Wound Badge Evolution

[Brian Wolfe]

Hello JapanX,

This is an invaluable reference. I knew there were more than one variation but so many? Fasinating to say the least.

Thank you for putting so much effort in this post, I know many of us will benifit greatlyu from it.

Regards

Brian

[JapanX]

Hi Brian

Thanks.

Will try to do something with the documents later.

Regards,

Nick

P.S. I see you forget our little chat in a chat room :)

Edited November 10, 2011 by JapanX

[Brian Wolfe]

Hi Brian

Thanks.

Will try to do something with the documents later.

Regards,

Nick

P.S. I see you forget our little chart in a chart room

Hi Nick,

No, I have not forgotten the chat, but if you are referring to me not using your name, that I had forgotten. I wrote it down, (old age and failing memory) but I am in my office early this morning and the "memory book" is in the Home Office.

Great work and I look forward to the document portion of this post.

Regards

Brian

[JapanX]

Hi Nick,

No, I have not forgotten the chat, but if you are referring to me not using your name, that I had forgotten. I wrote it down, (old age and failing memory) but I am in my office early this morning and the "memory book" is in the Home Office.

Great work and I look forward to the document portion of this post.

Regards

Brian

Regards,

Nick

Edited November 10, 2011 by JapanX

[JapanX]

ERRATUM

should be read as

typical SMALL shield badge usually weights about 17,5 grams and had width about 24,3 mm and height about 28,5 mm.

typical LARGE shield badge usually weights about 10,25 grams and had width about 30,5 mm and height about 37,26 mm.

Sorry about that.

Ok. Enough is enough. What is wrong with me?! A lot!

Should be read as

typical SMALL shield badge usually weights about 10,25 (!) grams and had width about 24,3 mm and height about 28,5 mm.

typical LARGE shield badge usually weights about 17,5 (!) grams and had width about 30,5 mm and height about 37,26 mm.

Sorry... My bad...

P.S. As was announced earlier - more info is coming... Hope I will be ready to post it in the next 48 hrs. (really love this flick )

[JapanX]

Let’s examine some more photos of these early extra rare badges. I’d like to thank my friends for a kind permission to use these (and not only these) photos of very interesting sub-variation of type 3.1.

[JapanX]

Here it is.

[JapanX]

What a nice, elegant execution of the shield! And what unbelievable kanji tracings!

This badge definitely spent some time on the chest of recipient!

Edited November 12, 2011 by JapanX

[JapanX]

And here comes another example of type 3.1 badge without gilt.

[JapanX]

Strange story we’ve got on our hands with this “no gilt type 3.1” nonsense.

Ok. It’s time to go back to the document problem.

[JapanX]

So where were we?

Yes, this documents for early badges…

Where are they?

All we have is documents for late type 4 badges.

Let’s take a close look at these documents.

And who knows…

Maybe they will shade some light on early documents and why we don’t see them.

[JapanX]

Late documents for wound badges

There two types of documents that we could find for type 4 badges. Actual award document (“large” document in father discussion) and smaller add-on document (“small” document in father discussion).

Large document has the following dimensions: height 300 mm and width 420 mm.

Here is the photo of document for battle wound badge type 4.

[JapanX]

Document number: 8426

Recipient name: Murakami Hisakichi-san

Dated: January 9, 1941

Wound type: shell splinter hit at right thigh

[JapanX]

And here is the photo of large document for non-battle wound badge type 4. It has exactly the same design and same kend information. The only diffference is class of badge - in case of this document non-combat, private service wound badge.

[JapanX]

These large, impressive documents are beautiful, interesting and quite rare, but they couldn’t help us figure out the fate of documents for early badges. Maybe smaller documents will?

[JapanX]

Smaller add-on document has the following dimensions: height 105 mm and width 75 mm.

Its purpose was being more mobile and compact version of the original large document.

It was used by recipient for getting regular pension payment (and of course as verifying document).

Its size is suitable for military or civil ID booklet.

Here we got very interesting example of such small document.

Edited November 12, 2011 by JapanX

[JapanX]

Obverse

[JapanX]

Obverse is saying that we have

Document type A number 16 199

Second lieutenant Ishita Asajiro

Date of birth September 18, 1870

Date of document issuing February 1, 1942 (sic!)

[JapanX]

Now the most important part for us – reverse of this small document.

[JapanX]

Content of the tight side section of this document practically duplicate information from large size documents: type of wound, injury or illness, time when this incident occurred and asset number from invalid regulation.

In case of this document it is bullet wound in left hand that our fellow men get during Russo-japanese war of 1904-1905!!!

This is unbelievable!

Our document was issued 37 years later.

In 1905 there were no wound badges at all!

What does it mean?

It means that all types of badges were retroactive as well as documents!

This man in consecutive order was awarded by badges type 2.3, type 3.3 and type 4.1.

Every time new type of badge was instituted he returned his old badge together with the document and got a new one instead.

Was this really so?

Indeed!!!

[JapanX]

The left side of document reverse clearly states that

1. this card should be turn over in case of badge unfitness
   
2. in case of address change you should inform village elder or mayor in next 7 days
   
3. in case this card or badge is lost you should inform civil or military police
   
4. in case of citizenship change, death of receptor this card together with badge should be returned to village elder or mayor
   

Now it’s quite clear why type 1.1 – type 3.4 badges and documents on them are so scarce!!!

[JapanX]

APPENDIX

In addition to 4 basic types of wound badges and their variations there exists a whole family of badges issued by (or connected with) Wounded Soldier Association of Japan (a.k.a. Imperial Wounded Soldiers Association or Imperial Wounded and Disabled Soldiers Association). Let’s examine these interesting badges in every detail.

[JapanX]

First badge will be this pre-war wounded soldier association regular member badge.

Obverse gilt kanji reads Shoui (Wound badge).

It is massive (height 44,5 mm and width 36,5 mm) and very high quality badge.

It was introduced in late 20s or early 30s and was abolished shortly after 1938 (it was replaced by “general” badge – we’ll talk about this badge a little later).

[JapanX]

Obverse and reverse

[JapanX]

It will be interesting to note that the pre-war “badge structure” of wound association was similar to the badge structure of imperial military reservist association. Just take a look at the following photos.