Numeral in the centre and the RA badge had it near the top.

Marc