British WW2 plastic/economy cap badges

[Paul3965]

Hi all,

I wonder if anyone can tell me where I can find a definitive list of the dates of production of plastic cap badges? Are there any books out there which will tell me?

Any help would be gratefully received.

All the best

[Voltigeur]

These lists were published in two comprehensive articles by Marcus Cotton in Militaria Magazine 1995, vol 10 (Jul-Aug) pp18-22 and in vol 12 (Nov-Dec) pp17-21. A very Special Thanks to Marcus...he did the real legwork on this subject.....

This is the list for the infantry units only;

Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise’s)…46,737…(RPL-all)
05.10.43 to 05.09.45
Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Regiment 36,248…(JRL-all)
26.10.43 to 05.09.45
Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) 31,928…(RPL-all)
05.10.43 to 05.09.45
Border Regiment 40,408…(AS-all)
06.01.44 to 05.09.45
Buckinghamshire Battalion 11,680…(COI-10,680/LAB-1,000)
17.06.44 to 05.09.45
The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regt.) 36,864…(AS-all)
06.01.44 to 02.12.44
Cambridgeshire Regiment 26,959…(COI-17,458/MMC-9,471)
26.02.43 to 28.03.44
Cheshire Regiment 58,311…(RPL-all)
05.10.43 to 05.09.45
Devonshire Regiment 69,048…(AS-all)
19.04.42 to 02.12.44
Dorsetshire Regiment 22,873…(RPL-all)
Durham Light Infantry 129,901…(MMC-82,525/COI-47,376)
11.08.44 to 04.06.46
Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry 41,416…(AS-all)
24.03.43 to 18.06.45
Duke of Wellington Regt.(West Riding) 63,072…(JRL-all)
28.10.43 to 05.09.45
East Lancashire Regiment 33,592…(JRL-all)
28.11.43 to 05.09.45
East Surrey Regiment 53,870…(LAB-31,838/COI-22,032)
07.11.44 to 21.02.45
East Yorkshire Regiment 54,024…(JRL-all)
28.10.43 to 05.09.45
Essex Regiment 70,848…(AS-all)
24.03.43 to 06.01.44
Gloucestershire Regiment
*Front 28.11.43 62,784…(JRL-all)
*Back 06.01.44 52,128…(JRL-all)
Green Howards 38,700…(RPL-all)
05.10.43 to 05.09.45
Grenadier Guards 21,072…(F&G-all)
02.11.43
Hampshire Regiment 104,544…(AS-all)
19.09.42 to 06.01.44
Highland Light Infantry 32,741…(PF-all)
06.01.44 to 05.09.45
Highland Regiment 5,000…(AS-all)
06.09.42
King’s Own Royal Regiment 23,104…(F&G-13,104/AS-10,000)
02.11.43 to 26.11.45
King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry 45,652…(JRL-all)
28.10.43 to 05.09.45
King’s Regiment (Liverpool) 40,032…(HP-all)
26.10.43
King’s Royal Rifle Corps 78,920…(HP-all)
(Queen’s Crown-08.07.52) 3,500…(LAB-all)
King’s Shropshire Light Infantry 38,980…(AS-all)
06.01.44 to 05.09.45
Lancashire Fusiliers 44,332…(F&G-32,832/AS-11,500)
28.11.43 to 26.11.45
Leicestershire Regiiment 24,120…(JRL-all)
28.10.43 to 05.09.45
Lincolnshire Regiment 62,968…(JRL-all)
28.10.43 to05.09.45
Loyal Regiment 23,040…(JRL-all)
28.10.43
Manchester Regiment 58,520…(AS-all)
24.03.43 to 05.09.45
Middlesex Regiment 80,192...(F&G-63,504/LAB-16,688)
16.10.42 to 09.12.44
North Staffordshire Regiment 47,957…(F&G-15,120/MMC32,837)
02.11.43 to 05.09.45
Northamptonshire Regiment 41,520…(JRL-all)
28.10.43 to 05.09.45
Parachute Regiment 118,456…(RPL-all)
20.08.43 to 05.09.45
South Lancashire Regiment 18,096…(F&G-12,096/AS-6,000)
02.11.43 to 26.11.45
Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders 21,936…(AS-all)
27.07.45 to 05.09.45
Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment 53,216…9HP-all)
28.10.43 to 05.09.45
Rifle Brigade 54,470…(RPL-all)
05.10.43 to 05.09.45
Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regt.) 43,920…(AS-alL)
26.07.45
Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers 23,856…(PF-all)
01.06.44
Royal Northumberland Fusiliers 55,850…(RPL-all)
05.10.43 to 05.09.45
Royal Scots 34,466…(AS-all)
06.01.44 to 05.09.45
Royal Sussex Regiment 32,064…(HP-all)
28.10.43 to 19.05.45
Royal Tank Regiment 77,728…(AS-all)
06.01.44 to 19.05.45
Royal Ulster Rifles 25,192…(PF-all)
06.01.44 to 05.09.45
Royal Welch Fusiliers 77,704…(RPL-all)
05.10.43 to 05.09.45
Scots Guards 5,040…(F&G-all)
02.11.43
Sherwood Foresters Regiment 64,400…(PF-all)
06.01.44 to 05.09.45
South Staffordshire Regiment 40,428…(HP-all)
28.10.43 to 05.09.45
South Wales Borderes 34,543…(RPL-all)
05.10.43 to 05.09.45
Suffolk Regiment 35,624…F&G-29,624/AS-6,000)
16.10.42 to 26.11.45
Welch Regiment 81,360…(AS-all)
24.03.43 to 26.05.44
West Yorkshire Regiment N/A
Wiltshire Regiment 54,536…(JRL-all)
28.10.43 to 05.09.45
York & Lancaster Regiment 45,116…(AS-all)
Royal Artillery
Cap badge (Gun) for Khaki SD cap 29,232…(PF-all)
02.04.43
Collar badges (Grenade)
(for FSC and Off’s SD collars) 666,232 pairs….....(FF&G-175,00/AS-491,232)
10.02.42 to 02.11.45

Royal Marines
Cap badge 150,000…(AS-all)
18.06.45 to 03.08.45
Collar badges 50,000…(AS-all)
18.06.45

King’s Own Malta Regiment 17,656…(AS-all)
17.09.42 to 17.11.43
Royal Malta Artillery 30,358…(AS-all)
19.02.42 to 19.11.42
Royal West African Frontier Force
Cap and Collars 150,464…(AS-all)
29.06.42 to 18.06.45
Cyprus Regiment 33,120…(F&G-27,504/MMC-5,616)

[Voltigeur]

Here is a list of the makers involved with plastic badge production in WW2.

Alfred Stanley & Sons Ltd. 10/2/42 to 11/12/45
Fraser & Glass 21/3/42 to 28/11/43
Plastic Fashions 9/4/42 to 30/5/45
Jarret, Rainsford & Laughton Ltd 18/4/42 to 5/8/45
Hopf Products Ltd 28/10/42 to 4/6/46
Combined Opital Industries 26/2/43 to 26/2/45
WH Hassler Ltd 16/7/43 to ???????
Roanoid Plastics (Birmingham) Ltd 20/8/43 to 5/9/45
Mentmore Manufacturing Co. Ltd 15/11/43 to 4/6/46
London Association for the Blind 7/11/44 to 5/9/45

Not all badges were maker marked. The most common marks to find are:
A Stanley & Sons Wallsal
MMMC
F&G (Within in oval)
JRL ltd BHAM
Courtesy of Adrian Stevenson, War Relics Forum,2012.

Some of rarer badges IMHO made during ww2;
Air Ministry Constabulary. (white plastic).Only 6,202 made.
Timber Corps W.L.A. (brown plastic). ???made
Army Cadet Force. (grey plastic). ???made
Women's Home Guard and Auxiliary aka "Mum's Army". (grey plastic).???made
Fuel,Heat,Light,Power,Watcher (?????) (white plastic). Lapel badge ????
Air Training Corps. (white plastic). ???made
Army Education Corps. Only 900 made.
Army Physical Training Corps. Only 3,830 made.
Royal Amy Chaplain Department, Christian and Jewish...???made
Kin'g Own Malta Regiment. 17.656 made (brown plastic).
Scots Guards. Only 5,040 made.

[Voltigeur]

These lists were published in two comprehensive articles by Marcus Cotton in Militaria Magazine 1995, vol 10 (Jul-Aug) pp18-22 and in vol 12 (Nov-Dec) pp17-21. A very Special Thanks to Marcus....

Army Air Corps
26.05.42-19.06.45...................................77,928 (AS-all)
Army Catering Corps
25.07.42-05.09.45...................................239,040 (F&G 68,162/AS 170,878)
Army Education Corps
------- 30.05.45......................................900 (PF-all)
Army Physical Training Corps
07.11.44-05.09.45...................................3,830 (LAB-all)
Corps of Military Police
14.03.42-05.09.45...................................107,369 (AS-all)
General Service Corps
09.07.42-15.04.44................................... 376,351 (AS-all)
Intelligence Corps
07.11.44-18.11.44....................................11,232 (LAB-all)
Pioneer Corps
10.07.42-05.09.45.....................................893,9 01 (AS-all)
Reconnaissance Corps
10.07.42-05.09.45.....................................129,4 64 (AS 99,416/WH 30,048)
Royal Armoured Corps
06.01.44-20.06.45.....................................144,5 92 (AS-all)
Royal Army Medical Corps
13.03.42-23.06.45......................................196, 736 (AS-all)
Royal Army Ordnance Corps
21.03.42-05.09.45.......................................438 ,386 (F&G 310,090/MMC 173,296)
Royal Army Service Corps
10.02.42-09.05.45........................................97 7,752 (AS 912,752/F&G 65,00)
Royal Corps of Signals
14.03.42-11.12.45.........................................3 07,253 (AS-all)
REME
09.09.42-05.09.45...............................642,814 (PF 184,268/MMC408,546/F&G 50,000)
Royal Engineers
14.03.42-05.09.45.......................................... 762,456 (AS-all)

Manufaturer's List WW2;
Alfred Stanley & Sons, Ltd......(AS)
Fraser Glass.........................(FG)
Plastic Fashion......................(PF).
Jarrett Rainsford...................(JRL)
& Laughton Ltd.
Hopf Products.......................(HP)
Combined Optical Industries....(COI)
W.H.Haseller Ltd...................(WH)
Roanoid Platics Ltd.................(RPL)
Mentmore.............................(MMC)
Manufacturing Co.Ltd.
London Association for the Blind..(LAB)

[KLR]

The definitive lists are documents in the National Archives;
TNA SUPP 4/150, /151, /152.

These lists were published in two comprehensive articles by Marcus Cotton in Militaria Magazine 1995, vol 10 (Jul-Aug) pp18-22 and in vol 12 (Nov-Dec) pp17-21.

[Mike_2817]

Originally Posted by KLR

The definitive lists are documents in the National Archives;
TNA SUPP 4/150' /151, 152.

These lists were published in two comprehensive articles by Marcus Cotton in Militaria Magazine 1995, vol 10 (Jul-Aug) pp18-22 and in vol 12 (Nov-Dec) pp17-21.

http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=...02106091630773

[Voltigeur]

Originally Posted by KLR

The definitive lists are documents in the National Archives;
TNA SUPP 4/150' /151, 152.

These lists were published in two comprehensive articles by Marcus Cotton in Militaria Magazine 1995, vol 10 (Jul-Aug) pp18-22 and in vol 12 (Nov-Dec) pp17-21.

Thank you for helping me recall when and how I got all this information.I have a computer file containing all this but until now I could not remember how I got it....from Militaria Mag...then I will add a thank you note to him....
Thanks again KLR

[Paul3965]

Thanks to everyone for your very fast responses. The reason I was asking was because I have put together a collection of all the plastic cap badges which could/would have been worn by units of the British 1st Airborne Division at the Battle of Arnhem in September 1944. Some people have queried why the Intel Corps and APTC badges were not included. I believed and have now had confirmed by you guys, these were not being produced at the time of the battle, hence there omission.

All the best and thanks again