Tactical Markings - Infantry, MG and Recce Battalions in Infantry Divisions

[Michael Dorosh]

I've consulted Dingwall's CD of vehicle marking documents and I own Beldam's 3 volumes - also emailed Barry and asked him directly. Does anyone have any idea of where to go to research the Tactical markings of Second World War infantry battalions, machine gun battalions, and reconnaissance regiments (in infantry divisions)? I don't mean unit signs or divisional markings, but the true tac signs - the yellow diamonds with letters inside - M1, P12, A3, etc.

Surely there has to be at the very least someone out there with a hobby magazine article on the subject of British tac markings? I know there are several sources for the artillery ones and Joe Costello of rcsigs.ca provided me the ones for a signals unit. Would love to find out the infantry and recce ones. (While not my priority right now, would also be interested in RCASC, RCEME, Provost, RCAMC, etc. - Dingwall's documents do have the ones for RCOC units IIRC.)

Any help - even a partial listing - would be of value. There are some cartoons in the Toronto Scottish history "Carry On" that are the closest I've come to finding an actual reference but they really don't say much.

Thanks in advance.

[Jack Geratic]

Your best bet is to look through the particular war diary of the unit(s) that interest you - but be prepared to be disappointed. I've looked through several (but not all), and some can contain a pretty detailed numbering system, while others have nothing.

It seems too, that regimental tactical markings could have these same numbers as set out for tactical signs of the 8x6 inch variety as found on the Canadian soldiers site.



Above photo example, the same Q15 can be found on the bumper and within the HQ diamond tactical marking.

Here's an example from 8th Recce in July 1941:
http://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oo...88/536?r=0&s=1

Further on from the same diary, there is mention of using a three digit system with no letters - see pages 709,710,778, and 779. Also diary 12689 pages 1613,1614, and 1615.

5th CAN ARMD
http://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oo...52/966?r=0&s=3

Manitoba Dragoons
http://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oo...16/610?r=0&s=1 pages 610 through to 616

First CAN Army
This one I'm not too sure about, it contains numbers both with and without letters, and are referred to as "Serial Numbers"? Note too some contain two sets of numbers separated '/' which seems to indicate more than one vehicle allocated to the same role?

http://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oo...77/813?r=0&s=3 pages 813 through to 817



regards,
Jack

[Michael Dorosh]

Great finds, thank you!

[Dan Martel]

Originally Posted by Michael Dorosh

Great finds, thank you!

Good to hear from you Mike. Long time.

Originally Posted by Jack Geratic

Your best bet is to look through the particular war diary of the unit(s) that interest you - but be prepared to be disappointed. I've looked through several (but not all), and some can contain a pretty detailed numbering system, while others have nothing.

Fantastic research Jack. All this needs to be collated and made available for all the amateur historians out there. Good job.

Cheers,
Dan.