Australia Royal Car Company Formation Patches 1952

Uncut pair of machine woven formation patches.

Machine woven cotton formation sign for the proposed Royal visit of 1952. The badge is a royal blue horizontal rectangle with a silver banner embroidered in red with the words 'ROYAL CAR COMPANY'. Above the banner is a red, silver and gold embroidered King's crown.

Introduced to the Australian Army in 1950, and adopted from British Army practice, formation signs were intended to be worn on each sleeve in conjunction with embroidered shoulder titles. This combination, which replaced the traditional Australian system of colour patches, enabled an observer to determine both the wearer's parent formation, and their corps or unit within that formation. The use of formation signs within Australia was discontinued in about 1960, with the introduction of the new, American based 'Pentropic' system of military organisation. Australian units serving overseas, however, continued to wear them for many years.

The Royal Car Company badge was produced after the announcement in 1950 that King George VI would tour Australia in early 1952. In late 1951, it was announced that the King's ill health would not permit him to make the trip, the tour being undertaken instead by Princess Elizabeth and Prince Phillip. The proposed tour was cancelled in February 1952 while the couple were in Kenya, due to the death of the King. Princess Elizabeth and Prince Phillip eventually visited Australia in 1954 as Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh.

Code: 4281