Royal Armoured Corps cap badge produced as a restrike of the pattern worn between 1941 and 1953 by the Royal Armoured Corps of the British Army. This British Army corps cap badge displays the recognised armoured corps device in clear relief, incorporating a clenched mailed gauntlet as the central device, the right hand palm-facing with a billet on the cuff inscribed “RAC”, with two concentric arcs bearing arrowheads or barbs radiating upward from the wrist, the whole surmounted by an Imperial King’s Crown. The composition reflects the heraldic traditions of the Royal Armoured Corps and the symbolism of mechanised warfare as established at the time of the badge’s introduction.
The Royal Armoured Corps was formed on 4 April 1939 to administer and train all mechanised cavalry regiments and the Royal Tank Regiment under a single corps structure, with the exception of the Household Cavalry. The original 1939 pattern badge was a conventional crowned laurel wreath enclosing the corps initials. By 1941, a more dynamic design had been approved, created by the graphic designer Abram Games. The mailed gauntlet was chosen to represent the power and strength of armoured warfare, while the two concentric arcs with arrowhead barbs radiating from the wrist were intended to represent the manoeuvre potential and speed of mechanised forces — combining the qualities of firepower, protection and mobility that defined armoured doctrine of the period. The King’s Crown surmounting the device is consistent with production and wear during the reign of King George VI, distinguishing this pattern from the Queen’s Crown examples introduced following the accession of Queen Elizabeth II in 1952. The badge remained the corps badge until superseded by the Queen’s Crown pattern in 1953.
Manufactured in white metal consistent with British Army corps headdress insignia of the Second World War and early post-war period, this restrike example provides a sharply defined representation of the 1941 pattern armoured corps badge. Royal Armoured Corps King’s Crown cap badges are collected as examples of Second World War and early post-war British Army corps militaria, headdress insignia of the mechanised and armoured forces, and historic uniform hardware of the wartime and immediate post-war British Army.
Dimensions Approx. 52mm x 39mm
Condition As new
Reference Gaylor Page 22, Pl.5 – 12
