![](Https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a3/Marchers_in_WWII_Australian_uniforms%2C_wearing_the_colour_patch_of_the_2-8th_Battalion_-_070425_Anzac_Day_March%2C_Adelaide_St%2C_Brisbane%2C_Queensland%2C_Australia.jpg/380px-Marchers_in_WWII_Australian_uniforms%2C_wearing_the_colour_patch_of_the_2-8th_Battalion_-_070425_Anzac_Day_March%2C_Adelaide_St%2C_Brisbane%2C_Queensland%2C_Australia.jpg)
Unit colour patches (or simply known as colour patches)[1] are a method of identification used by the Australian Army, used to indicate which unit a soldier belongs to.
It is believed that the Australian system of colour patches is based upon the small patches of colours or tartan worn on the puggarees of the pith helmets of members of a number of British Army units during the Second Boer War, the South African War of 1899–1902.[2] While some modern Australian colour patches are recent creations, many date back to World War I.
![](Https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/60th_Battalion_1st_AIF_Banner_ANZAC_Day_2019_Melbourne_no._2.png/260px-60th_Battalion_1st_AIF_Banner_ANZAC_Day_2019_Melbourne_no._2.png)
The first approval for the use of distinctive unit colours for Australian army units came from Major General William Throsby Bridges for the 1st Division to fly flags to denote unit areas and lines in Egypt during World War I. C.E.W. Bean made the first reference to unit colour patches to be worn on the uniform, when he described Major General Bridges issuing 1st Australian Divisional Order No. 562 dated 8 March 1915, ordering that patches be worn, describing how they would look and ordering that they were to be worn on the uniform sleeve 1 inch (25 mm) below the shoulder. As this was an extension of the order for the posting of the colour flags to denote headquarters and unit lines, these flags were used as the basic design for 1st Division uniform colour patches.[3][4][5][6]
In total over 300 individual patches were eventually authorized for Australian units during World War I.[7]
Since World War I, many units have used colour patches showing their relationships to units of earlier times. For example, railway operating units of both the First and Second World Wars displayed a diamond (or lozenge) shape in the purple of the engineers on a red square background. Wherever possible the features of modern colour patches also reflect relationships between current units and their antecedents from previous wars. For example, modern and historical artillery patches are red and blue, modern army aviation patches preserve the light blue background with red and blue vertical bands of their World War 1 antecedents, while modern engineer patches remain predominantly purple. Some modern units reflect that they are direct descendants of World War 1 and 2 units. For example, the 8th/7th Battalion, Royal Victoria Regiment of rural Victoria uses the white over red horizontal rectangular patch of the original 8th Battalion. The shapes, colours and embellishments of unit colour patches therefore not only identify individuals as members of units, but they can also reflect the story of the unit.
In more modern times the first known example of a colour patch worn by Australian Army personnel was that of the Australian Army Fire Service (AFS). The patch was originally designed and worn by members of the Enoggera Fire Station (c. 1980) and consisted of a blue roundel ring around a red circle in the centre. The words "Army Fire Service" emblazoned in the blue roundel and an image of the Royal Australian Engineer 'bomb' insignia in front of two crossed fire axes in centre circle. The badge was worn on the right sleeve, and whilst initially unofficial, it was quickly adopted by all other units of the Australian Army Fire Service, including being used as insignia on the doors of AFS vehicles. Over time the patch was modified several times, with the image below depicting the second generation, where the blue outer edge stitching was changed to gold.
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Nowadays modern unit colour patches are approximately 40 millimetres (1.6 in) x 40 millimetres (1.6 in) in size and use a large variety of colours and shapes to distinguish the units they represent while preserving links to patterns used by related units from earlier times. Unit colour patches are currently worn on the right side of the puggaree on the slouch hat in the Australian Army.
First AIF
The First Australian Imperial Force was involved in three major campaigns in distant lands, and a smaller campaign closer to home. The First AIF's first major battles were in the Gallipoli Campaign, followed by simultaneous involvement on the Western Front in France and Belgium and in the Middle East, particularly in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign. Meanwhile, Australian forces occupied German political possessions in New Guinea and on other islands of the Southern Pacific. All of these campaigns were distinct in character and made new demands upon the Australian military. The many challenges, losses and successes of the Australian military and its personnel helped forge the character of the new nation of Australia, which had only become the Federation of Australia on 1 January 1901. In the Gallipoli Campaign all Australian fighting units were formed up together on the Gallipoli Peninsula, with supply, medical and other services stretching back as far as Egypt and England. Subsequently, the First AIF was effectively split. For a new nation fighting a war so far from home this created many logistical and organisational challenges. There were many innovations in the organisation of the Australian military during this time. The alliance with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force and the creation of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps and other ANZAC units were also important throughout most of World War 1.
The intent of the new unit colour patch system was initially to help with organisation and identification of individuals and units in the field. However, it became more than that, creating bonds between soldiers that contributed to the 'esprit de corps', development of loyalties and interpersonal 'mateship' among the Australians.[8][9]
1st Division Unit Colour Flags 1914
The first orders for unit colours were for flags 9 inches (22.86 cm) square, divided horizontally with the battalion colour over the brigade colour. Green, red and light blue were allocated as the colours for the 1st Brigade, 2nd Brigade and 3rd Brigade respectively, while the colours for the battalions in each brigade in the order of battle were originally black, yellow, brown and white, the battalion colour to be shown over the brigade colour. The 4th Brigade, raised separately, was allocate blue as the brigade colour.[3][10]
Glyde (1999)[11] does not describe writing on the battalion flags (only on the Artillery, Engineers and Medical flags), but writing designating the unit may have been displayed on some or all of the other flags.
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Flag of 1st Brigade Headquarters 1914
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Flag of 1st Australian Infantry Battalion 1914[12]
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Flag of 1st Brigade Divisional Artillery
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Flag of Divisional Light Horse Regiment
Division unit colour patches
Divisional Order 81 decreed a rectangular patch on the upper sleeve of the uniform 1.25 inches (32 mm) by 2.75 inches (70 mm). Engineers were ordered to change the colour of their uniform patch from khaki to purple so that it was more visible when worn against the khaki sleeve of the uniform. Artillery were ordered to adopt diagonally divided red over blue patches. As further divisions created colour patches for their uniforms, the shape of the patch indicated the division.[13]
- 1st Division had a horizontal rectangular patch,
- 2nd Division had a diamond-shaped patch,
- 3rd Division had a horizontal oval patch,
- 4th Division had a circular patch (except the 4th Brigade, formed independently of 4th Division, which used a rectangle),[2]
- 5th Division had a vertical rectangular patch, and
- 6th Division had vertical oval patches. The 6th Division was raised in response to a request from the British Government to the Australian Government in February 1917, but was disbanded in September of the same year to provide reinforcements to other divisions. Therefore, the 6th Division did not see active service as a formation.[14][15]
- Australian Mounted Division battle units had triangular patches or horizontal rectangular patches, with the colours bisected diagonally, while some of their support units had vertical rectangular patches.
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1st Australian Divisional Engineers
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2nd Machine Gun Battalion (part of 2nd Division)
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5th Australian Divisional Signal Company (Australian Engineers Signal Service) 1916–1919[16]
Infantry Brigades and Battalions
Each Infantry Brigade within each Division was assigned a colour and the Brigade HQ colour patches were the Divisional shape in the Brigade colour. Each Battalion in each Brigade was then assigned a colour, and the patch was split horizontally with the Battalion colour across the top of the field and the Brigade colour across the bottom of the field.[17]
On 16 March 1915 the second battalion of each infantry brigade was ordered to change their battalion colour from yellow to purple.[13] One consequence was that it became practical for the 8th Brigade to use yellow as the brigade colour. The 14th Battalion and later the 46th Battalion retained yellow.
Light Horse, Artillery, Engineer and Medical units were also allocated colour patches. Light Trench Mortar Batteries were manned by infantrymen, and so showed the colour patches of the infantry brigades over the blue "bursting bomb", whereas medium and heavy trench mortar batteries were manned by artillery gunners and so showed the red and blue patch of their artillery brigade over the "bursting bomb".[18] Light Horse patches were divided diagonally.
New Zealand Units
Units of the Army of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in the First World War displayed unit colour patches worn in the centre of the back of the uniform jacket, immediately below the collar.[21][22][23] The authority for the design and wearing of unit colour patches was from General Alexander Godley's orders dated 15 October 1917 No. 416.[24]
In addition to these New Zealand colour patches, some New Zealanders attached to ANZAC formations in Egypt, on the Western Front and in Palestine, wore colour patches of I ANZAC Corps including the ANZAC Mounted Division, or II ANZAC Corps.
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Auckland New Zealand Field Artillery
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Headquarters New Zealand (Rifles) Brigade (1916)
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New Zealand Machine Gun Squadron
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New Zealand Army Service Corps in Egypt
See also
- Formation patch – Used by the British Army to describe their unit insignia
Notes
- ^ "Colour Patches". Australian Army. Archived from the original on 19 July 2005. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
- ^ a b "Australian Army Unit Colour Patches – A Brief History". colourpatch.com.au. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
- ^ a b Glyde (1999), pp. 7–8
- ^ "The Australian Imperial Force (AIF) badges 1914–1918, 31 July 2014 by Dianne Rutherford – Colour patches". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
- ^ "History of Australian colour patches". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
- ^ Chinn D (2000). "Valued more than any other decoration: Colour patches of the Australian army". Wartime. 11: 30–33.
- ^ Jobson 2009, p. 35.
- ^ Bou, Dennis and Dalgleish (2016)
- ^ Chinn (2000)
- ^ "Information Sheet No. 26: Australian Imperial Force Unit Colour Patches" (PDF). Army Museum of Tasmania, Anglesea Barracks, Hobart. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
- ^ Glyde (1999), pp. 7-8
- ^ "Information Sheet No. 26: Australian Imperial Force Unit Colour Patches" (PDF). Army Museum of Tasmania, Anglesea Barracks, Hobart. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
- ^ a b Glyde (1999), p. 8
- ^ Bou, Dennis and Dalgleish (2016), p. 15.
- ^ Likeman (2014), Ch. 13
- ^ "Colour patch : 5 Divisional Signal Company, AIF". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
- ^ Bean 1941, pp. 968–968g.
- ^ "Artillery". Australian Defence Force Academy. Archived from the original on 12 November 2009. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
- ^ "Colour patch : 9 Infantry Battalion, AIF". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
- ^ "Colour patch : Headquarters 6 Infantry Brigade and 6 Light Trench Mortar Battery, AIF". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
- ^ "New Zealand Field Artillery". New Zealand History, Government of New Zealand. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
- ^ "Infantry Units". New Zealand History, Ministry for Culture and Heritage, Government of New Zealand. Updated 22 March 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
- ^ "'Otago infantry soldiers, 1918'". Ministry for Culture and Heritage, Government of New Zealand, updated 17 May 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
- ^ "NZEF Patches of the First World War – Uniforms, etc. – Patches – Distinguishing – Expeditionary Force – Issue of (R22429980)". Archives New Zealand, Government of New Zealand. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
References
- Arnott, Geoff (2018). The ANZACS of Maroondah – Lest We forget. Croydon, Victoria: Croydon Historical Society. ISBN 9780648361701.
- Bean, Charles (1941) [1929]. "Colour Patches of the Australian Forces" (PDF). The Australian Imperial Force in France, 1916. Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918. Vol. III (12th ed.). Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Australian War Memorial. pp. 968–968g. OCLC 220623454.
- Blackwell, Phillip (2008). Australian Army Unit Colour Patches 1987–2008. Australian Military History Publications, Australia. ISBN 978-0-9578280-0-1.
- Bou, Jean; Dennis, Peter; Dalgleish, Paul (2016). The Centenary History of Australia and the Great War, Volume 5: The Australian Imperial Force. South Melbourne, Victoria: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195576801.
- Bradley, Phillip (2019). D-Day New Guinea: the extraordinary story of the battle for Lae and the greatest combined airborne and amphibious operation of the Pacific War. Crows Nest, New South Wales: Allen and Unwin. ISBN 9781760632588.
- Butler, A.G. (1930). The Official history of the Australian Army Medical Services in the War of 1914-1918. Vol. 1, Gallipoli, Palestine and New Guinea. Melbourne: Australian War Memorial. OCLC 220879097.
- Byrne, Arthur Emmett (Lieutenant) (1921). Official history of the Otago Regiment, N.Z.E.F., in the Great War, 1914–1918. Dunedin, New Zealand: J. Wilkie. 2nd ed. reprinted by Naval & Military Press, Uckfield, East Sussex UK, 2003. ISBN 1843425696.
- Cadzow, Allison; Jebb, Mary Anne (2019). Our mob served: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories of war and defending Australia. Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Aboriginal Studies Press. ISBN 9780855750718.
- Cleary, Paul (2010). The Men Who Came Out of the Ground: A gripping account of Australia's first commando campaign - Timor 1942. Sydney, New South Wales: Hachette Australia. ISBN 978-0733636608.
- Coulthart, Ross (2012). The lost diggers. Sydney, New South Wales: Harper and Collins. ISBN 978-0732294618.
- Curkpatrick, Kathryn (1990). Saddle to boots: a history of the 19th (Aust) Machine Gun Battalion. Clifton Hill, Victoria: K.M. Curkpatrick. ISBN 0731682882.
- Dennis, Peter; Grey, Jeffrey; Morris, Ewan; Prior, Robin; Bou, Jean (2008). The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History (Second ed.). Melbourne: Oxford University Press Australia and New Zealand. ISBN 9780195517842.
- Department of Defence (Army Office) (1993). Army colour patch register, 1915-1949. Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Director of Publishing, Defence Centre. OCLC 35701067.
- Glyde, Keith (1999). Distinguishing colour patches of the Australian Military Forces 1915-1951, a reference guide. Claremont, Tasmania: K. Glyde. ISBN 0646366408.
- Grant, Lachlan (September 2016). "The fighting Gunditjmara". Wartime. 76 (Spring): 19–24. ISSN 1328-2727.
- Grey, Jeffrey (2008). A Military History of Australia (3rd ed.). Melbourne, Victoria: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-69791-0.
- Ham, Paul (2004). Kokoda. Pymble, NSW: Harper Collins. ISBN 9781741361124.
- Hopkins, Ronald (1978). Australian Armour. A History of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps 1927–1972. South Melbourne: Australian Government Publishing Service. ISBN 978-0-642-99414-1.
- James, Richard (2017). Australia's war with France: the campaign in Syria and Lebanon, 1941. Newport, New South Wales: Big Sky Publishing. ISBN 978-1-925520-92-7.
- Jobson, Christopher (2009). Looking Forward, Looking Back: Customs and Traditions of the Australian Army. Wavell Heights, Queensland: Big Sky Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9803251-6-4.
- Kuusk, Sven (September 2006). "Origins and Development Royal Australian Army Dental Corps". Sabretache. XLVII (3): 23–30. OCLC 60625210.
- Likeman, Robert (2014). Australian doctors on the Western Front: France and Belgium 1916-1918: The Australian doctors at war series Volume 3. Kenthurst, New South Wales: Rosenberg Publishing. ISBN 9781925078121.
- Lithgow, Shirley (1992). Special operations: the organisations of the Special Operations Executive in Australia and their operations against the Japanese during the Second World War. Thesis submitted for the degree of Master of Arts (Honours). Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: University College, University of New South Wales, Australian Defence Force Academy. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
- MacDougall, A.K. (2015) [1934]. John Monash: war letters of General Monash. Collingwood, Victoria: Black Inc. ISBN 9781863957441.
- McCullagh, Catherine (2010). Willingly into the fray: one hundred years of Australian Army nursing. Newport, New South Wales: Big Sky Publishing. ISBN 9780980658262.
- McFarlane, Glenn (2016). The Fair Dinkums. Sydney, New South Wales: Pan MacMillan. ISBN 9781743537541.
- Milton, Giles (2016). Churchill's ministry of ungentlemanly warfare - the mavericks who plotted Hitler's defeat. London: John Murray. ISBN 9781444798982.
- Palazzo, Albert (2001). The Australian Army: a history of its organisation 1901 to 2001. South Melbourne, Victoria: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195515077.
- Pedersen, Peter (2018). ANZACs on the Western Front: the Australian War Memorial battlefield guide. Milton, Queensland: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9780730337393.
- Prilaux, Gilles; Beuvin, Matthieu; Fiechtner, Michael; Fiechtner, Donna (2017). The Silent Soldiers Of Naours: Messages From Beneath The Somme. Sydney, New South Wales: New Holland Publishers. ISBN 9781742579719.
- Shaw, Ian W. (2012) [2010]. On Radji Beach. Sydney, New South Wales: Pan Macmillan Australia. ISBN 9780330404259.
- The Sun (1945). Australian army color patches & ribbons of the Second World War. St. Kilda, Victoria: Lawrence Kay for Pictorial Newspapers, Herald and Weekly Times. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
- Tyquin, Michael (2012). Gallipoli: an Australian medical perspective. Newport, New South Wales: Big Sky Publishing. ISBN 9781921941863.
- Tyquin, Michael B. (1993). Gallipoli: the medical war: the Australian Army medical services in the Dardanelles campaign of 1915. Kensington, New South Wales: New South Wales University Press. ISBN 0868401897.
- Wilmot, Chester (1993) [1944]. Tobruk 1941. Ringwood, Victoria: Penguin Books Australia. ISBN 0-14-017584-9.
External links
- Unofficial history of the Australian & New Zealand Armed Services – Digger History