Patches of 

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AUSTRALIAN ARMY MEDICAL CORPS

• 298. (a) AAMC 1st Aust. Division, 1915 - 1918: Auth. I Aust. Div. Order 562, 8.3.1915. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Field Ambulances.
  • (b) 1st Aust. Clearing Hospital, 1915; and 
    • 1st Aust. Casualty Clearing Station, 1915- 1918: Ref. 1st Aust. CCS memo dated 15.4.1917. (AWM 11, item 1504/1/11)
• 299. (a) AAMC 2nd Aust. Division, 1915 - 1919 : Auth. 2 Aust. Div. Inst., 3.8.1915. 5th, 6th, and 7th Field Ambulances.
  • (b) 2nd Aust. Casualty Clearing Station, 1915-1918: Ref 2nd Aust. CCS memo dated 15.4.1917.( ibid.)
• 300A. AAMC 3rd Aust. Division, 1916 - 1919 : Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 231, 26.8.1916. 9th, 10th, and 11th Field Ambulances.

Note: Reference to the three following colour patches first appears in a letter dated 31.5.1917 from the CO 10th Aust. Field Ambulance to the CO 9th Aust. Field Ambulance, directing that stretcher bearers of the latter unit were to attach a green band on the left arm immediately above the brassard. The 10th and 11th Field Ambulances were to wear red and light blue bands respectively. (AWM 25, item 89/16.) 

This information is further qualified by a HQ 3rd Aust. Division memo dated 9.7.1917 advising that in recent operations field ambulances of that division had worn a coloured strip, 9 inches in length by 1/2 inch wide, attached three inches below the colour patch, the strip being in the colour of the brigade to which each field ambulance was attached. Permission was sought to continue this practice however there is no record of it being granted.(16 AWM 11, item 1504/1/I 1.)

• 300B. 9th Aust. Field Ambulance, 1917: Worn in conjunction with No. 300A.
• 300C. 10th Aust. Field Ambulance, 1917: Worn in conjunction with No. 300A.
• 300D. 11th Aust. Field Ambulance, 1917: Worn in conjunction with No. 300A.
• 301. AAMC 4th Aust. Division, 1916 - 1919 : Auth. HQ Aust and NZ Forces CM No. 17, 25.2.1916. 4th, 12th, and 13th Field Ambulances.
• 302. AAMC 5th Aust. Division, 1916 - 1919 : Auth. HQ Aust and NZ Forces CM No. 17, 25.2.1916. 8th, 14th, and l5th Field Ambulances.
• 303. AAMC 6th Aust. Division, 1917 : Auth. AAG AlF Letter No. 15/42, 25.5.1917. 
  • Only the 16th Aust. Field Ambulance was raised for this formation in March 1917, being disbanded in October 1917.
• 304. Aust. Base Depot Medical Stores, 1918 - 1919: Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 1299, 16.7.1918. A 1 and 3/4 inch square.
  • Referred to in Australian Imperial Force Order .1299 as the Medical Section, Administrative Headquarters, AlF, however the designation of the unit on behalf of which authority was sought, and was specifically approved for, is as shown.
• 305. AAMC 1st Aust. Division, 1918 - 1919: Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 1051, 1.1.1918.
• 306. 1st Aust. Light Horse Field Ambulance, 1916 - 1919 Auth. Aust and NZ Mtd Div. RO No. 1, para. 4, 18.10.1916.
• 307. 2nd Aust. Light Horse Field Ambulance, 1916 - 1919 Auth. Aust. and NZ Mtd Div. RO No. 1, para. 4, 18.10.1916.
• 308. 3rd Aust. Light Horse Field Ambulance, 1916 - 1919 Auth. Aust and NZ Mtd Div. RO No. 1, para. 4, 18.10.1916.
• 309. 4th Aust. Light Horse Field Ambulance, 1917 - 1919: Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 795, 10.8.1917.
  • A previous 4th Aust. Light Horse Field Ambulance was disbanded in July 1915, its personnel being used as AAMC reinforcements.
• 310. 5th Aust. Light Horse Field Ambulance, 1918 - 1919 : Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 1521, 21.1.1919. 
  • Formerly the Aust. Camel Field Ambulance.
• 311. Aust. Camel Field Ambulance, 1918: Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 1051, 1.1.1918. 
  • Raised in June 1917 and redesignated the 5th Aust. Light Horse Field Ambulance in July 1918.
• 312. 1st Aust. Casualty Clearing Station, 1918 - 1919 : Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 1051, 1.1.1918. 
  • The unit advised that as at 30.10.1918 it had still not received supplies of this patch and it is unlikely that they were issued prior to mid December 1918.
• 313. 2nd Aust. Casualty Clearing Station, 1918 - 1919: Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 1051, 1.1.1918.
• 314. 3rd Aust. Casualty Clearing Station, 1918 - 1919: Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 1051, 1.1.1918.
• 315A. 1st Aust. General Hospital, 1916: 
  • Reference is made to this patch by the CO 1st AGH in a memo dated 26.6.1916. He stated that they were procured in Egypt under a local purchase order, expenditure being met by the AIF Ordnance Department, Cairo. The original intention, as understood by the unit, was that these patches were to be worn on the summer helmet, and not as a colour patch on the tunic as they now were. (AWM 25, item 89/16.) It was superseded by No. 315B, period unknown.
• 315B. 1st Aust. General Hospital, 1916 - 1918: 
  • Ref, "Distinguishing Marks and Badges AIF", undated, and AIF Admin. HQ Memo No. 26144, 31.10.1916. It would appear that No. 315A was issued in lieu for a period, however 315B was in use by April 1917 as a sample patch was submitted with a unit memo dated 28.4.1917.(AWM 11, item 1504/1 /11.) Superseded by No. 315C in January 1918.
• 315C. 1st Aust. General Hospital, 1918 - 1919: Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 1051, 1.1.1918.

• 316A. 2nd Aust. General Hospital, 1916 - 1918: Ref. "Distinguishing Marks and Badges AIF", undated, and AIF Admin. HQ Memo No. 26144, 31.10.1916. 
  • A sample of this patch was provided with a 2nd AGH memo dated 30.4.1917 with the advice that this was the patch currently being worn by the unit. (ibid.) Superseded by No. 316B in January 1918.
• 316B. 2nd Aust. General Hospital, 1918 - 1919: Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 1051, 1.1.1918.
• 317A. 3rd Aust. General Hospital: 
  • Sealed pattern held by Ordnance, a sketch of which appears in AWM 25, Item No. 89/8. It has not been possible to determine if this patch was actually worn.
• 317B. 3rd Aust. General Hospital, 1916 - 1918: Ref. "Distinguishing Marks and Badges AIF", undated, and AIF Admin. HQ Memo No. 26144, 31.10.1916. 
  • This colour patch is stated as being worn by a unit memo dated 26.4.1917.(ibid) Superseded by No. 317C in January 1918.
• 317C. 3rd Aust. General Hospital, 1918 - 1919: Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 1051, 1.1.1918.
• 318A. 14th Aust. General Hospital, 1917 - 1918: 
  • No authority was ever given for this colour patch however in early 1918 the CO 14th AGH advised HQ AIF that it had been issued to his unit in November 1917 and he was unable to obtain sufficient supplies of white material to replace the green inset to conform to Australian Imperial Force Order 1051.(ibid) This design had originally been provisionally allotted to the l4th AGH as part of a scheme of patches for the whole of the AAMC which had been considered for approval in late 1917 and it would appear that its approval had been anticipated by Aust. HQ, Egypt.
• 318B. 14th Aust. General Hospital, 1918 - 1919: Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 1051, 1.1.1918.
  • Note: No colour patches were authorised for No's 4 to 13, 15 and 16 Aust. General Hospitals, which, with the exception of the 10th A.L.H., served exclusively in Australia.
• 319. 1st Aust. Stationary Hospital, : 
  • Despite the appearance of this patch in Volume III of the Official War History there is no evidence to support its existence, In October 1916 this unit was reorganized in England as the 3rd Aust. Auxiliary Hospital and the CO of 3rd AMAH advised in April 1917 that no colour patch had been allotted to the original unit. Personnel allotted to 3rd AMAH since its reorganization from 1st ASH were still wearing the colour patches of their previous units at that stage.(ibid)
• 320. 2nd Aust. Stationary Hospital, 1918 - 1919: Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 1051, 1.1.1918.
• 321. 1st Aust. Auxiliary Hospital, 1918 - 1919 : Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 1051, 1.1.1918. 
  • Raised at Harefield Park, Middlesex, in April 1915 as the Australian Convalescent Depot.
• 322. 2nd Aust. Auxiliary Hospital, 1918 - 1919 Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 1051, 1.1.1918. 
  • Opened at Southall, Middlesex, in August 1916.
• 323. 3rd Aust. Auxiliary Hospital, 1918 - 1919 Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 1051, 1.1.1918. 
  • Opened at Dartford, Kent, in October 1916 by staff of the former 1st Aust. Stationary Hospital.

Note: No colour patches are known to have been authorised for Nos. 4, 5 and 6 Auxiliary Hospitals serving in the United Kingdom, or Nos. 7 to 28 Auxiliary Hospitals located in Australia. The 1st to 4th Aust. Auxiliary Hospitals had also existed in Egypt between 1915 and 1916 as offshoots of the 1st Australian General Hospital.

• 324. 1st Aust. Dermatological Hospital, 1916 - 1919: Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 1051, 1.1.1918. The first reference to this colour patch is AIF Admin HQ Memo No. 26144, 31.10.1916, and the CO of 1st ADH advised on 13.4.1917 that the patch was then in use by his
  unit.(ibid) Raised briefly in November 1915 as the Aust. Venereal Disease Hospital, redesignated in December 1915.
• 325. No. 1 Aust. Hospital Ship, 'Karoola'. 1918 - 1919 Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 1051, 1.1.1918. Raised in June 1915.
• 326. No. 2 Aust. Hospital Ship, 'Kanowna', 1918 - 1919 Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 1051, 1.1.1918. Raised in June 1915.
• 327. No. 1 Sea Transport Staff, AAMC: Ref Official War History, Volume III. See note below.
• 328. No. 4 Sea Transport Staff, AAMC: Ref. Official War History, Volume III. See note below.

Note: The colour scheme of No's 327 and 328 would suggest that they were intended to carry on from No. 326 although no wartime correspondence appears to exist in relation to the matter. Sketches exist in AWM 25, item No. 89/8, and they receive considerable mention in correspondence between the Director of the AWM and the Official Historian's staff during the early 1920's. Unfortunately this is inconclusive, particularly in regard to the correct designations of the units, and it appears that Dr Bean's staff have placed greater weight on information received from the Department of Defence than that of the Director AWM. (AWM 93, item 12/3/11.) It is likely that the sea transport sections, in addition to providing medical personnel for hospital transports returning to Australia, also manned Australian hospital ships operating between France and England such as the Wandilla, Warilda, and Western Australia.

• 329A. Sea Transport Sections, AAMC: Auth. MO 396/1918, 24.8.1918. This authority was amended a month later by MO 464/1918 and it has not been established whether in fact any were manufactured or issued.
• 329B. Sea Transport Sections, AAMC, 1918 - 1919: Auth.M0464/1918,28.9.1918.

• 330. Sanitary Sections, 1916 - 1917: Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 396, 9.12.1916.
  •  To be worn above, and in addition to, the colour patch. It is believed that the use of this title probably lapsed after the approval in August 1917 for all ranks of sanitary sections to wear a yellow armband on the right arm with the letters 'SAN' in red, although reference to the original authority was made in AIF Order No. 1051 of 1.1.1918.
  • Note: Sanitary Sections of the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th Divisions were directed to wear the colour patch of their respective divisional AAMC by HQ Aust and NZ Forces CM No. 37, 11.3.1916. That for the 3rd Division Sanitary Section was authorised by 3 Aust. Div. Instruction, para. 9, August 1916.
• 331. 6th Aust. Sanitary Section, 1918 - 1919: Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 1051, 1.1.1918.
• 332. 7th Aust. Sanitary Section, 1918 - 1919: Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 1051, 1.1.1918.
• 333. 8th Aust. Sanitary Section, 1918 - 1919: Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 1051, 1.1.1918.
• 334. Dental Units, 1918 - 1919: Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 1051, 1.1.1918.
  •  Numbered from I to 118 and attached to all field ambulances, light horse field ambulances, hospitals, casualty clearing stations, training and reinforcement depots and units, divisional headquarters, divisional ammunition columns, detention barracks, and independent units. It is possible that divisional dental units wore their divisional AAMC patch until 1918.

• 335. Australian Army Nursing Service, 1918 - 1919: Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 1306, 19.7.1918. 
  • To be worn by all members of the AANS except those allotted to AAMC units for which a colour patch was already authorised. This patch was principally to cater for those nurses serving in the United Kingdom, and in British stationary and general hospitals in France and Egypt. 
    • (Croydon War Hospital, as well as Australian units, in the UK; No. 31 General Hospital in Egypt; No's 5 and 38 Stationary Hospitals and No. 25 General Hospital in France.)
• 336. Aust. Army Nursing Service, Salonika : No authority located, shown in Vol. III of the Official War History. Australian nurses were attached to four British hospitals during this campaign.
  • (No's 42, 50, 52 and 60 General Hospitals, and briefly No. 66 General Hospital.)
• 337. Aust. Army Nursing Service, India : No authority located, shown in Vol. III of the Official War History. Between 1916 and 1919 several hundred Australian nurses served in hospitals in India, including the 34th (Welsh) and 44th General Hospitals, RAMC, and on hospital ships operating between India and various other theatres of war. The first batch of nurses for this theatre was drawn from members of the AANS in Egypt, and it is noted that they retained the colour patches of their previous units. Remaining contingents of nurses were enlisted in Australia for service in India.

Note: Nurses serving in India and Salonika were not under the control of the DMS AIF, therefore it is unlikely any authority for colour patches originated from HQ AIF, nor is there any evidence that authority originated in Australia. A note appearing with a sketch of No. 337 in AWM 25, item 89/8, states that it was approved by the Imperial authorities in India.

• 338. 1st Aust. Mobile Veterinary Section, 1916 - 1919 : Auth. HQ Aust and NZ Forces CM No. 3 7, 11.3.1916.
• 339. 2nd Aust. Mobile Veterinary Section, 1916 - 1919: Auth. HQ Aust. and NZ Forces CM No. 3 7, 11.3.1916.
• 340. 3rd Aust. Mobile Veterinary Section, 1916 - 1919 : 3rd Aust. Div. Inst., para. 9, August 1916.
• 341. 4th Aust. Mobile Veterinary Section, 1916 - 1919 Auth. HQ Aust. and NZ Forces CM No. 3 7, 11.3.1916.
• 342. 5th Aust. Mobile Veterinary Section, 1916 - 1919 Auth. HQ Aust. and NZ Forces CM No. 37, 11.3.1916.
• 343. 6th Aust. Mobile Veterinary Section, 1916 - 1919 Auth. Aust. and NZ Mtd. Div. RO No. 1, 18.10.1916.
• 344. 7th Aust. Mobile Veterinary Section, 1916 - 1919 Auth. Aust. and NZ Mtd. Div. RO No. 1, 18.10.1916.
• 345. 8th Aust. Mobile Veterinary Section, 1916 - 1919 : Auth. Aust. and NZ Mtd. Div. RO No. 1, 18.10.1916.
• 346. 9th Aust. Mobile Veterinary Section, 1917 - 1919: Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 795, 10.8.1917.
• 347. 10th Aust. Mobile Veterinary Section, 1918 - 1919: Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 1521, 21.1.1919.
• 348. Aust. Veterinary Hospital, Calais, 1917 - 1919: Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 654, 22.5.1917. 
  • Note that the dimensions authorised for this colour patch are for a I and 1/2 inch equilateral triangle.
• 349. 1st Aust. Veterinary Evacuating Station, 1918 - 1919: Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 1277, 28.6.1918. 
  • Note that the dimensions authorised are for a I and 1/2 inch base, with 3/4 inch radius. Raised in June 1918.

• 350. AAOC 1st Aust. Division, 1916 - 1917: Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 143, 11.5.1916.
  • Superseded by No. 351 in May 1917. No actual ordnance units existed in the divisional organization, armourers, artificers, etc, of the AAOC being attached by War Establishment to units of other arms.
• 351. AAOC 1st Aust. Division, 1917 - 1919: Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 644,15.5.1917.
• 352. AAOC 2nd Aust. Division, 1916 - 1919: Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 143, 11.5.1916.
• 353. AAOC 3rd Aust. Division, 1916 - 1919: Auth. AIF Admin. HQ Memo No. 26144, 31.10.1916.
• 354. AAOC 4th Aust. Division, 1916 - 1919: Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 143, 11.5.1916.
• 355. AAOC 5th Aust. Division, 1916 - 1919: Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 143, 11.5.1916.
• 356. AAOC, Non-Divisional Units, 1918 - 1919 : Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 113 3, 1.3.1918. 
  • Includes the 1st and 2nd Aust. Ammunition Units, as well as AAOC personnel serving with headquarters, various types of ordnance workshops, and other units of the AOC.
• 357. Ordnance Company - I.O.M. Section, 1918: Example, Military Heraldry Collection AWM. A sketch also appears in AWM 25 Item No. 89/8. 
  • Organized in Australia by the Inspector of Ordnance Machinery (I.O.M.) Branch and despatched overseas in January 1918. On 19.11.1918, Australian Imperial Force Order 1445 advised that it had been reorganized as the 1st Aust. Ordnance Mobile Workshop (Medium), and the 2nd and 3rd Aust. Ordnance Mobile Workshops (Light). No authority relating to this colour patch has been located.
• 358. Army Ordnance Corps, Rouen - Australian Section: A coloured sketch of this colour patch was located in a contemporary diary maintained by a member of the Aust. Siege Brigade, and currently held by the Royal Australian Artillery Historical Society of Western Australia. The diary states that it was proposed and no official reference to its use has been located.
• 359. Aust. Army Ordnance Corps (Egypt), 1919: Auth. AAG, AIF in Egypt, Letter No. 6/48,16.1.1919.(AWM 25, item 89/16.) 

• Personnel appointed as Chemical Advisers and Gas Officers on the headquarters of formations, or as instructors at gas schools, etc, continued to wear the colour patch of their formation headquarters or of the unit to which they had previously belonged. 
• Divisional Gas Officers and NCOs, and instructors at Divisional Gas Schools wore a green over black armband.

• 360. AAPC 1st Aust. Division, 1918 - 1919: Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 1332, 28.7.1918.
• 361. AAPC 2nd Aust. Division, 1918 - 1919: Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 1332, 28.7.1918.
• 362. AAPC 3rd Aust. Division, 1918 - 1919: Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 1332,28.7.1918.
• 363. AAPC 4th Aust. Division, 1918 - 1919: Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 1332, 28.7.1918.
• 364. AAPC 5th Aust. Division, 1918 - 1919: Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 1332,28.7.1918.
• 365. AAPC (Non-divisional Personnel), 1918 - 1919 : Auth. Australian Imperial Force Order 1332, 28.7.1918.
  • Initially approved on 10.7.1918 for all AAPC personnel regardless of formation affiliation but revised on 28.7.1918 for personnel in non-divisional postings only. These included pay staffs in Bombay and South Africa in addition to those in Egypt, France and the United Kingdom.

AUSTRALIAN ARMY POSTAL CORPS

• Initially raised in 1914 as a Post Office Corps, forming field post offices for HQ 1st Aust. Division, 1st Aust. Division Train, and brigade headquarters. Formation of a Base Post Office was approved in late 1915. In March 1916 all postal units of the AIF were directed to form part of the Australian Army Postal Corps, (Australian Imperial Force Order 107, 8.3.1916.)  although personnel serving as unit postal orderlies were not affected by this reorganization. Unit postal orderlies were transferred to the Army Postal Corps in December 1917 and August 1918. (Australian Imperial Force Order 1009, 7.12.1917, and Australian Imperial Force Order 1324, 30.7.1918.) 

• No distinctive colour patches were approved for this Corps, members wearing the colour patch of the formation headquarters to which the respective units were attached. (HQ 1st Aust. Corps Memo No. 1527, 26.6.1940. AA(Vic): MP 508/1, item 36/756/25.)  In 1916 personnel employed in Base, Army, and Field Post Offices were authorised to wear a four inch wide armlet on both arms, equally divided white over red.(Australian Imperial Force Order 61, 18.1.1916)

Originally raised in 1914 as a Military Mounted Police although no formed units existed at that stage. Subsequently reorganized in March 1916 as the Anzac Provost Corps, (Australian Imperial Force Order 107, 8.3.1916.) and was redesignated the Australian Provost Corps on 1. 1. 1918. (Australian Imperial Force Order 1058, 8.1.1918.)

No distinctive colour patches were approved for this Corps, personnel posted to the establishment of formations wearing the colour patch of their formation headquarters.
In February 1917, Australian Imperial Force Order 496 directed members of the Corps to wear a blue hat band and the metal shoulder title 'ANZAC/PROVOST CORPS'.  Personnel serving on the BEF lines of communication were directed to wear a red hat band, in lieu of the blue previously authorised, by Australian Imperial Force Order 719.
Following the redesignation of the Corps in January 1918, Australian Imperial Force Order 1097 approved a change in the metal shoulder title to 'AUSTRALIAN PROVOST CORPS'.

Divisional Traffic Control Detachments, 1916 - 1918: In March 1918, 'A' Class personnel of these units were replaced by medically downgraded '13 V Class men, and traffic control detachments subsequently became part of the divisional detachments of the Australian Employment Company. It is believed that they retained the colour patch of their respective divisional headquarters. Although referred to by C. E. W. Bean as 'police', they were not actually part of the Provost Corps.

• 366A. Royal Australian Naval Bridging Train, 1916 - 1917: Ref. "Distinguishing Marks and Badges AIF", undated, and AIF Admin. HQ Memo No. 26144, 31.10.1916. 

  • This particular design of anchor appears on an example held in the Military Heraldry Collection AWM. The original reference however shows a dreadnought anchor, i.e.. comprising a stockless shank with a heavy base and flukes rising up from this base. To complicate matters Mr. P.R. Wightman of the Official Historian's staff advised the Director of the AWM during the early 1920's of correspondence on the matter that he had undertaken with Lieutenant-Commander Bracegirdle, OC RANBT, in which Bracegirdle stated that the design of anchor worn by his unit did not have a heavy base and was stockless, i.e.. no upper crossbar. (see note 76) This is the design depicted in Volume III of the Official War History. Dimensions of this patch as approved in the quoted references are 2 and 1/2 inches square.

    • Note 76. AWM 93, item 12/3/11. Unfortunately a correspondence file held by the AWM which relates to the original proposals for this badge, and contains samples of proposed designs, could not be located during a visit by the author in September 1996.

• 366B. Royal Australian Naval Bridging Train: Example, Military Heraldry Collection AWM.

  •  Chain stitch embroidery, possibly of Middle East manufacture. The RAN Bridging Train was raised on 24.2.1915 as a unit of the AIF from personnel of the RAN and RANR, and was disbanded on 31.3.1917. A large number of its personnel subsequently formed the 17th Field Company AE.

• 367. Special Duty Personnel, 1918 - 1919: Auth. MO 210/1918, 25.5.1918. 

  • Approved for officers and men of the AIF who were not already entitled to wear a colour patch, and were gazetted for special duty, i.e.. conducting drafts of Yugoslav and Italian contingents, etc. A 2 inch equilateral triangle, lettering 5/8ths inch high.

• 368. General Service Reinforcements, 1919 - 1920 : Auth. MO 104/1919, 1.3.1919.

  •  Allocated to officers and men of the AIF who left Australia, but returned without having been posted to a unit. A 2 inch equilateral triangle, lettering 5/8ths, inch high. It should be noted that this patch was only for personnel who had left Australia. Other woven cloth badges, outside the scope of this book, were approved for discharged returned soldiers, recruits who were demobilised at the end of the war without leaving Australia, and serving personnel who volunteered for the AlF but were not accepted either because they were medically unfit, or the nature of their duties required them to
    be retained for Home Service.

• 369. AIF Graves Detachment, 1919: Ref, Staff Officer AASC(MT) memo dated 7.6.1919. 

  • This patch is stated to have already been in use at the time of writing and was being worn below their original unit colour patch by all personnel posted to this unit on demobilisation of their own units. Reference to it also appears in the contemporary diary held by the RAAHS of WA, where it is depicted worn under the patch of HQ Australian Corps.

• Divisional Salvage Companies, 1917 - 1919: Units wore the colour patch of their respective divisional headquarters with, in addition, a khaki arm band I and 1/2 inches wide bearing the word 'SALVAGE' in red letters.

• Australian Employment Company, 1917 - 1918: Raised on 1st November 1917 from medically downgraded 'B' Class personnel, comprising one corps and five divisional detachments. This unit, with an establishment of over 500 all ranks by mid 1918, provided the sanitary personnel, batmen, orderlies, mess men, and cooks for the various formation headquarters, boot-makers, barbers, theatre and cinema operators, bath and laundry detachments, traffic control detachments, general duty-men for ordnance duties, and YMCA and Church Army representatives. These personnel wore the colour patch of the formation headquarters to which their detachment was allotted, or retained the colour patch of their previous unit.

• Miscellaneous Units: These included the 

  • 1st Aust. Convalescent Depot, 

  • field punishment compounds, 

  • Aust. Corps Entrenching Battalion, 

  • training schools or units, and 

  • reinforcement units and depots. 

    • Personnel allotted to the staffs of these units, or to Home Service duties on return to Australia, retained the colour patch of the unit from which they had been seconded or posted.

Note: The three following colour patches first appeared on a Department of Defence colour chart issued in July 1918, which showed colour patches approved for the AIF up until about March 1918. They were then included in the colour chart forming part of Volume III of the Official War History, although this reference shows them as cancelled colour patches. It is this writer's opinion that none of these patches in fact existed and that confusion has resulted from the original drawings published in Anzac Mounted Division Routine Orders and AIF Orders, which on first examination could be mistaken as squares. However in all cases the dimensions are clearly stated as 2 and 1/2 inches high by I and 1/2 inches wide, and all period examples held by the AWM conform to this size.

• 370. 1st Field Squadron, A.E.: Although the Official War History depicts this patch with white in place of the dark blue this is most likely the result of a printing error.

• 371. 1st Signal Squadron, A.E.:

• 372. AASC Aust. and N.Z. Mounted Division: