Royal Field Artillery rank badges, insignia and roles

[mickey selcon]

Hi

 

I wonder of anyone can help me as I am a bit confused after accessing numerous sources! What rank badges and insignia would shoeing smith corporals, farrier sergeants and farrier staff sergeants in the Royal Field Artillery have worn in WW1 and what would there roles have been.

 

I believe that the shoeing smith corporal would have worn 2 stripes and an upturned horseshoe and would have been responsible for the shoeing smiths and the shoeing and general foot care of the unit's horses. The  Farrier Sergeant would have worn 3 chevrons and the pincer insignia and would been responsible for the whole team of shoeing-smiths in a battery, while the Farrier Staff Sergeant was one rank below warrant officer and would have worn 3 chevrons, a crown and the pincer insignia. Is this correct?

 

Thanks

 

Mike

[FROGSMILE]

2 hours ago, mickey selcon said:

 

I believe that the shoeing smith corporal would have worn 2 stripes and an upturned horseshoe and would have been responsible for the shoeing smiths and the shoeing and general foot care of the unit's horses. The  Farrier Sergeant would have worn 3 chevrons and the pincer insignia and would been responsible for the whole team of shoeing-smiths in a battery, while the Farrier Staff Sergeant was one rank below warrant officer and would have worn 3 chevrons, a crown and the pincer insignia. Is this correct?

 

Thanks

 

Mike

You’re along the right lines except that the two sergeants had a gun badge immediately above their stripes and so the horseshoe was generally below the gun.  For Farrier QMS with 4-stripes lower sleeve the old Victorian era method was used of superimposing the horse shoe on the stripes.  In one of the photos below a sergeant has incorrectly positioned the horse shoe above the gun.  He is probably a man who had no prewar service.  The hammer and pincers badge was worn by armaments artificers, armourers and metalsmiths, but not by farriers, shoeingsmiths, or cold shoers.

 

Edited 20 July , 2020 by FROGSMILE

[mickey selcon]

Thank you so much this clears up quite a few queries!

 

Best regards

 

Mike

[FROGSMILE]

2 hours ago, mickey selcon said:

Thank you so much this clears up quite a few queries!

 

Best regards

 

Mike

Glad to help Mike, please don’t hesitate to get in touch if I can help in the future.

[mickey selcon]

Hi Frogsmile

Sorry to be a pain, but each answer seems to pose another question! Do you know how many Farrier Sergeants each Divisional Ammunition Column would have had? I would imaging that each section would have their own Farrier Sergeant to supervise the shoeingsmiths and look after the section's horses. Would that be right or would there only be one Farrier Sgt per DAC?

 

Thanks

Mike