Hello all, Could anyone give me a suggestion as to what a gunner in a RHA Territorial Army Regiment would have likely been wearing on mobilisation in September 1939? Service dress/battledress? Ammunition boots and puttees? Or some other more exotic combination entirely? (I am completely out of my depth when it comes to uniforms). Thanks for any help on this, Alan
A couple of my uncles served in the RHA, albeit postwar. I'm not sure about uniforms overall, but one thing to watch with the RHA is the capbadge - although they are nominally part of the Royal Artillery they have their own 'ER' style capbadge.
A lot of the TA, RHA and RA, were still in Service Dress on the outbreak of war. In general this would consist of a peaked cap, service dress jacket, breeches or trousers, long putees and ankle boots. Some had already changed to Battledress. Exactly what was worn would depend on the regiment and when it was formed. The new duplicate regiments could be in a mixture of dress and even civilian clothes depending on the supply situation. Badges would also vary as the TA RHA units were all converted from Yeomanry units and may have retained badges from their original units. As an example, 107 S Notts Hussars RHA were in Battledress but wore the silver acorn and oak leaves cap badge of the Hussars. If you have a particular regt in mind I might be able to find what they were wearing.
Hi Allan, This may help for what they looked like in Service Dress on horses - My Grandad in the AVC complete with ammunition bandolier.
Many thanks to all. The particular regiment I have in mind is the 106th Lancashire Hussars Yeomanry. Best, Alan
Alan Can't find anything specific on 106 RHA but their duplicate Rgt 149 RHA were in Battledress from their formation in mid 1939 so it is reasonable to presume that their parent unit 106th were in battledress also. There is also no indication of their cap badge but as most ex Yeomanry units continued to wear their original badge it is quite possible that 106 & 149 did also. If not they may have worn the standard RA badge or possibly the RHA badge. The RHA badge was not officially authorised until 1947 but it had been worn unofficially as early as 1942 and possibly earlier. The only other authorised insignia was cloth titles on the shoulder strap - black RHA on khaki although some units are shown wearing the earlier brass titles. These could have been the standard RHA title or Y above RHA or even Y above RHA above the regimental title. Sorry this is all a bit vague but without a photo from the period to confirm, I have had to make an educated guess. By coincidence, The Lancashire Hussars is my local regiment having been raised originally by Lord Gerard in Asthon in Makerfield ( a town on the outskirts of Wigan) where I now live. Unfortunately, everything I have been able to discover about the regiment locally ends just after WW1 when they became artillery. Interest in them seems to cease after their transfer.
This post was a long time ago, but I can add info on Rgt 149 RHA. My father joined in March 1939, and I've seen photos of him in battledress from the beginning. He also had a 'greatcoat mounted' shorter than standard. I've still got it. I think his comrades were issued with longer ones, but somehow he kept his throughout the war.
