9 commando beret badge.

hi, my dad was JOHN WILLIAM KEEFE, Number 14729480. . 9 COMMANDO. IM TRYING TO SOURCE A FEW PIECES OF MEMORABILIA, TO PUT WITH PHOTOGRAPHS. would the attached pic be the right beret badge? ANY GUIDANCE MUCH APPRECIATED, SHAUN KEEFE

Hi Shaun,

If you take a quick look at the No 9 Commando gallery you will see that in a few of the photographs the soldier is wearing a green beret with a black hackle.

regards, Doug

Thanks Doug, will check the photo's out, cheers Shaun.

im sure my dad had a gold coloured like pin badge on his green beret, once over, i might be wrong, long time ago.? i dont remember the Heckle Doug.

My dad had the hackle along with the beret but I recall that it deteriorated very quickly and was thrown away.

It appears that your dad was a teenager when he enlisted in 1943-44 ? and I'm sure by then that the unit was wearing the hackle, although I read that when they were originally formed the inductees wore the badge of their original regiment.

Google "9 commando black hackle" or look at this websites 9 Commando page. I believe that No 11 commando also wore the black hackle.

The hackle is available online but it will cost you 12 quid.

Regards Doug

Thanks Doug :-)

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 08/02/2022 21:59:24

Shaun have a read of this about No.9 Commando and in particular their headgear in relation to the black hackle and lack of badge: https://www.commandoveterans.org/9Commando

If you look in the gallery you will see that the vast majority of photos show this.

No.9 Commando was Army Commando unit not Royal Marines. Bearing in mind the above if you just want to add the badge of his Regiment that he wore before he was attached to No.9 Commando then it would be the badge of the Somerset Light Infantry as depicted here: https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/somerset-light-infantry-prince-alberts

More about Pte John William Keefe: https://www.commandoveterans.org/JohnKeefe_9Commando

Pete

Thanks Pete :-)