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The ARP Pattern 54 armband is the "rainbow" Civil Defence armband introduced in July 1940. This example, with the same designation, would appear to be an early, and unadopted, sample. Images courtesy of Roger Miles.
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I recently blogged about a Dutch 'CD' armband issued close to the war's end. Jon Mills has sent me the following information regarding a similar armband but with light blue lettering made by the GPO. The lettering on the Dutch example looks white when compared to the below example, but it could be faded. The design of the GPO armband looks identical to the Dutch example. This armband is noted as "ARP Pattern 194 Armband, Industrial Civil Defence - Light blue printed on dark blue". See this page for a list of ARP Pattern Numbers. The previous source mentioned that the Dutch armbands were issued by British forces and it would now follow that these were indeed British in origin.  ARP Pattern 194 - "Armband, Industrial Civil Defence - Light Blue Printed on Dark Blue" This SFP Torquay armband recently sold on eBay for £117. When I posted it on Facebook a few people challenged the authenticity of the item, mainly because they hadn't seen the armband before and lived in the area. However, it's the genuine article, an identical armband having been seen on the Military Heraldry Society previously.
Over the years, I've seen a few of these armbands featuring white "CD" letters on a black or very dark blue background. It appears these were issued in the Netherlands around the time of the country's liberation from German occupation. Some sources state they were issued by British forces but I cannot currently find a definitive source to corroborate this. UPDATE: see the follow-up blog on an identical armband.  Dutch Liberation "CD" Armband - Black/Dark Blue with White Lettering Becoming somewhat scarce these days, the Bomb Reconnaissance sleeve insignia and armband for the Bomb Reconnaissance Officer appeared on eBay. The armband sold for £95 (plus shipping) which was a good price for someone and the sleeve badge reached £125 which was way above my estimate.  WW2 Civil Defence Bomb Reconnaissance Officer Sleeve Insignia  WW2 Civil Defence Bomb Reconnaissance Officer Armband |
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