Civil Defence Corps Badges 

The badges described here are those used by the UK Civil Defence Corps during the Cold War. One frequently sees badges miss-described on auction sites, this page is an attempt to be definitive. Badges which show "Civil Defence Corps" cannot be WWII, as the Corps was not formed until 1949!

You will also find printed cloth badges these will be fakes or WWII as all cloth badges from the Cold War period were embroidered, as were most WWII badges. WWII badges were embroidered with gold thread, and Cold Ward badges with yellow thread. There are also a number of other badges that were issued during the early life of the Corps, for sections that either only existed for a short time, or that were re-named. I don't have any of these.

Uniform

The Civil Defence Corps uniform regulations were pretty strict, although you might notice some variations, depending on how strict the local senior officer and section officers were. The uniform consisted of a midnight blue battledress blouse and either trousers or a skirt, of army '1949' pattern, made of serge, with composite black corps badges. Volunteers had to supply their own white shirts or blouses, black ties and black shoes. Two sections/sub-sections had additional uniform, in the form of hob-nailed boots, gaiters and army ype denims, these were Rescue and Headquarters Signal B.  What came from stores bore little resemblance to what was put on requisition forms, and it was said that uniforms fitted where they touched. My own uniform, as supplied would have suited a 7ft 6inch man weighing about twice as much as me.  You either had to do the alterations yourself, get replacements (not easy), or pay someone to do it for you, there was a chance you might be able to swap with someone else.

Civil Defence Corps Corps badge

The Civil Defence Corps badge was worn on the beret and the left breast pocket of the battledress blouse. The beret was worn so that the badge was centred over the left eye.

County badges

Beneath the breast pocket Corps badge was worn the county or divisional badge, a selection of which is shown below. According to uniform instructions the badge was to be sewn so that it touched the bottom edge of the breast pocket badge. The old Metropolitan boroughs were covered by a single County of London badge. The six counties of Northern Ireland were covered by a single Northern Ireland badge.

Corps section badges

Section badges were worn one finger width below the seam on both shoulders, with sub-section badges, where appropriate, immediately below.

First Aid badges

Members of the Ambulance and First Aid section and some others were trained by one of the major first aid organisations, St John Ambulance, British Red Cross or the St Andrews Ambulance. Training was to the advanced standard with both a practical and a theoretical examination, the latter being conducted by a doctor. Badges were worn four inches above the cuff of the right sleeve of the battledress blouse, unless the holder was also qualified as an instructor, in which case they were worn as described above.

In Scotland the scheme was different, there being no Ambulance and First Aid Section, instead there were Casualty Wardens who wore a letter 'C' within a laurel of thistles (again on the lower left sleeve). As the Scottish Ambulance Service carried out the functions of the Ambulance Section of the Civil Defence Corps in Scotland, casualty wardens were present to provide first aid cover until the Scottish Ambulance Service arrived to take over.

Proficiency badges

Proficiency badges were awarded upon completion of basic, intermediate and advanced training. If one attended all training sessions and passed the written test for one's section, it was possible to get the intermediate badge in about 12 months.

Upon completion of intermediate training volunteers became eligible for an annual bounty payment, dependent on rank, this was £10, £12 or £15 a year during the last few years of the Corps. A further period, of perhaps 12-24 months would be required to achieve the advanced test. For promotion beyond basic grade, it was necessary to complete at least 50 hours training per year, and to pass the intermediate level test. The badges consisted of a five pointed star, the basic being silver, the intermediate being silver with a red surround, and the advanced, gold. Badges were worn two inches above the cuff on either sleeve.

Instructor badges 

Instructors were trained either locally, or at Civil Defence training schools. In the case of locally trained instructor's the badge was blue, and for those trained at the Home Office schools it was in silver thread, for advanced trained instructors gold. The badge was worn on the left forearm, four inches above the cuff, of the battledress blouse, unless first aid badges were worn, in which case they were worn half an inch  apart with the instructor badge lower. Enamel lapel badges were also available.

Badges of Rank

Chevrons were worn on the upper left arm, midway between the elbow and the shoulder seam, other rank badges were worn on both shoulders.

Lapel Badges

Every member of the Corps was issued with a lapel badge on completion of basic training, they were available as either broach fitting or with a horseshoe back for a buttonhole and were for wear when in civvies, volunteers could choose which version they received. The badges (You will frequently see them described as officers pips, collar badges or sweetheart badges, they are none of these things). On Civil Defence Corps uniforms only cloth badges were worn. Instructors' lapel badges were also available.

Brassards or Arm Bands

From the inception of the Corps it was realised that it would probably be short of trained personnel in the event of war. As part of planning it was envisioned that there would be a deterioration in the world situation prior to war being declared. During this period it was hoped to recruit volunteers who would receive a minimum of training. They would be equipped with a tin hat and an arm band or brassard. Training would not enable them to perform more than basic functions unless they had prior knowledge or experience. This would not have been of any value in the case of sudden attack or rapid deterioration in the world situation as happened in the case of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Brassards were not worn with Civil Defence uniform.