World War 2 Badges and commemorative badges.
Latest hand-picked WWII news.
The first Bletchley Park Commemorative Badges awarded
Penny Mendoza has been awarded the Bletchley Park Commemorative Badge for her part in deciphering German codes. She was part of the Government Code and Cypher School which helped crack the Enigma and Tunny codes. Veterans (originally some 9000) no longer alive will be commemorated on a Roll of Honour. "It was a secret... We had to sign that we would never speak of it for 30 years." At the end of the second world war the enigma machines were destroyed and Mednoza was told that the machines had been sunk in the ocean. Winston Churchill depicted the work done by the secret army as: "The geese that laid the golden egg and never cackled."
(bbc.co.uk)
Land Girl photojournal - Badge honours surviving members
Tens of thousands of women in U.K. answered the call to work the land and forests, in place of men who had gone to fight in the Second World War. For many it was their first taste of independence, and for those from the cities it was a shock to find themselves driving tractors or felling trees. They became known as the Land Girls and the Lumber Jills. Now the government is recognising their work with a badge of honour for surviving members.
(bbc.co.uk)
Nazi badges of the 3rd SS division Totenkopf almost double auction estimate
11 Nazi patches from the 3rd SS division Totenkopf, which shot 97 men of the Royal Norfolk Regiment in 1940, had been valued at £300 but went for £550 to a private collector from Essex, who had offered up to £2,000 but bidding stopped at £550. The 3rd SS division Totenkopf was made up of concentration camp guards and its "Death`s Head" insignia became famous. Auctioneer Clinton Slingsby said: "Buying such items does not mean you sympathise with Nazism; it happened and as part of history, such things are important and of interest." The Nazi insignia was part of a larger collection of military memorabilia that a Lincolnshire man had found in his attic.
(bbc.co.uk/)
Conflict-Series: A highly rated strategy game series for Android
If you love classic PC war games and legendary strategy board games make sure to check out the highly rated Conflict-series for Android. Some of the WWII Campaigns include D-Day 1944, Operation Barbarossa, Invasion of Poland 1939, France 1940, Kursk 1943, Market Garden, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Rommel's North African campaign, the Battle of Bulge, and the Battle of Berlin 1945. In addition there are American Civil War, First World War and American Revolutionary War scenarios available.
(available on Google Play & Amazon App Store)
Commemorative badges awarded to Bevin Boys in UK
PM has granted commemorative badges to men who were conscripted or volunteered to work as miners during the Second World War. Wartime minister Ernest Bevin`s plan saw 48,000 men aged 18-25 enrolled for the mines 1943-1948. The Bevin Boys helped relieve the UK`s coal shortage and their contribution to the British war effort has never before been formally recognised. The Bevin Boys` contribution, like that of the Spitfire Women, the Women`s Timber Corps and the Women`s Land Army, did not get the recognition it deserved at the time as honours were focused on those who saw frontline service.
(bbc)
WWII Land Girls (Women`s Land Army :WLA) can now apply for a badge
Women who worked the land during the Second World War can now apply for a badge commemorating their activity. The badge is the first official acknowledgment of the contribution made by members of the Women`s Land Army (WLA) and the Women`s Timber Corps (WTC). Badges will be granted to living members of the WLA and WTC, but not to spouses or families of died members, except where death has took place after 6 Dec 2007. Land Girls helped run farms and feed the nation on the Home Front while men were fighting in the war. They took on work which was often hard, with long hours, poor conditions and low pay. There was a firm sense of patriotism and comradeship.
(bbc)
WWII below ground - Bevin Boys get commemorative badge
In WWII 48,000 men, Bevin Boys, were conscripted to work down the mines to tackle severe World War II coal shortages. The government has announced that they will be honoured with a badge to commemorate their contribution to the war effort. They dreamt of fighting on the battlefields but instead they were sent underground to mine for coal. Yet, despite helping to fuel the war against the Nazis from the dangerous tunnels, the young wartime conscript miners enjoyed little recognition. The Bevin Boys were abused for not being in uniform by those who thought they were conscientious objectors.
(bbc)
Badge honours Bevin Boys` World War II service
Men conscripted as miners during WWII are to be recognised for their contribution to the war effort. 50,000 young men became Bevin Boys, named after minister Ernest Bevin, who devised the scheme to maintain the mining industry`s output after serious shortage of coal. The Bevin Boys Association has long campaigned for its members` efforts to be recognition as war service. Veterans Minister Derek Twigg agreed to badges being struck for the survivors. Alan Jennings said he had volunteered and been accepted by the RAF, so it was a shock when he was conscripted to work underground. "We are going to get an award. It will be a badge, not a medal."
(bbc)