Battle Patch / Formation patch RR troops

[Bill Alexander]

What, if any, battle patch or formation patch did British/Empire railway troops wear in France and Belgium during the later part of the War?

[Mike_H]

Bill

I have been researching British and Empire formation badges for a long time and the only railway connected ones I have found are Canadian. These are:-

Railway troops in general - a red square with a square voided centre.

Canadian 58th Broad Guage Operating Company - a red isosceles triangle with a darker red triangle superimposed on the base.

Let's hope that your thread brings out masses of new information from better informed Pals!!!

Mike

[Bill Alexander]

Thanks Mike. I have also been collecting Canadian formation patches from all eras and studying Canadian cloth titles and patches for years. To date I have not seen any patches for Canadian railway troops. Do you have images or sketches of these? Rough dimensions? I have the images from Law's Distinquishing Patches and the chart from Nicholson's CEF history. Both are somewhat speculative on the actual patches. No one took the time to fully document these at the end of the war. Thanks Bill

[Mike_H]

Bill

I don't have dimensions for the 58th BG Op Coy. I have checked my notes and find that the IWM has examples of the square badge which vary, they are variously attributed to battalions and measure as follows:-

4th Bn Railway Troops 3" square 1" voided centre square

6th " " " 2 3/4" " 3/4" " " "

10th " " " 3 1/2" " 1" " " "

Mike

[Bill Alexander]

Hi Mike, Could you assist me with some WWI Canadian cloth research? I was not aware that the IWM had a Canadian cloth collection. The Canadian War Musuem doesn't have a comprehensive collection of which I am aware. In fact CEF cloth is very difficult to find, and seldom seen on the market. Few collectors accumulated these patches, unlike their WWII counterparts which are well documented.