Entrenching Battalions Insignia

[Martyn Gibson]

Hi Pals,

Does anyone have any knowledge on any insignia, cap badge, epaullete or sleve, that might have been given to members of any of the Entrenching Battalions that were raised. I have searched and found nothing.

I just wonder if anything was given to identify them but I find it stranger to think that a disparate group of men from many different regiments could be put togeather with nothing to identify them.

Does anyone also, have any idea how long these battalions lasted?

Kind regards

Martyn

[HarryBettsMCDCM]

Would they have worn the Crossed Rifle & Pickaxe Collar Insignia of the Pioneer Battalions?

[Jim Gordon]

Martyn

Entrenching Battalions, as I understand it, were mainly composed of survivors of other Battalions who had been in action and had been badly mauled. Some of them, however, did receive drafts of raw troops and gave them their iniiation into trench warfare. These Battalions were used as a source of reinforcement readily in position in France. I suspect they would carry on wearing the insignia of their original Units until re-deployed.

Harry

I may be wrong but the Entreching Battalions were not associated with the Pioneer Corps in any way.

Regards

Jim Gordon

[Broznitsky]

Martyn, in the CEF the men in the Entrenching Btns wore either the General Service cap or the cap badge of the unit they had enlisted in or were destined for. There was no specific Ent Btn badge.

And Jim is quite correct in stating the Ents had no connection to Pioneers, other than possibly working beside them on certain jobs.

Peter in Vancouver