ARMY
Army Paratrooper Wings were worn by all Army personnel who qualified at the Rhodesian Air Force Parachute Training School at New Sarum and were assigned to airborne units. Some Army personnel also did their Parachute training at Bloemfontein in South Africa due to New Sarum being overburdened. The Paratrooper Qualification Course at Bloemfontein consisted of nine static jumps including a night jump. On return to Rhodesia the Paratroopers would do two conversion jumps as well.
Personnel who had passed the Paratrooper Qualification Course but had yet to be assigned to an airborne unit wore the ‘Lightbulb’ Parachute sleeve badge. When and if they were assigned to an airborne unit they then wore the Army Paratrooper Wings.
The exceptions were the Selous Scouts and the SAS, who had their own Paratrooper Wings, although para trained members of the Selous Scouts wore the Army Paratrooper Wing until Reuteler Manufacturing produced the bronze Selous Scouts para wing.
In regard to Mark Radford’s book ‘Service Before Self’ he shows some Army para wings as (Flat) and others as (Padded). All of the Army para wings were padded except for the 'Lightbulb' para wing for the 'dress' (Greens) uniform and the Lightbulb' para wing for the combat uniform.
Some of the paratroopers removed the padding from the wing as it was then easier to iron.
The Army Para Wing for the Greens uniform #1040 he states was the 1st Pattern. There was only one pattern of this para wing.
Update: 09 April 2012
LEGEND:
‘Insignia and History of the Rhodesian Armed Forces 1890-1980 (4th Edition)’ by Dudley Wall = DW
‘The Military Badges and Insignia of Southern Africa’ by Colin Owen = OW
‘SAS Rhodesia’ by Jonathon Pittaway and Craig Fourie = JPCF p = page
‘Service Before Self’ by Mark Radford = RAD
‘Special Air Service - The Men Speak’ by Jonathon Pittaway = JP p = page
