Hello everyone, well I am here trying to find out information on a flag I came across which must have a story to tell. I recently purchased the flag at an antiques fair, which I knew nothing about. I was told it was either a sled flag or a ships flag. The flag was hand made and what made me buy it was that it had been signed by at least fourteen people, which I found strange. It has the following insignia on it, a bulls head, two green triangles and the number 993. Since purchasing the flag I have contacted quite a few people in regards to it's origins and the insignia on it. This is what I have so far found. The flag is an unofficial one (hand designed) which ended up as a souvenir or memento. The bull's head insignia on it indicates the 79th Armoured Division and the green triangles indicate 23rd Tank Brigade. The colours of the flag are those of the Royal Corps of Signals and there is a number "993" which I guess is part of the number of the brigade's signals squadron? The signatures would be those of soldiers who served in the squadron. The flag is approx 2ft. by 2 ft. Some of the names are as follows, some I cannot make out the best, but they are in this order:- W.A. Longshaw J I Coltart (I think) H F Collier (I think) ????? A.E. Lomas J A Stephenson Dougie Dawson Alan Scott A K Bird C W Keeble A MacDonald (I think) J Dickworth ???? Boots There is also another name off to the right of the list which I cant make out at all. I was wondering if it isnt too much to ask, is there any way of possibly finding out more in regards to teh soldiers who signed this flag? I have tried quite a few places like the Imperial War Museum in London and so far have drawn a blank. I hope it is alright to ask some of you for assistance, but in retrospect, I feel that this flag has definitely history behind it and hence my quest to find out more has led me here. I wonder why the flag was made in the first place and who mave have made it? I also wonder why the soldiers signed it and who they where exactly? I really woudl appreciate any help some of you may be able to offer and if any of you want to see photos of it I can email you them. Kind regards, ZenZen
79th Armoured Division - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia . Can you post some of them on this site. Someone might be able to help.
No, I meant the pictures, if you get them on jpg and post them onto the forum, then odds are it might ring a bell with someone. Spidge and morse to name two know how to download them to the site. Bit out of my expertise bracket. Might be an idea if no one comes up with anything,, to contact the sigs at Blandford.
Hi ZenZen, I think you should be looking at the records of the Buffs and 31st Tank Brigade, and/or 31st Armoured Brigade, as it was called after September 1944. Researching the 23rd, which was renamed to be an Armoured Brigade in November 1940, I do not believe to be of help. was the insignia of 141st Battalion Royal Armoured Corps (7th Battalion, The Buffs), the junior unit. Cheers, Gerry
Thanks Gerry & Lancesergeant for the information, it's well appreciated!! Any ideas where I could find the records of the Buffs and 31st Tank Brigade? Is there website anywhere where I can send an email of an address of where I may find out more? Cheers again lads!
Hello again, just uploaded photos of the flag I am trying to find out more about so that you can all have a look. Hope they are clear enough. View attachment 219 View attachment 220 View attachment 221
Might be worth contacting the Regimental Association. The regimental association of The Queen own buffs Found this.In 1941 some 33 Territorial Army infantry battalions were converted to tank units United Kingdom: A Brief History of 141st Royal Armored Corps v.1.0 August 28, 2002 #6-4 Graham Watson In 1941, some 33 Territorial Army infantry battalions were converted to tank units. Amongst them was the 7th Bn The Buffs. The Buffs were the infantry regiment of East Kent - formed in 1665 the regiment owes its name to the buff colored facings on their tunics -in the 17th century they were one of two regiments commanded by colonels of the same name-Howard. One regiment had buff facings and the other green-the latter evolved into the present day Green Howards who recruit from northern Yorkshire. The Buffs disappeared in 1961 and after a series of amalgamations are part of the ancestry of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment. The 7th Bn The Buffs was a war-formed unit-first formed in July 1940 for home defense duties. After conversion to tanks and retitled as 141 RAC. It served with 31st Tank Brigade. In 1943, it became part of 'Hobo's Funnies' - the specialized armored units created for the invasion of Europe. Until late 1944 141 RAC was the only regiment that operated 'Crocodiles' -they employed Churchill tanks as mobile flame throwers-each tank towed a fuel trailer and the flame gun mounted on the tank had a maximum range of 90 yards. The American Army scorned most of the specialized armor developed by the British except for the Crocodile-to their cost at Omaha Beach! But they were dangerous weapons. I have visited a spot in Holland where British tanks - equipped with a more sophisticated flame weapon-called Conger - ignited in a massive fireball when preparing to attack the Germans. The unit lost over 50 men - we stopped using nitroglycerine after that episode. The men were Canadian truck drivers who were delivering the nitro and the tank crews were sappers from Wales!
The divisional insignia for 79th Armoured was created by its commander, Major General Hobart and it was based on his family crest. The same is true for the divisional insignia of 11th Armoured whom Hobart had previously commanded. Ross
