Parachute Reg. titles

[wolf76]

Hi Guys,
I was wondering if these titles were WW2 vintage? Sorry for the photo's I took them in the out side in the sun, in person they don't appear as dark blue as pictured.

Regards,
Edward

[wolf76]

back

[force136]

Shoulder Titles

They look ok to me but I am not familiar with all types of repros. The difficult thing about shoulder titles for the Parachute Regiment is that I doubt if anyone knows every example made. As I have stated before, there were so many manufacturers of shoulder titles in the UK, some thought to be repro might actually be good. The only thing you can do is familiarize yourself with as many known repro's as possible. What I don't like are people who assume something just because they have not seen it before or it looks a bit odd. I can tell you from experience that wierd examples of patches exist, esp those made by the litterally dozens and dozens of insignia manufacturers, clothiers, department stores, subcontractors etc. in the UK. This especially when you are talking about an organization that had numerous battalions that served over a hefty chunk of the planet. The material, backing material and tell-tale bobbin thread make me want to say they are ok. However they could have been used up till the change later in that decade. This is why I wonder why no one in the UK has done a comprehensive study of British Airborne insignia? I am not talking a book just showing all airborne related insignia but something that covers in detail the design of insignia, procurment, orders relating to and actual variants of badges worn only by the Parachute Regiment?

Hi Guys,
I was wondering if these titles were WW2 vintage? Sorry for the photo's I took them in the out side in the sun, in person they don't appear as dark blue as pictured.

Regards,
Edward

[lnijherald]

I've seen these before Edward. The wool looks unusually fluffy and I believe them to be replicas. Have you done a burn test?

Luc

[force136]

Burn test

That is a good idea Luc, I think I know the type you mean with the synthetic thread for the lettering. However I think these might be a little better quality than those.

Ken

I've seen these before Edward. The wool looks unusually fluffy and I believe them to be replicas. Have you done a burn test?

Luc

[lnijherald]

This is the pair I was referring to, note that they are grubby but show no age. The embroidery is irregular, and the direction of the stitches is horizontal. Quite like the ones in post #1.
Not necessarily bad features in itself, but alltogether my conclusion remains that they are replicas.

Luc

[Jack Dutton-Roberts]

they are indeed reproduction

[force136]

Parachute Regiment

Yes, these look very close to those being sold at www.divpatch.com however no view of the backs are given. I guess they want to protect their repro secrets as well. There are also similar repros that came about in the late 70's however the lettering is synthetic thread and the backing is like a fibre like paper material. They are also made with a cheap crushed wool/felt like you get in hobby shops.

The lettering in these also look synthetic and similar to those in the 70's but possibly an example from divpatch? Someone should start a thread just showing repro examples of the titles. This would help everyone on here. The backing material used in these repro's shown is actually a material commonly used during the war and the appearence of white bobbin thread on the back of the embroidery is also a sign of some original titles. I am not sure however if that cheap crushed felt was widely used. I know some originals with it, but it was not common and a 1945> material. If the repro artists are a little bit more careful they may hit it on the nose one day soon if they have not done so already.

Ken

Hi Guys,
I was wondering if these titles were WW2 vintage? Sorry for the photo's I took them in the out side in the sun, in person they don't appear as dark blue as pictured.

Regards,
Edward

[wolf76]

I've seen these before Edward. The wool looks unusually fluffy and I believe them to be replicas. Have you done a burn test?

Luc

Sorry but whats the burn test? And what part should I burn and what should I look for?
To be honest I kinda had a feeling that they might not be ok.. If I remember correctly I think I paid $35 CDN for them a few years back.

Thanks for all your comments, I really appreciate the help!

Regards,
Edward

[force136]

Burn test

You should find an excess piece of thread from the lettering on the back and carefully take it into tweezers and use a lighter or match to burn the sample strand starting at one end of the thread. If it burns, smells sort of like burning paper, and just turns to dust, it is cotton. If it retreats into a ball or blob and smells like a rubbery substance, then it is synthetic thread. While they did have types of thread during the war that contained synthetic substances, most were using relatively pure materials. There are guides online as to how to conduct burn tests on various materials.

Ken

Sorry but whats the burn test? And what part should I burn and what should I look for?
To be honest I kinda had a feeling that they might not be ok.. If I remember correctly I think I paid $35 CDN for them a few years back.

Thanks for all your comments, I really appreciate the help!

Regards,
Edward