Military units in South Africa have a long tradition of using unit insignia to visually identify themselves through the use of helmet and shoulder 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. [1] [2] [3]
As a general guide to flashes of the period, the colours had meaning. For Corps/Arm of service, these were, generally, the following: [4]
The bottom colour would be the arm of service, the top colour the province.
| 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 |  [lower-alpha 1] |
| Infantry Branch (Citizen Force) | 1942 | 1945 |  [lower-alpha 2] |
| South African Engineers (SAEC) | 1923 | 1928 |  [lower-alpha 3] |
| 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) [lower-alpha 4] | 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 [lower-alpha 5] | _ | _ |  [lower-alpha 6] |
| South African Permanent Force Cadets | 1920 | 1939 |  |
| South African Air Force (SAAF) | 1920 | 1942 |  |
| Corps / Unit | From | To | Flash |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Field Artillery (CFA) | 1923 | 1939 |  |
| Natal Field Artillery (NFA) | 1923 | 1939 |  |
| Transvaal Horse Artillery (THA) [2] | 1904 | 1939 |  |
| 1 Oranjie Vrystaat Veld Artillerie [lower-alpha 7] (1OVSVA) [lower-alpha 8] | 1926 | 1926 |  |
| 2 Oranjie Vrystaat Veld Artillerie [lower-alpha 9] (2OVSVA) [lower-alpha 8] | 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 |  [lower-alpha 10] |
| Natal Mounted Rifles (NMR) [lower-alpha 11] | 1940 | 1943 |  |
| Umvoti Mounted Rifles (UMR) [5] | 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 [lower-alpha 12] [lower-alpha 13] | - | - |  |
| 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) [lower-alpha 14] | 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) [lower-alpha 15] | 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) [lower-alpha 16] | 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 |  |
| Corps / Unit | From | To | Flash | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd Mounted Commando Regiment (2 MCR) | 1941 | 1941 |  | |
| First City/Cape Town Highlanders Regiment (FC/CTH) [lower-alpha 17] | 1944 | 1945 |  | |
| South African Irish Regiment [lower-alpha 17] | - | - |  | |
| 1 TVL BN (1st Res Bde) [lower-alpha 18] | 1939 | 1942 |  | |
| 2 (CPR) BN (1st Res Bde) [lower-alpha 18] | - | - |  | |
| 5 BN (1st Res Bde) [lower-alpha 18] | 1940 | 1942 |  | |
| 6 BN (1st Res Bde) [lower-alpha 18] | 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 |  |
| Division | From | To | Flash |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Division | 1940 | 1943 |  |
| 2nd Division | 1940 | 1943 |  |
| 3rd Division | 1940 | 1943 |  |
| 6th Armoured Division | 1943 | 1945 |  |
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