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Another group photograph of four gents wearing the Civil Defence battledress and trousers with the red-lettered ARP breast badge. The ARP badge was worn by some volunteers right through to the stand down of the Civil Defence General Services in May of 1945. I cannot see any rank or shoulder titles on the uniforms (but it could just be that they are not visible). The chap on the far right appears to have filled the bandage pocket on his trousers (or that's where he's keeping his pipe...). The gentleman second from the right has the badge of the St John Ambulance Association on his right pocket. There appear to be several different styles of this badge; embroidered and woven varieties are known. Usually, the badge had St John Ambulance Association, but some may have also had St John Ambulance Brigade (if the CD member was also a member of the brigade). I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has this badge.  Battledress Blouses With Red ARP Breast Badge
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An interesting group photo that shows every member wearing the red-lettered ARP breast badge on their battledress blouses (BD). I assume this is shortly after the new BDs were issued and the stock of ARP badges were being used up.  ARP breast badge on CD battledress 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 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 smart line of CD personnel from the north west of England during the Civil Defence Services farewell parade in Hyde Park, 1945. Members from across the country headed to the event, which the King and Queen attended. The photo shows clear evidence that the ARP breast badge was worn through to the end of the war, as several men here have it displayed. Interestingly, both junior and senior supervisory roles intermingled. They have also all been given gaiters to wear. Various styles of beret are also seen, with both the ARP badge and CD badge being worn. Several men also have instructors' badges - see detailed image.  Stand Down of the Civil Defence Services, 1945  Detail showing Civil Defence insgnia and instructors' badges |
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