British 5th Division badge,WW1?

[elephant12]

Hello does anyone know what the design was for the shoulder/upper arm badge for the British 5th Division during WW1? Are there any illustrations? I think it might be a blue and yellow square divided diagonally. Thanks, Ranjit.

[Tony]

Hello Ranjit,

I think you're correct as I found this online.

Tony

[elephant12]

Hello Tony ,thanks for posting the illustration,i thought the badge would be half yellow and blue. Regards ,Ranjit.

[Stuart Bates]

According to Mike Chappell, the 5th (Regular) Division included New Army Battalions which "brought a scheme of battle patches with them from their previous division, but these lapsed in the 5th Division, where no battle insignia were worn."

The 14th Hussars wore a rectangular patch dividided diagonally blue/yellow prior to amalgamation with the 20th Hussars in 1922. And Guido Rosignoli gives the 5th Division as a "Y" on a green background post 1939.

I saw the website where you got the insignia and it does say WWI. Where to from here?

Stuart

Edited June 12, 2010 by Stuart Bates

[leigh kitchen]

I think that Chappell shows this insignia in one of his books - Battle Insigina WWI? - but captioned as a vehicle marking?

[Stuart Bates]

Leigh,

that was the book from which I took the quote but further reading came up with figure F6 which is simply described as "5th Division". Looks green and yellow to me.

This lack of further explanation on F6 does not neccessarily negate his earlier statement and I think I saw the comment you mention somewhere but predictably cannot find it.

So, the 5th Division had a divisional sign but was it worn on uniforms/headgear or only on vehicles?

Stuart

Edited June 15, 2010 by Stuart Bates

[William1]

The sign was worn on uniform. A friend of mine used to have a named tunic to a private soldier in the 1st Devons. The tunic had this emblem on it in wool, only a green background with a red stripe. The same sign was painted on the man's steel helmet. Brigade colours perhaps? Too complicated to have separate versions of the sign for every battalion in a Div, I would have thought.

A bit anecdotal and third hand I know, but the best I can do!

Regards,

W.

[leigh kitchen]

John Player's cigarette card, "Army, Corps & Diisional Signs 1914 - 1918", first series, published 1924.

No. 21 in the series is "5th Division".

Does'nt really add a lot.