Colour patches were worn on australian uniforms to indicate the division, battalion and brigade of the solider. The colour patches which identified units in the first aif were designed to show. Brigade, 3rd contingent and attached to the australian division. Australian commonwealth military forces second world war. Sale 20th light horse regiment the victoria mounted rifles. The shape of a colour patch indicated the division or service the diamond shape was allotted to the second division. Since ive been collecting wwi trunk groups for a few years now, ive learned a ton, especially from reading threads on this site. In effect at a glance a colour patch would inform a person which division the wearer. The basic shapes were triangle for corps and army troops, rectangle for 1st australian division, diamond for 2nd division, horizontal oval for 3rd division, circle for 4th division and upright rectangle for 5th division. Ww1 colour patch 2nd light horse regiment aif welcome to. The shape and colour combinations of the patches correlated with the structure of the aif.
Horizontally aligned rectangular colour patch for headquarters 1 australian division, aif, showing a central white square on a black background. The australian armys system of colour patches arose from the need to solve an. In the case of light horse regiments, the leading and lower colour on any shoulder should be the brigade colour i. Anzac day parade in brisbane, queensland, 25 april 2007. At right is the colour patch of the 217th battalion. The patch history the second infantry division indianhead patch is one of the most recognized unit emblems in the u. The shape and colour of the patches indicated the wearers unit and when the aif was doubled in 1916, the colour patches of the new units reflected those of the parent units. As a result, many battalions found themselves wearing patches. Unit colour patches identify the wearer as belonging to a military formation or unit. Marchers in world war ii australian uniforms, wearing the colour patch of the 28th battalion. Below are colour patches of the 17th battalion, originally of the 2nd division in the 1st aif.
The 2nd division was in support during the first battle of bullecourt, which was the fifth armys main contribution to the arras offensive. Unit colour patch wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. Unit colour patch a short history colour patch store. As a unit within 9th division of the 2nd aif, 17th battalion has a tshaped colour patch representing the siege of tobruk, with the grey background of the 2nd aif. The 2nd lhr light horse regiment, aif, as part of the 1st light horse brigade 1st lh bde was raised in queensland in august 1914 as part of the 1st australian contingent. Unit colour patches or simply known as colour patches identify the wearer as belonging to a military formation or unit it is believed that the australian system of colour patches is based upon the small patches of colours or tartan worn on the puggarees of the pith helmets of members of a number of british army units during the second boer war, the south african war of 18991902. The army refers to the slouch hat by its official designation. Corrected colour patches of 14th, 15th light horse regiments, 3rd, 4th camel battalions, 11th, 12th, th, 14th, 17th and 18th artillery. The first division had a rectangular patch, the second division had a diamond. This almost caused a mutiny in the 1st aif, because battalions that had earned their reputation in some of. Kg 14 the 2nd light horse regiment was raised at enoggera in queensland on 18 august 1914.
Ww1 colour patch 2nd light horse regiment aif welcome. One thing, however, that baffles me is wwi patches. Colour patches australians in world war 1 research guides. This colour patch was based on that of the 8th battalion, 1st aif, with grey trim to distinguish it as the colour patch of a.
The physical standards under which the first contingent of the aif was recruited were very strict, nevertheless by the end of august over 20,000 men had been recruited into one infantry divisionthe 1st divisionand one light horse brigade, the 1st light horse brigade. History of australian colour patches the australian war. Colour patches australians in world war 1 research guides at. This instruction also reflected the reduction in the number of battalions in each brigade from four to three, reallocating colour patches to infantry battalions on the basis of the new divisional structure by shapes and colours which represented the new divisional, brigade and battalion seniority of their second aif grouping. The patches of the australian forces, 19141918, are shown on the australian war memorial website along with an outline of the formation of each battalion. The brigade was initially formed as a parttime militia formation in the early 1900s in new south wales. Hat khaki fur felt kff to everyone else it is a slouch hat. The brigade first saw action while serving in the australian and new zealand. Horizontally aligned rectangular colour patch for 8 light horse regiment, aif, divided.
Colour patches of the aif infantry ww1 digger history. Our selection of items for the 2nd armored division includes tee shirts, golf shirts, baseball caps, decals, patches, lapel pins and more. Towards the end of the war, many units took to painting the patches on steel helmets as a further aid to identification. The original aif colour patch was issued to the 224th battalion when it was formed as part of the 7th division in 1940. Wwi collectable patches 19141918 for sale shop with. Benalla th light horse regiment the gippsland light horse. Jpg from the collection of 4th19th prince of waless light horse regiment unit history room simpson barracks macleod victoria. Therefore there could be some confusion over colour patches, with some members of disbanded battalions reluctant to give up their colours. Melbourne 2nd field brigade, raa 4th, 5th, 102nd btys. For example, the 214th battalion, at that time being the senior battalion of the third brigade of the second division of the 2nd aif the 7th division, was allotted a diamondshaped black over light blue patch on the grey background. This almost caused a mutiny in the 1st aif, because battalions that had earned their reputation in some of the hardest action did not want to disband.
Free delivery and returns on ebay plus items for plus members. Men of the 2nd australian field ambulance, wearing the colour patch of australian army medical. Help on wwi 2nd division insignia posted in army and usaaf. I know there are a huge number of variations and i havent been able to find a good source that is in print right now. Unit colour patch of the royal australian regiment. The australian imperial force aif badges 19141918 the. While some are recent creations many date back to world war i, when on 8 march 1915 1st division order no 81 was issued at mena, egypt authorising. In 1930 it was amalgamated with the 2nd light horse regiment to become the 2nd14th light horse regiment queensland mounted infantry. The 11th divisions horizontal arrowhead was overall 78mm. In may 1942 an army order was issued which inserted aust into all unit names to avoid confusion with us units.
In april or may 1940, an army instruction allocated grey backgrounds to second aif colour patches. The 14th light horse regiment was a mounted infantry or light horse unit of the australian army. When the first australian imperial force aif set off for the middle east in 1914, the only badge it wore was on headgear and jacket collars. Australian motor division, disbanded to bring up the strength of the 1st. The origin of the patch goes back to the earliest day of the divisions history. The sizes of colour patches of world war 1 were generally larger than those of world war 2. Colour patch store the australian military patches website. This consisted of cloth colour patches on the upper arms of a soldiers tunic. The first pattern of its colour patch, prior to the siege of tobruk pattern, was that of the 24th battalion in the diamond lozenge shape of the 2nd division of the 1st aif, superimposed over the grey diamond of the 7th division of the 2nd aif. The australian armys system of colour patches arose from the need to solve an immediate problem. Formed in march 1918, the battalion consisted of four machine gun companies, which had previously existed as independent companies assigned. Australian cavalry division, for a short period it was designated the 2nd.
The light blue bar on the bottom signifies the third brigade of the division. Made up of men drawn from the 3rd military district victoria, the 8th light horse regiment was established at the broadmeadows training camp in melbourne, victoria. World war, second aif units were authorised to adopt the colour patches of their. Michigan regiment union army had 10 colour bearers killed and the 46th north. Colour patches were worn on australian uniforms to indicate the division. The basic shapes were triangle for corps and army troops, rectangle for 1st australian division, diamond for 2nd division, horizontal oval for 3rd division. Unit colour patches the 14th light horse regiment was a mounted infantry or light horse unit of the australian army.
The unit takes its lineage from units raised as part of the colonial forces of the state of queensland in 1860 and served during the second boer war and world war i. Colour patches australians in world war 1 research. Australian light regiments and brigades australian light. The regiment embarked from brisbane, queensland on board hmat a15 star of england 24 september 1914. The first division had a rectangular patch, the second division had a diamondshaped patch, the third division had a horizontal oval patch, the fourth division had a circle, the fifth division had a vertical oblong patch and the sixth division had a vertical oval patch. The 11th division s horizontal arrowhead was overall 78mm long and 50mm high, as an example of a larger patch.
Colour patch for 1st light horse regiment, colour patch for 2nd light horse. Main photo the 27th battalion and a light horse detachment marching along unley. History of australian colour patches the australian war memorial. Significance the army unit colour patches ucp were orginally designed in a simple manner,allowing other member to easily identify the members unit, division and battalion. The army unit colour patches ucp were orginally designed in a simple.
Reconstituted at maadi, egypt 20 february 1916 and assigned to 4th division. Colour patches of world war ii were generally smaller than those of world war i, with the world war ii square patch 38 millimetres 1. Colour patches for wwi uniforms are worn centrally on each shoulder with the top of the patch 1. Worn as a distinguishing unit indication at the head of each sleeve from 1917. A squadron and machine gun section attached to 2nd light horse regiment, b squadron attached to 5th light horse regiment, c squadron attached to 9th light horse regiment. Army because of its distinctive design and 80 years of proud service by its warriors. Also unit names were issued with an official amendment to the order of battle. Jul 12, 2012 for example, the 214th battalion, at that time being the senior battalion of the third brigade of the second division of the 2nd aif the 7th division, was allotted a diamondshaped black over light blue patch on the grey background. Colour patches 8th light horse victorian collections. Its format was the same as for the first aif except that it had a grey background added to the original 24th battalions red and white diamond. It is believed that the australian system of colour patches is based upon the small patches of colours or tartan worn on the puggarees of their pith helmets by a number of british army units during the south african war of 18991902.
In order for the brigade colour to lead on both sleeves, the two patches must be mirror images of each other. The above illustrations are for patches worn on the left shoulder. The colour patches which identified units in the first aif were designed to show what division or service they belonged to, and also, in the case of infantry units, their brigade. Group shot of c company, 2nd battalion, in kensington, sydney, october 1914. Australian and canadian colour patches of world war 1a. Colour patch display australian light horse colour patches. Colour patches were the unique identifiers of the units of the first aif. Get the best deals on wwi collectable patches 1914 1918. Other units such as the flying corps, the light horse brigades, the. They are worn so that the brigade colour is to the lower front edge.
As the aif began to expand over the next few years a new shape was adopted. The 11th divisions horizontal arrowhead was overall 78mm long and 50mm high, as an example of a larger patch. The 2nd light horse brigade was a mounted infantry brigade of the australian imperial force aif which served in the middle eastern theatre of world war i. History of australian colour patches click the following article. It was one of five such units raised as part of the aif during the war. These two brigades participated separately in the gulf war with each attached to a separate division. In 1914, the brigade was reconstituted as part of the aif. The images and descriptions below are based on a colour poster designed and printed by service publications.
The aif system was based on a variety of geometric shapes combined with identifying colours. Light horse 4th light horse and artillery badges will be divided diagonally, the others horizontally. The rectangle shape indicates that it is a unit of the first division. The world war 2 square patch for example had 38mm sides, with an additional 5mm grey border if 2nd aif. Colour patch display australian light horse colour. Mar 01, 2000 the aif system was based on a variety of geometric shapes combined with identifying colours. These patches were first worn by canadian soldiers in the middle of 1916. The upper colour showed the battalion and the lower colour the brigade. This instruction also reflected the reduction in the number of battalions in each brigade from four to three, reallocating colour patches to infantry battalions on the basis of the new divisional structure by shapes.
The slouch hat is an object strongly associated with australian identity. Some 180 colour patches, primarily those of the aif, were depicted in the colour plate issued with the 1935 orders. Once the first attempt on bullecourt had failed, the 2nd division relieved the australian 4th division from in front of bullecourt a front of approximately 2,750 yd 2,510 m on april. This colour patch was based on that of the 8th battalion, 1st aif, with grey trim to distinguish it as the colour patch of a unit of the 2nd aif. Help on wwi 2nd division insignia army and usaaf u. The 2nd machine gun battalion was an infantry support unit of the australian army that was raised for service during world war i as part of the all volunteer australian imperial force. Examples may be found of uniforms in the period 1921 1943 with two colour patches that are the same e. Relieved of assignment to 4th division 4 march 1916 and attached to 2nd light horse brigade.