I found this patch among my grandfather's things. I know it's a military patch of some sort because it was with his war memorabilia. He served in the European theater during WWII, if that helps at all. Can someone identify this unit patch?
asked Oct 12, 2011 at 21:22
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1I must admit, this is the most interesting question I've seen yet!– Daniel Node.jsOct 13, 2011 at 22:28
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1Thanks, I was thinking that this would be a great category of question for this site to handle.– Christopher RaylOct 14, 2011 at 13:48
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1 Answer
The "Winged Pegasus" patch is the insignia for British Airborne Forces and was specifically the divisional patch for the 6th and 1st Airborne Divisions during WW2. The 1st Airborne Division adopted the patch in May 1942, the sixth on the 14th of May 1943.
The 44th Indian Airborne Division also adopted a similar patch with the word 'INDIAN' underneath the design.
Parachute wings were worn on the right shoulder above the airborne forces patch of Bellerophon riding the flying horse Pegasus in their fight against the dragon Chimaera
The artwork for the patch was created by Edward Seago.
The British Parachute regiment's mascot was a Shetland pony named Pegasus IV and the official magazine of the British Airborne forces is the "Pegasus":
Reference:
answered Oct 12, 2011 at 21:42
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2Actually, both the 1st and 6th Airborne have a Pegasus on their patch, this one looks more like the 1st Airborne's Patch. (Check out the back of the spear) Oct 13, 2011 at 14:54
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Thanks Christopher. I have updated to include the 1st AD. I think it is the same patch for both because it was the insignia of the 1st Airborne Corps of which they were both a part. I will update with some more detail on that :) Oct 13, 2011 at 22:29
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@ChristopherRayl The Pegasus BAF operated in airborne attacks previous to D-Day, most famously, the Pegasus Bridge.– Neo1009Jan 15, 2020 at 21:45