Sweden Swedish Infantry insignia

[GRA]

The habit of using company insignia in the Swedish Army dates back to the 1830's, then used as a cap badge, but later also as flags (not to be confused with the company colours of the 17th-18th centuries). In the early 1980's unit patches were allowed on field uniform, some units chose not only a regimental patch, but also company patches, the Älvsborg Regiment (15th Infantry Regiment) kept to the tradition of the company insignia of old.

There were two different designs; The first, more colourful and adhering to the colours of the old company insignia, was worn from 1982 as a cheap plastic variant, and as an embroidered cloth patch (at first only for officers, it was later issued to the conscript soldiers too) from 1984, and the second, the more heraldic-influenced design, from early 1995 until the regiment disbanded in 1998.

Regimental HQ insignia

/Jonas

[GRA]

The old company insignia around 1900, 1st battalion white (1st-4th companies), 2nd battalion red (5th-8th companies). 4th and 5th companies later changed colours with each other, and Lifkompaniet - the colonel's own company - added the letters "Lif" to their company flag, those letters made a comeback on the second design of patches.

1st Coy Lifkompaniet

2nd Coy Marks kompani

3rd Coy Södra Kinds kompani

4th Coy Vedens kompani

5th Coy Åhs kompani

6th Coy Norra Kinds kompani

7th Coy Gäseneds kompani

8th Coy Redvägs kompani

When the regiment moved into Borås and their newly built barracks, a new company flag saw the light of day - Borås kompani. Note the difference in design from the older flags.

[GRA]

The first patch design:

Top row; Basic Training Battalion HQ (plastic version of 1982, note that the patch colours are split in the two old 1st and 2nd battalion colours white and red)

Middle row; Lifkompaniet (School Coy) and Gäseneds kompani (renumbered to 3rd Rifle Coy)

Bottom row; Södra Kinds kompani (renumbered to 6th Supply Coy) and Borås kompani (7th Mortar Coy)

[GRA]

(continued)

Top row; Åhs kompani (renumbered to 8th HQ Coy) and Vedens kompani (renumbered to 9th Barracks Coy)

Bottom row; Norra Kinds kompani (renumbered to 10th Rifle Coy) and Redvägs kompani (renumbered to 12th Rifle Coy) with the first version of the Älvsborg Brigade patch

[GRA]

The second patch design:

Wth the introduction of the last design, the Älvsborg Brigade had parted from the regiment and taken over the Basic Training Battalion, leaving only one company with the regiment - Norra Kinds kompani - as Barracks Coy. The colour of the lion denotes the colour of the name tag, as well as the company's vehicle plates, and Gäseneds kompani, whose company colour was orange, had to change upon Sweden entering the European Union due to orange being a warning sign used for hazardous cargo. Thus Lifkompaniet passed their patch over to Gäseneds kompani, and designed a new patch with the letters "Lif" from the company flag. The slightly darker patches are of an earlier manufacture. The brigade had an elaborated system of patches with a yellow half-lion for the brigade sub-units, and the regiment kept the yellow full lion for regimental HQ, defence area HQ and Home Guard units.

Top; Lifkompaniet, second design (later manufacture)

Second row; Lifkompaniet, first design (early manufacture) and Gäseneds kompani, first design

Center; Södra Kinds kompani (later manufacture)

Fourth row; Åhs kompani (early manufacture) and Redvägs kompani (later manufacture)

Bottom; Norra Kinds kompani

[GRA]

The Älvsborg Brigade also had a series of patches for its wartime organisation, as can be seen, it is of the same design as the Basic Training Battalion but with yellow half-lions instead of half-lions whose colours were based on the company name-tag colours.

Top; Älvsborg Brigade

Center; Brigade HQ (newer manufacture), Brigade HQ Coy

Bottom; Brigade Recce Coy, Brigade Anti-Aircraft Coy (trained by 6th AA Regt?)

Brigade Rifle Battalions (1.-4.)

Top; Brigade Anti-Tank Coy, Brigade Tracked Anti-Tank Coy (12x Ikv 91 tank destroyers + 1x mounted rifle platoon, trained by 4th Armoured Regt)

Center; Brigade Howitzer Battalion (trained by 9th Artillery Regt), Brigade Pioneer Battalion

Bottom; Brigade Service & Supply Battalion

[GRA]

The old county regiments were also responsible for the defence of a part of the Swedish territory, a "Defence Area" - Försvarsområde (Fo) - and part of the organisation was made up of the Home Guards. The first patch design were basically the same as the regimental patch, but with a blue border and a tab above denoting the particular Home Guard sub-units ("battalion-sized", but in reality weaker).

The first design; A selection of sub-units from different towns and administrative areas, this selection is basically a complete set from the southern part of Fo34 (Defence Area 34) with one tab (Vänersborg) from the northern part. The Driftvärnet tab would have been worn by Home Guards members assigned to the protection of certain essential objects such as power plants, they would normally work on the object in question in peacetime too.

The last design; Defence Area HQ (newer manufacture), Home Guards (a generic design for all Home Guards units, after 1998 the sub-unit design made a comeback - after the regiment disbanded).

[GRA]

Another company symbol...

The Älvsborg Regiment made up a set of company flags sized 60cmX80cm for informal barracks use. Sets of miniature flags for table use were also produced, these could be seen in offices and expeditions all over the regiment as well as among the volunteer organisations. The different company flag designs can be seen in post #2 above.

This particular flag from Marks kompani were never issued (see the creases!), I am in fact not sure this company's flag were ever used, the company were rarely organised during the time these flags were in use. After the regiment disbanded I saw a box full of these company flags, brand new and in bags, waiting to be included in the regimental museum collection (at least I hope so!), noting that there were doubles in the box, I asked the person in charge of the collection if there was any possibility for one of these company flags to come to a caring home. As my great-great-grandfather served for thirty years in that company, the choice of flag was easy!

/Jonas

[Mikepapa]

Low budget versions: 

[GRA]

A blazer badge sourced from the Old Comrades Association, I'm in fact not sure if this blazer badge originates from the regiment or the OCA. Three-pin fastening on the backside. The OCA is still active even though the regiment disbanded in 1998.

/Jonas