Hey guys! I came across this photo of a lad from the 6th SWB of the 36th Division in Burma, I think the photo must have been taken in Britain when he came back or perhaps India? Anyway what is this patch he has and why does he have it? Cheers, Alex
Very similar to the US CBI patch. Here's one on here like the one in the photo. Rare WW2 Chinese Army in India Cloth Patch, being an embroidered arm patch in similar style to th
36 Div was attached to Northern Combat Area Command which was an American formation. A British soldier wouldn't wear two formation flashes, but it was something unusual to talk about. 36th Infantry Division (United Kingdom) - Wikipedia
36 Division had an unusual role in North Burma in 1944/45, being assigned to Stilwell's American/Chinese Northern Combat Area Command. They had US air support, assistance from American engineers and logistics and the divisional arty was supplemented by several Chinese batteries for a while. I've not seen a 36 Div soldier wearing one of these patches before, but a very close working relationship was fostered between the different elements of N.C.A.C. with men being attached to other units in the organisation to get the job done. War diaries from the division have frequent mentions of cooperation with US and Chinese troops, and in many pictures of 36 Div you'll often see an American serviceman or two knocking about in the background. Possibly this chap was working a role somewhere in the organisation that entitled him to the badge.
