Welcome to the Website of the Military Heraldry Society

The Military Heraldry Society is the club to join if your interest is military cloth badges - whether as collector or researcher. Formed in 1951 by serving army officers, its original brief was to foster and encourage the study and collecting of cloth formation signs, shoulder titles and regimental flashes at a time when large numbers of these were being worn on the uniforms of British soldiers worldwide.

The Society's members, scattered throughout the world, now have a wide variety of interests; First and Second World War cloth badges; the insignia of the Home Front in the Second World War; trade and proficiency badges and the cloth insignia of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. Since the resurgence of cloth insignia in the first Gulf War, a new field has opened up as the British Army adopted new cloth badges; Tactical Recognition Flashes (TRFs) for regiments and Formation Badges (FBs) for brigade, division and higher formations. Even the cloth shoulder title, worn throughout the Second World War and abolished in the late 1960s has made a comeback. although our primary interest is in British material, overseas armies are not neglected and issues of our journal have covered insignia from the Spanish and French armies.

Whether you call them badges, insignia, flashes or patches if it is cloth and military our members are interested in it!

Although there are several local branches where members meet regularly to talk and trade, they mainly stay in touch through our quarterly journal, The Formation Sign. Published regularly from April 1951, since 2007 this has been produced in full colour, allowing accurate reproduction of insignia. It features articles on all aspects of this fascinating hobby, many contributed by leading experts in their field. A popular feature is the Can You Help column where members can submit unidentified badges for identification.

Occasional special issues commemorate an anniversary or cover a subject in depth. The Centenaries of the Royal Tank Regiment and Royal Air Force in 2018 were marked by 48 page issues dedicated to their dress and insignia, the last issue for 2019 looking in detail at the badges produced for Britain's armed and civilian services from the 1940s to the 1960s by the Calico Printers Association. The first special issue of 2021 looked at the 100 year anniversary of the Navy, Army and Air Force Institute better known as NAAFI. The last issue in 2021 celebrated the 70th Birthday of the Society with a look back at the first issue.

But the journal is only available to members

If you feel that the Society is for you and would like to join, please click here

If you would like more information before joining please email: militaryheraldrysociety@gmail.com

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