I was crouched under the tank of my M20, as you do, when I peered closer at the tank badge. It's a black rectangle 4.5" high and 6" long with the faded numbers 455 painted in white. But then I noticed something. Under that old peeling paint is a square emblem of blue and yellow. I dug around and discovered it's currently the Tactical Recognition Flash of the Royal Logistic Corps. But the RLC was amalgamated into one in 1993 by combining the Royal Engineers Postal and Courier Service, Royal Corps of Transport, Royal Army Ordnance Corps, Royal Pioneer Corps and the Army Catering Corps. However none of those, that I can find, used the Blue and Yellow square during WWII. I'm at a dead end for now.

Thoughts?

(Henk told me he thinks the 455 is likely from its post war time in the BAOR)

email (option): moatjon [ at ] aol.com

Post war RASC I think...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

According to Britsh military markings 1939-1945 by Peter Hodges (Almark publications), it is Postwar R.A.S.C, as Ian states.

cheers,

Rob

www.wdnorton.nl

email (option): wd16h@telfort.nl

I've not seen it documented, but assume that when 'service colour' returned to Bronze Green, the wartime colours for RASC (red over green diagonal) were considered to insufficiently clear...They worked tolerably on khaki green and SCC brown.

Thanks so much all. Searching the web resulted in very little post war information. I did finally find a picture of a 1963 1st BTN RASC Land Rover the blue over yellow insignia. My bike left the factory in 1943 and Henk mentioned a note in my bike's paperwork that it it was released from service with 17 RVD BAOR in 1969. I found a history online of 17 RVD BAOR which went through a number of name changes. I feel like an archeologist sifting through layers of dust.

http://www.baor-locations.org/17VehCoyRASC.aspx.html

email (option): moatjon [ at ] aol.com

Like a cross between an archaeological mystery and a good detective story at times !

Many vehicles were struck off from Reserve Vehicle Depots where they had been stored after being replaced at unit level. Some would have been used for exercises, for instance when reservists arrived from the UK but in general, an over supply of vehicles was retained during the cold war.