Hi folks,
I've been a collector of militaria for a while now, and recently I've been on a greatcoat collecting binge in an attempt to pick up a nice winter coat. A couple of weeks ago, I picked up one of the many 1950s Belgian greatcoats that are floating around. I bought it more as a cheap winter coat than as a part of my militaria collection, but it fits me so nicely that now I'm thinking I might add some insignia to it. I was thinking that the Korean War would be good - since it's "The Forgotten War" and since virtually no one here in the US knows that Belgium was involved, I thought it would make a nice conversation piece.
Anyway, can anyone with some knowledge of Belgian insignia help me out on getting the right insignia for the coat. All I seem to be able to find are examples of battledress blouse insignia. I'm thinking that maybe they put the same insignia on the greatcoat, but I'm not sure.
If they did put the insignia on the greatcoat, I was thinking of going with an impression that relates to the Battle of the Imjin River. That would presumably mean the lion patch on the left upper arm, the British 29th Brigade patch on the right upper arm, and the white (or were they yellow - or red as in WW2?) embroidered "BELGIUM" patches below both epaulettes. Is that right?
Finally, does anyone know where I can find originals or reproductions for all these patches? I see the lion patches on eBay, as well as an expensive white embroidered "BELGIUM" patch. I also see inexpensive red embroidered patches - would they have been correct for 1951? I'd like the result to be correct, but if there were any of those red patches still being worn in 1951, I'd prefer to do it as inexpensively as possible.
I've been a collector of militaria for a while now, and recently I've been on a greatcoat collecting binge in an attempt to pick up a nice winter coat. A couple of weeks ago, I picked up one of the many 1950s Belgian greatcoats that are floating around. I bought it more as a cheap winter coat than as a part of my militaria collection, but it fits me so nicely that now I'm thinking I might add some insignia to it. I was thinking that the Korean War would be good - since it's "The Forgotten War" and since virtually no one here in the US knows that Belgium was involved, I thought it would make a nice conversation piece.
Anyway, can anyone with some knowledge of Belgian insignia help me out on getting the right insignia for the coat. All I seem to be able to find are examples of battledress blouse insignia. I'm thinking that maybe they put the same insignia on the greatcoat, but I'm not sure.
If they did put the insignia on the greatcoat, I was thinking of going with an impression that relates to the Battle of the Imjin River. That would presumably mean the lion patch on the left upper arm, the British 29th Brigade patch on the right upper arm, and the white (or were they yellow - or red as in WW2?) embroidered "BELGIUM" patches below both epaulettes. Is that right?
Finally, does anyone know where I can find originals or reproductions for all these patches? I see the lion patches on eBay, as well as an expensive white embroidered "BELGIUM" patch. I also see inexpensive red embroidered patches - would they have been correct for 1951? I'd like the result to be correct, but if there were any of those red patches still being worn in 1951, I'd prefer to do it as inexpensively as possible.