Rank Badge ?

[Ulsterman]

I found this in a box of junk. I suspect it is old Boy Scouts-but hey, what do i know? It is 11/4 inches in length, 1/2 an inch high. Can anyone help me as to what it was (is)?

Thank you.

[conservator]

I found this in a box of junk. I suspect it is old Boy Scouts-but hey, what do i know? It is 11/4 inches in length, 1/2 an inch high. Can anyone help me as to what it was (is)?

Thank you.

Hi Ulsterman,

Your badge is a US Marine Corps Warrant Officer 1 (WO) rank badge, worn on the shoulder I believe.

conservator

[Ulsterman]

thanks! I think there was thread on this "bar" earlier-it's evaporated.

[David S]

Actually it looks to be US Army W01 (worn between 1956 and 1972)

It was most likely worn on the collar.

The USMC colors are scarlet instead of brown.

Here's a pic of the metal version.

[conservator]

Hi David,

I used the US Armed Forces Insignia poster DoD P-2D/DA Poster 360-89/NAVEDTRA 46200A/AFVA 35-2/NAVMC 2508 (published 1975) to confirm the colours of this badge; though, I accept that different colours were used previously.

In the book 'American Badges and Insignia' by Evans E Kerrigan (published 1967), it states, for Warrant Officer W-1 "one bar of enamelled colour, separated by a centered cross-wise bar of gold and framed in gold. The colour is blue for the Navy and the Air Force and red for the Army and the Marine Corps". I assume that the colours changed at some point between 1972 and 1975 as the Army colour is depicted as black and the poster seems to show a dull red/brown for the USMC. Attached is a scan of the relevant part of the poster. The dull red/brown colour is certainly different to the background scarlet of the enlisted chevrons. What do you think?

[David S]

Here is what the current USMC WO1 insignia looks like.

It is scarlet and gold.

Scarlet is a popular color for the Marines.

The Army has varying shades of brown, some are beautifully enameled.