WW1 Cloth badges ---- well maybe ?

[Gspragge]

I accidentally put this post in arms and weapons also! appologies ~

I have been asked to find out if these are of WW1 era ? I have no idea myself

and only have this image. 

[tankengine888]

3 hours ago, Gspragge said:

I accidentally put this post in arms and weapons also! appologies ~

I have been asked to find out if these are of WW1 era ? I have no idea myself

and only have this image. 

That's the RAF Warrant Officer insignia old boy.

[FROGSMILE]

13 hours ago, Gspragge said:

I accidentally put this post in arms and weapons also! appologies ~

I have been asked to find out if these are of WW1 era ? I have no idea myself

and only have this image. 

No they are not WW1 era.  At that time the cloth rank badges in woven worsted were all either off white on a drab background or a mixture of shades of drab and off white.  The threads themselves were also noticeably thicker than they later became.  I would date your badges to just post WW2, when a wide variety of colours were gradually introduced in an attempt to brighten up drab uniform after years of war, the intent being to stimulate identity and corps desprit at a time when bright and expensive uniforms were seen as both unaffordable and out of date anyway.  Brightly coloured regimental lanyards were introduced at around the same time (1949+).

RAF badge backing was in typical RAF blue-grey.  Your badges appear to have a darker backing of navy blue or black?

Edited 7 August , 2023 by FROGSMILE

[Gspragge]

Thanks for this, not my area of knowlege and I certainly had my doubts , fortunately not my items ! 

[FROGSMILE]

1 hour ago, FROGSMILE said:

No they are not WW1 era.  At that time the cloth rank badges in woven worsted were all either off white on a drab background or a mixture of shades of drab and off white.  The threads themselves were also noticeably thicker than they later became.  I would date your badges to just post WW2, when a wide variety of colours were gradually introduced in an attempt to brighten up drab uniform after years of war, the intent being to stimulate identity and corps desprit at a time when bright and expensive uniforms were seen as both unaffordable and out of date anyway.  Brightly coloured regimental lanyards were introduced at around the same time (1949+).

RAF badge backing was in typical RAF blue-grey.  Your badges appear to have a darker backing of navy blue or black?

These enclosed give an idea of what I’ve described.  Note the thickness of the thread.  The badges were hard to keep clean in trenches and dugouts and were designed to be robust, so that any mud soiling could be brushed off once dry.

Edited 7 August , 2023 by FROGSMILE

[4thGordons]

On 07/08/2023 at 08:57, FROGSMILE said:

 

RAF badge backing was in typical RAF blue-grey.  Your badges appear to have a darker backing of navy blue or black?

I think there was some variation - here is the badge on a1945 Flight Engineer's "Jacket, Blue-Grey, Warrant Officer" in my collection showing a backing colour similar to that of the original post.

Chris

 

[FROGSMILE]

1 hour ago, 4thGordons said:

I think there was some variation - here is the badge on a1945 Flight Engineer's "Jacket, Blue-Grey, Warrant Officer" in my collection showing a backing colour similar to that of the original post.

Chris

 

Thank you Chris, perhaps it’s a later, post WW2 badge then like yours, as that seems to match.  I also wonder what the Royal Australian Air Force wore before they adopted the Australian coat of arms in the 1970s, as their uniform was a much darker blue than used by the rest of the ‘old commonwealth’ nations.  Either way, clearly not WW1, nor WW2 for that matter.

Edited 9 August , 2023 by FROGSMILE