The items included within this teaching pack are exact copies or replicas of genuine items held in the Regimental Archives of the Sherwood Foresters Museum which collects and preserves the history of the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment.
The teaching aids within this pack provide a variety of illustrations related to Badges, Signs and Symbols. These may be used to support different classroom activities and although specific teaching notes are not provided the background information to the different exhibits may be helpful.
How and why badges and signs are worn, with examples
List different features used in badges and signs e.g. animals, shapes, plants and flowers
Design your own badge .
Different kinds of Animal Mascots e.g. Ram for Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters, Irish Wolfhound for Irish Guards, Staffordshire Bull Terrier for the Staffordshire Regiment and a Shetland Pony for the Parachute Regiment. There are others!
Study uniforms and identify badges and other symbols used and allow children to wear the items of uniform provided within the pack.
You are encouraged to use the material provided within this pack to the best advantage of your class. However, some of the items are protected by the laws of copyright and are provided here for educational purposes only. They may not be photographed or reproduced by any other means or used for financial gain. In some instances the copyright restrictions have been removed and where this is applicable, the notes on the items are clearly marked stating permission to copy.
The uniformed figures provided are from the 19th and 20th Centuries and portray the evolution of uniforms, their different uses and the wearing of various symbols and badges. Examples of these are provided individually within the collection and children should be encouraged to handle them. In some cases the uniform gives a clue as to where it might have been worn e.g. Tropics, Temperate climate, cold climate. By dating a uniform it is also possible to discover in which campaign it may have been used and a good example of this is the First World War model.
Two boxes of assorted metal Regimental cap badges may be found within this pack. These badges illustrate several well known units and Regiments associated with the First and Second World Wars. In some cases the design of the badge relates directly to the role of the unit it represents, while in others there may be something to show which County the Regiment came from, or in the case of Scottish and Welsh Regiments, which Country. It may be a good talking point to get the children to examine and list their thoughts on a couple of badges, or better still do so whilst working in groups. Older relatives in the family may have badges as souvenirs at home.
Very few military Regiments and units have their own Official Mascot. One of the most famous Mascots, which date back to the Indian Mutiny in 1858, is The Derby Ram, formerly associated with The Sherwood Foresters regiment and since amalgamation in 1970, now with The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment. The booklet and various photograph cards provide some background information. A class project, which is guaranteed to maintain interest, would be to set the class the task of discovering photographs and details of other Unit mascots. In some schools it may even be possible to adopt a class mascot.
This collection of cards illustrates the various pattern and designs used by the British Army to identify the various units and commands. Many of the designs have some special meaning for the particular unit, for example, that shown at the top of the display on the left is for the 30th Division. The sign is the crest of Lord Derby, who raised the Division. Formed originally as the 37th in December 1914, this Division was numbered the 30th in April 1915, and crossed over to France in November of that year where it saw much action throughout the whole of the war. How many other symbols can be identified. A check at the local library will often provide much information.
The resource pack includes an Officers (Lieutenant) Mess Dress jacket and waist-coat, a uniform worn with Blue trousers in camp on formal occasions such as Regimental Dances and Dinner-Nights; a Warrant Officers Service Dress, used for normal duty and walking out; A Service Cap worn by The Royal Horse Guards, and a dark blue beret worn by the majority of the Army. Berets of other colours are worn in the Army by certain Units. Can the class identify who wears Green Berets, Red Berets, Sky Blue Berets, and Khaki Berets?
A selection of illustrations is provided which shows the use of flags, uniforms and badges. Various symbols can be identified from these.
Within this resource pack are leaflets which provide information about places of interest in the East Midlands Area. They provide opportunities to follow up class-based activities.
Included in the pack are three work sheets depicting uniforms of the 95th Derbyshire Regiment that would have been worn during the 1850s and certainly were worn in the Crimean War of 1854-56. They lend themselves to being hand coloured and also provide a base from which a written description of the uniform could be made.
Each Board in the Resource Pack contains a variety of items that relate to the other items contained within the collection. They are numbered and can be identified from the separate list provided. They may be used for a variety of classroom activities. Please see below to identify the items on the boards.
1. Regimental Shoulder Titles :- Parachute Regiment (Maroon Background for Airborne Units) Irish Guards (Green background for Ireland/Infantry)
2. Rank Chevrons of a Corporal (Two Stripes) Gold on Green for a Dress Uniform,
3. A in a Laurel Wreath worn on the sleeve. A is for Armourer a soldier who looks after various weapons.
4. Rank Chevrons of a Corporal (Two stripes in Khaki and white for normal dress)
5. A Drummers Badge Worn on the sleeve shows he is in the Corps of Drums
6. Crossed Sabres These show the wearer is a Physical Education Instructor (PT Teacher)
7. Signallers Badge (Mercury, the messenger of the Greek Gods)
8. Badge of The United Nations worn on a light blue beret.
Unit Flashes worn top of the sleeve identify a Corps, Division, or other Major Unit = The Bulldog = Eastern Command The Polar Bear = Iceland Force, 1940 The Gerbil or Desert Rat = 7th Armoured Division, Western Desert and Normandy Landings The Charging Boar = 30 Corps, Western Desert and Normandy A Crusader Axe = 78 Division, Algiers, Sicily, Northern Italy Quarter of a Circle = 4th Division, Dunkirk, North Africa, Italy, Prince of Wales Plumes = North Wales District, Stonehenge = Salisbury Plain District,
Crown of Company Sergeant Major (worn at bottom of sleeve near wrist), Regimental Sergeant Major (Royal Coat of Arms, worn at bottom of sleeve)
Officer Cadet (White Collar Tabs) 2nd Lieutenant (One Star worn on shoulder) Lieutenant (Two Stars) Captain (Three Stars) Major (A small Crown) Lieutenant Colonel (One Crown and One Star) Lieutenant General (Red and Gold Collar Tabs and on shoulders Crown with Crossed Sword and Baton)
Boer War (1899-1902) and Long Service and Good Conduct Medal Medal Group 2nd World War Defence Medal (Front shows head of King George VI, ribbon Green Stripe symbolizing Countryside, Black Stripe for the Blackouts and an Orange Stripe for Fire during bombing. 1939-45 War Medal, The back shows a Lion representing Good killing a Dragon representing Evil. The ribbon is in National Colours, red, white and blue. Medal Ribbon 1939-45 Star ----- Dark Blue = Navy, Red = Army, Light Blue = Royal Air Force Medal Ribbon Africa Star-----Yellow = Desert Sand, Dark Blue, Red Lt Blue = British Armed Forces. Medal Ribbon Burma Star-----Orange = Tropical Sun, Dark Blue = British Forces, Red = Commonwealth Forces. Medal Ribbon Italy Star -----Colours represent the Italian National Flag, red, white and green. Medal Ribbon France and Germany Star -----Red, White and Blue represent the National Colours of Britain, France, Netherlands, U.S.A.