can any one please tell me if british army officers during ww2 wore trade badges on their uniforms at all ?- eg sniper , marksman ect ? and did officers a waiting postings to new army units ( - bring transferred from one unit to another - wear general service cap badges and dog collar badges while waiting posting from one regiment to another ?)
I am not sure what you mean by General Service badges. Technically there is no such thing as an Officer of the British Army - British Officers are commissioned into a specific regiment or corps so would wear the insignia of that corps. It is traditional that their first unit becomes the officer's family for the rest their lives although the peculiarities of service throw up lots of exceptions. Administratively this is what they would belong to if otherwise unattached - e.g. in hospital they wear unit badges, not those of the hospital. If transferred they adopt the insignia of the new unit according to the date of the transfer which is technically a new commission. If attached or seconded, they wear their original cap badge with the shoulder badges or other distinctions of the new formation. Eventually promotion will lead to transfer to Staff with the General Officers badge (although regiments will recognise them as 'one of theirs'). Oddities occurred - e.g Territorial units badged to Infantry or Cavalry parent units converted to RTR or RA roles. Both badges can be found with esprit-de corps bending the rules or conventions either way (ex Yeoman wearing RTR or new RTR Officer wearing Yeomanry badge). Those in the unit will know who is pukkah! I trust this helps
As noted, the only "trade" badges worn by officers in WW2 are Bomb Disposal, Parachute Wings, Glider Pilot/Army Flying Wings. No marksmen, sniper or any other qualification or trade.
