WW2 Civil Defence First Aid & Life Saving Badges
St. John Ambulance Association & Brigade Badges
Civil Defence personnel that had undertaken training and qualified on a recognised first aid or life saving course could add an attainment badge to their right breast pocket. The more commonly seen badges on period photos are for the St. John Ambulance Association (the Ambulance Association trained people who were not members of the St John Ambulance Brigade) and the Royal Life Saving Society.
Member of a First Aid Party (FAP) wearing the St John badge
There are examples of St. John Ambulance Brigade breast badges being worn. The example below comes Carmarthen in Wales. This particular badge has been cut from an armband , hence the rough edges.
St. John Ambulance Association Civil Defence breast badge
In most cases, these badges were sewn on to or above the right pocket but in very rare instances, as seen in some period photos, it was sewn onto the sleeve.
St. John Ambulance Brigade breast badge
When a breast badge becomes a sleeve badge...
This photo is from a series taken for LIFE magazine of members of the ARP Wardens' Service in Paddington, London. This one shows the St. John badge being worn on the sleeve rather than the pocket. Although the Civil Defence services were issued with regulations about where badges were to be sewn, it is not uncommon to see badges sewn on sleeves like this.
ARP Warden with St John Ambulance Association badge on sleeve
WW2 Royal Life Saving Society 'Respiration Service' Breast Badge
The Royal Life Saving Society offered training to civilians in first aid and artificial respiration. Members of various Civil Defence services could undertake training and after successful completion wear the society's specially woven 2" x 2" red on dark navy blue silk badge on their right breast pocket of battledress or tunic.
The society also presented an oxidised metal badge that could be worn on civilian clothing (though at least one photo shows a full colour enamel badge being worn on bluette overalls early in the war). See this blog post for images of the badge.
Wartime examples of the woven badge did not have a merrow edge (see below) and are not made of silk but a rayon-type material. The RLSS society continued to issue the badge in the post-war period but they are smaller than wartime badges and have a merrow edge top and bottom. Some people claim to have received this respiration service badge into the 1980s.
The society also presented an oxidised metal badge that could be worn on civilian clothing (though at least one photo shows a full colour enamel badge being worn on bluette overalls early in the war). See this blog post for images of the badge.
Wartime examples of the woven badge did not have a merrow edge (see below) and are not made of silk but a rayon-type material. The RLSS society continued to issue the badge in the post-war period but they are smaller than wartime badges and have a merrow edge top and bottom. Some people claim to have received this respiration service badge into the 1980s.
WW2 Royal Life Saving Society Respiration Service Breast Badge
Badges with a merrow edge top and bottom are post-war examples of Royal Life Saving Society Respiration Service badge
Details of the RLSS woven badge for wear on uniform
British Red Cross Society (BRSC) Badges
A number of wartime photos show various badges issued by the British Red Cross Society. I am looking for examples of these to add to this section. Please contact me if you have a Red Cross badge you know was worn on a Civil defence uniform.
Unknown Red Cross badge
BRC (British Red Cross) First Aid breast badge
Currently unidentified first aid qualification badge
