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Have to admit I've never seen a bundle of safety pins pinned to a battledress before. This gentleman from theThetford area has them above his right breast pocket. He also has the St John Ambulance Association badge sewn onto that pocket. I assume he is a member of a first aid party/post.  Safety Pins on Battledress
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Sadly, these reproduction green enamel Wardens' Posts signs are doing the rounds again. I first blogged about these back in 2020, but it appears another batch has been imported from China (or wherever they are being produced cheaply). They have battered screw holes and other dings added for a sense of wear and tear/authenticity. Most are appearing on eBay, priced between £60 and £100, and claimed to be original. They have also crept onto the main auctioneer sites. Unfortunately, they will catch out quite a few people as they are compelling fakes. I'll try to locate an original for comparison.  Fake Green Enamel Wardens' Post Signs If you have even a passing interest in the British Home Front during the Second World War, chances are you'll have seen a photograph taken by George Rodger. He was a war photographer for LIFE, the American magazine, and his photos of the London Blitz are some of the best taken. I recently came across a second-hand book called "The Blitz – The Photography of George Rodger". It's an excellent book with many fascinating photos. It can be bought for under a fiver on eBay and I recommend it to everyone. A biography of George Rodger is available online.  "The Blitz" The Photography of George Rodger A recent blog entry showed a stand-down photograph featuring members of Epping Forest Civil Defence, the British Red Cross Society, and nursing. A lady in this photo was wearing the uniform of the Civil Nursing Reserve (see below). I now have details about the cap she was wearing. The archives record that in October 1943, members of the Civil Nursing Reserve (CNR) who were Trained Nurses were given a more distinctive uniform; a blue grey cloth greatcoat replaced the gabardine coat, the breast badge was woven rather than printed, and they were issued a blue grey cloth cap worn with the metal CNR cap badge. The Post Office records list "Hat, Blue/Grey gabardine" as Cap, NA, 86. I am again indebted to Jon Mills for filling in the details regarding this particular cap.  Civil Nursing Reserve Cap NA 86  Civil Nursing Reserve nurse  Member of the Civil Nursing Reserve (CNR) with the hat released in 1943 A very interesting stand-down photo showing personnel drawn from various Civil Defence Services and first aid societies. Interestingly, a number of the ladies with ski caps have added the small 'CD' beret badge to the peaked caps which is not often seen. The gentlemen (all senior ranks) and the lady warden at the front have all qualified as Incident Officers - each has the script-style 'IO' badge on the left forearm. They also have five war service chevrons. The lady warden in the front row has also qualified as an instructor - she has the badge pinned to her collar of her Pattern 71 tunic. Interesting array of whistle lanyards with some on the right shoulder and some on the left. The lady on the bottom row, second from left, appears to be a Civil Nursing Reserve member with a most peculiar piece of headwear, I believe the other two ladies (not including the ARP lady) are British Red Cross Society members. I am unsure what service the ladies either side of the nurse are from.  Epping Forest ARP & First Aid Personnel © Epping Forest District Museum |
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