Here is a follow-up to our previous blog post, which covered insignia items which have been subjected to service alteration, in order to meet the requirements of various types of users during the service life of an item. This blog helps to illustrate insignia modifications which are commonly performed by soldiers on an individual basis, including:
- rolling (or bending) of insignia to better fit on the curved surfaces of service dress caps and ‘slouch hat’ (KFF) brims; and
- the creation of ‘sweetheart’ pieces etc.
This blog also shows some modifications which are made (in bulk) by Australian Army Units for their own purposes such as:
- replacing a gilt finish on an otherwise standard insignia item, with a chrome or silver finish for use by formation Bands (such as the Sydney University Band); and
- ‘saw piercing’ of insignia designs…such as those done by the South Australian Mounted Rifles, to highlight Squadron or Company level personnel allocations (by using differing colour backing cloth, behind the modified insignia design).
We hope you find this to be useful during your own collecting and researching activities.
The Authors
charliebravobooks 