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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Unit Identification


mctaz

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Not familiar with this cap badge, nor belt buckle and interesting "badges" on arms

Any ideas anyone?post-10363-0-00093200-1326535452.jpg

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MCTAZ

Looks like St John's Ambulance to me.

Regards

John

Pretty sure cap badge is not St John's but British Red Cross Society - a close up of the sleeve insignia would be appreciated to be of further assistance.

N.B St John's had sleeve insignia above right cuff.

Suddery

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St John, for sure check the buckle, shows the cross of St John.

khaki

Don't think this is as clear as it seems - check this link for an O/R Red Cross badge which is a similar pattern to the initial posting:

http://www.britishba...orums/index.php Enter RED CROSS in 'Gallery'

St John's had a number of badges but this is the photographic evidence I have to support my assertion (by process of elimination) that first post is Red Cross :

Still, never does to close one's mind where insignia are concerned and this is not clear cut. I think it would be helpful if Mctaz could post a close up of the sleeve badge.

Final thought, given Mctaz' location could his be a Antipodean St John/Red Cross variant ?

Suddery

post-53823-0-76872700-1326543593.jpg

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Still think St John's,

check Ebay item no 220927704028 [sorry I cannot link it technically challenged]

Regards

John

Hi John - This is a new badge but I agree pattern looks identical. I'm not as entrenched as I sound on this but am very interested as I've a similar photo to McTaz's,( without the arm insignia and all wearing blue serge rather than SD) that I've always attributed to Red Cross. I think it pretty undeniable that my image is St John's so why the variance in cap badge ?

Is there a St John's expert in the house ?

Regards

Suddery

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  • Admin

Andrew Upton is the man I believe. It is St JOHN no s.

Michelle

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Ta Da StJAB

post-2388-681.jpg

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And for future reference, it is the St. JOHN (no S!) Ambulance, as per the badge illustrated (drummed into me when I was in the Young St John Ambulance, aka "The Badgers" from our black and white uniforms). Edit, just saw Michelles post, beat me to it.

First thought when I saw it was the St John Ambulance from the badge, my Uncle was also in it when he was younger and there were always a couple of the same cap and collar badges as illustrated floating around my grandparents house as a result.

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And for future reference, it is the St. JOHN (no S!) Ambulance, as per the badge illustrated (drummed into me when I was in the Young St John Ambulance, aka "The Badgers" from our black and white uniforms). Edit, just saw Michelles post, beat me to it.

First thought when I saw it was the St John Ambulance from the badge, my Uncle was also in it when he was younger and there were always a couple of the same cap and collar badges as illustrated floating around my grandparents house as a result.

Thanks for the response and educating note about the apostrophe.

Question is, what am I left with if not St John ? Surely must be a St John sleeve insignia and cap badge with central Greek cross (probably red) and what appears to be a Hanoverian horse atop.

Thanks to all and apologies to MCTAZ for trampling all over his thread.

Suddery

post-53823-0-32694000-1326558380.jpg

post-53823-0-69814500-1326558400.jpg

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Er....

I feel a chill wind blowing.

Having increased size of image and improved resolution it looks like :blush: my man's cap badge is Red Cross (perhaps a West Kent attachment - who knows, I obviously don't)). Utterly baffled by his sleeve insignia - time for a stiff tea I think.

Suddery

post-53823-0-22173000-1326559289.jpg

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Thanks for the responses, any Antipodean connection can be ruled out.

The cap badge certainly appears to be St John Amb, the belt buckle remains indistinct at higher resolution, but on looking at a higher resolution image of the arm badge it appears to me to have naval connections (boom boom)

Other interesting thing is that the arm badges don't appear to be affixed to the sleeves in a soldierly fashion, almost as if they were velcro'ed or whatever they had at that time.

post-10363-0-94142500-1326587050.jpg

post-10363-0-44891400-1326587293.jpg

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Thanks for the responses, any Antipodean connection can be ruled out.

The cap badge certainly appears to be St John Amb, the belt buckle remains indistinct at higher resolution, but on looking at a higher resolution image of the arm badge it appears to me to have naval connections (boom boom)

Other interesting thing is that the arm badges don't appear to be affixed to the sleeves in a soldierly fashion, almost as if they were velcro'ed or whatever they had at that time.

Maybe the RN on the arm badge stands for 'registered nurse'

khaki

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Er....

I feel a chill wind blowing.

Having increased size of image and improved resolution it looks like :blush: my man's cap badge is Red Cross (perhaps a West Kent attachment - who knows, I obviously don't)). Utterly baffled by his sleeve insignia - time for a stiff tea I think.

Suddery

Wonder if it has anything to do with "Kent Voluntary Aid Detachment"? Believe that there were mixed male/female units of VAD's.

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Wonder if it has anything to do with "Kent Voluntary Aid Detachment"? Believe that there were mixed male/female units of VAD's.

Thank you Graham - sounds like a decent proposition. Perhaps the 'St John' patch was some form of proficiency award. Will add your suggestion to my list of 'enquiries to be d/w'.

Thanks Mctaz for the blow up - sadly none the wiser.

Regards

Suddery

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Maybe, it's the power of sugestion but after noticing the R.N. on the badge, I'm seeing two anchors below the letters, or maybe I need new glasses :)

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Increased size of badge & inverted, to show "anchors"

Dohhhh... forget the "anchors" I just noticed one of their kitbags is stencilled:

S.J.A.B.

F. & L.D.

Sorry, lesson learned, study the whole picture and not just focus on the insignia

post-10363-0-11520800-1326682856.jpg

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Wonder if it has anything to do with "Kent Voluntary Aid Detachment"? Believe that there were mixed male/female units of VAD's.

There were certainly male and female VADs but they were in separate detachments. (Those for men were given odd numbers and those for women given even numbers.)

CGM

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:whistle:

Increased size of badge & inverted, to show "anchors"

Dohhhh... forget the "anchors" I just noticed one of their kitbags is stencilled:

S.J.A.B.

F. & L.D.

Sorry, lesson learned, study the whole picture and not just focus on the insignia

Well, all was not in vain. At least I've been able to reclassify my SJAB postcards as VAD and my VAD postcards as SJAB.

I do seem to remember from my Sunday School Days (1960's so don't put too much weight on this) that the 'anchor and rock' were Christian symbols that were adopted in all manner of religious imagery throughout the Victorian period and beyond.

It's been an education so many thanks for the thread

Suddery

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