Shoulder/upper sleeve insignia

[onesearch]

Hi,

just had a look back to see if this has come up before, but if it has I have missed it.

I was wondering what badges or insignia privates of the 13th Royal Scots would have worn on the upper left sleeve in 1916-1918. I have seen a picture that seems to show two patches, one above the other they both looked around two to two & a half inches long & an inch or so high. There did not appear to be any detail on them that I could make out. They both looked rectangular if I remember correctly & appeared to be a similar shade of grey to one another in the photograph. They appeared darker than the surrounding material of the sleeve too, but does anyone know what they might have been or what colour they would have been.

I might be wrong but I dont think that either were the divisional insignia as that was roumd with a red cheese or wedge in it, & had a white circle on it which I thought ought to show up. I know a picture would help but at the moment I dont have the picture to hand & being both curious & a bit impatient I just wondered if any Pal might have an idea as to what they were,

many thanks

Rod

[Arthur]

Hi

The formation sign that you describe is a WWII sign for the 4th Inf Div.

Regards

Arthur

[Tim Godden]

The patch you are describing is the Fifteenth (Scottish) Divisional badge. Whilst this may have been adopted by 13th Royal Scots after the conflict there is no evidence to suggest that any troops, other than those in the Corps, wore this symbol.

It is highly likely that there was a battle patch scheme for unit identification, but it is fairly sketchy as to what this was. The Osprey book on Scottish units shows a 13th Royal Scots officer with a battle patch on, though, upon enquiry this does not seem to have been based on anything. However, from your description, I would guess this is what the photograph you remembre was showing. Though, normally, with The Royal Scots being first of foot they end up with a single bar. It could be that this is a company indiactor with the colour being the battalion battle patch. This is, however, all conjecture.

It would be interesting to see if anyone else has any information on the battle patch scheme.

Kind regards,

Tim

[onesearch]

Hello Tim,

many thanks for your ideas, I know some of its conjecture but it is interesting to hear that there is an illustration of a 13th Royal Scots officer in the Osprey series of books, I will try & take a look at a copy.

It was interesting to hear that their insignia might be a single bar........perhaps the picture I saw showed one badge not two as I first thought, one above the other. If so then what I thought was a gap between the two rectangular badges was possibly a stripe or horizontal bar on a larger square badge?

As you say it will be interesting to see if there is anymore information to come to light but I will try & get a copy of the picture posted,

best regards

Rod

[onesearch]

After a while I have at last found the picture of the badge/patches on the upper sleeve of a private from the 13th Royal Scots & was hoping someone might be able to recognise them & give me a little more detail as to what they may have looked like in terms of colour & any markings that may have been visible on the originals.

Do you think one is a company i.d. & the other a divisional i.d.?

many thanks in anticipation, of both replies & me being able to attach the image

..............by the way the picture would probably date from late 1916, (Nov/Dec)