Military units in South Africa have a long tradition of using unit insignia to visually identify themselves through the use of helmet and flashes, as well as hackles. This page serves as an informative overview of the various flashes and hackles utilized by different military units in the South African Military. The insignia were predominantly worn from the post-World War I period until approximately 1943, when the use of cloth helmets ceased and were replaced by berets in the Union Defence Force (UDF). These visual symbols represent the identities and histories of each unit and are unique in their design and colors. The page provides detailed descriptions and images of the different flashes and hackles, as well as their origins and meanings.

Description

As a general guide to flashes of the period, the colours had meaning. For Corps/Arm of service, these were, generally, the following: Grey - Mounted Units Black - Infantry Yellow - Artillery

The bottom colour would be the arm of service, the top colour the province.

Blue - Natal Yellow - OVS Red - Cape Green - Transvaal

Reserve Force

+ Reserve Force Units Corps / Unit From To Flash SA Staff Corps (SAStC) 1912 1920 SA Staff Corps (SAStC) 1920 1935 SA Staff Corps (SAStC) 1935 1942 South African Field Artillery (SAFA) 1923 1935 South African Garrison Artillery (SAGA) 1923 1935 Artillery Units 1935 1942 South African Instructional Corps 1923 1942 South African Mounted Riflemen (SAMR) 1922 1926 Infantry Branch (Citizen Force) 1923 1942 Infantry Branch (Citizen Force) 1942 1945 South African Engineers (SAEC) 1923 1928 South African Engineers (SAEC) 1928 1939 South African Engineers (SAEC) 1940 1945 Field Engineers and Signals 1923 1931 South African Army Ordnance Corps (SAOC) 1923 1939 South African Service Corps (SASC) 1923 1939 South African Army Pay & Clerical Corps (SAAP & CC) 1923 1939 Technical Services Corps (TSC) 1939 1942 Technical Services Corps (TSC) 1942 1945 Quartermaster Services Corps (QSC) 1939 1942 South African Medical Corps (SAMC) 1923 1942 South African Veterinary Corps (SAVC) 1923 1942 South African Corps of Signals (SACS) 1923 1942 South African Corps of Signals (SACS) 1942 1945 South African Corps of Military Police (SACMP) 1939 1942 South African Army Band _ _ South African Permanent Force Cadets 1920 1939 South African Air Force (SAAF) 1920 1942

Active Citizen Force (ACF) + Active Citizen Force (ACF) Units Corps / Unit From To Flash Cape Field Artillery (CFA) 1923 1939 Natal Field Artillery (NFA) 1923 1939 Transvaal Horse Artillery (THA) 1904 1939 1 (1OVSVA) 1926 1926 2 (2OVSVA) 1926 1926 Cape Garrison Artillery (CGA) 1923 1939 Cape Town - 1 Medium Battery 1934 1939 Armoured Train (Cape) 1934 1939 Armoured Train (Transvaal) 1935 1939 Royal Natal Carbineers (RNC) 1923 1942 Natal Mounted Rifles (NMR) 1923 1940 Natal Mounted Rifles (NMR) 1940 1943 Umvoti Mounted Rifles (UMR) 1923 1942 Imperial Light Horse (ILH) 1905 1942 Imperial Light Horse (ILH) 1942 1942 Royal Durban Light Infantry (RDLI) 1923 1942 Duke of Edinburgh's Own Rifles (DEOR) DHQ - - Duke of Edinburgh's Own Rifles (DECOR) 1902 1942 Prince Alfred's Guard (PAG) 1902 1942 First City Regiment (FC) 1924 1935 Kaffrarian Rifles (Kaff R) 1923 1942 Kimberley Regiment (KR) 1923 1942 Cape Peninsula Rifles (CPR) 1914 1926 Witwatersrand Rifles (WR) 1923 1942 Rand Light Infantry (RLI) 1923 1942 Rand Light Infantry (RLI) 1942 1942 Pretoria Regiment (PR) 1923 1926 Pretoria Regiment (PR) 1926 1942 Pretoria Regiment (PR) 1942 1942 Regiment Botha (RB) 1934 1942 Regiment de la Rey (RDLR) 1934 1942 Regiment De Wet (RDW) 1934 1939 Regiment Louw Wepner (RLW) 1934 1939 Regiment President Steyn (RPS) 1934 1942 Regiment Suid Westerlike Distrikte (RSWD) 1934 1942 Regiment Westelike Provincie (RWP) 1934 1942 Die Middlelandse Regiment (DMR) 1934 1942 1 South West Africa Infantry Regiment (SWA1) 1939 1942 Railways and Harbours Brigade HQ (R&H BDE HQ) 1910 1924 Railways and Harbours Brigade (R&H BDE) 1923 1923

Volunteer Units (1939-1945) + Volunteer Units (1939-1945) Corps / Unit From To FlashPatch 2nd Mounted Commando Regiment (2 MCR) 1941 1941 First City/Cape Town Highlanders Regiment (FC/CTH) 1944 1945 South African Irish Regiment - - 1 TVL BN (1st Res Bde) 1939 1942 2 (CPR) BN (1st Res Bde) - - 5 BN (1st Res Bde) 1940 1942 6 BN (1st Res Bde) 1940 1942 SAEC Survey Company 1940 1945 Cape Corps (CC) 1940 1945 Indian & Malay Corps (I & MC) 1940 1942 Native military corps (NMC) 1940 1946

Divisional Flashes (1940-1945) + Divisional Flashes (1940-1945) Division From To Flash 1st Division 1940 1943 2nd Division 1940 1943 3rd Division 1940 1943 6th Armoured Division 1943 1945

Notes

References

See also South African Army corps and branches List of badges of the South African Army