Dating Royal Life Saving Society Respiration Service Badges

I have picked up several of the Royal Life Saving Society's Respiration Service badges over the years (all for just a few quid either online or at fairs).

We know from photographic evidence (see photo) that the coloured enamel badges were issued in the late 1930s and worn from the early part of the war.

​Documentary evidence details the issue of the RLSS's woven patch (for wear on CD uniform) and the "oxidised silver" version of the badge (for civilian dress).

We also have an original badge with issue paperwork that dates a badge with a 33457 number as being wartime (dated December 1943).

Coloured enamel RLSS's Respiration Service badge

I have a low issue coloured-enamel badge numbered 810 and another numbered 48375. Of the three badges with the larger rear brooch pin, two appear oxidised silver (numbers 32026 and 36566) and one much brighter silver in appearance (number 38124). Lastly, the badge with the smaller pin is numbered 40667. All badges are issued by J. A. Wylie & Co. London, apart from the small pin badge, which was made by B.H. Collins & Co, Birmingham.

Looking at badges that are available and have sold on eBay we see a rough pattern in numbers:

• Coloured enamel badges can have numbers as low as 810 and as high as 51380
• The small pin badges appear to have numbers in the range of 17597 to 29994 (my 40667 seems to be an outlier to this range).
• The larger brooch pin badges are all in the 3xxxx range.

I'd be interested in the numbers on the rear of any visitors' badges.

Various Royal Life Saving Society Respiration Service badges

Various Royal Life Saving Society Respiration Service issue badges