Patch Trader Andy

 

MY BOMB SQUAD PIN COLLECTION

I have an interest in Bomb Squads from around the world and part of my collection includes pin badges.

I enjoy my hobby of collecting and will try my best to assist fellow collectors in obtaining items for their collection. Part of this role is showing my collection to date and explaining whatever I can in relation to each item.

I acknowledge that there are probably many thousands of patch collectors, of which I admit I am one, however those of you who are interested in authentic items rather than those which are mass produced for a general market should perhaps consider the following.

Units / Branches which have a specialised roles and capabilities tend to be very proud of their abilities and are most protective of the identity of their particular unit. - It is not difficult to obtain a cloth patch pertaining to some Police Department however you must remember that these are mass produced with little accountability as to authenticity and whether they are destined for the relevant Police Force of local shop / market stall.

I know that, particularly within the United Kingdom, pin badges are very similar to Unit or Regimental ties and are generally connected directly to the relevant Unit rather than what can only be described as a "Commercial Venture" by some unscrupulous individual.

I would expect that if I obtain a pin badge from a Unit within the United Kingdom then the production of that pin is probably limited to a few hundred ensuring authinticity and collectability.

(I must say that the picture above shows a pair of Bomb Squad makrolon armoured Ford Transit vehicles attending the scene of a terrorist land mine explosion on 27th October 1982 at Kinnego Embankment, County Armagh where 3 Police Officers were murdered.- The hole in the road where the bomb detonated can be seen ahead of the vehicles.)

SHOWN BELOW IS MY PIN BADGE COLLECTION - Sheet 1

Please look at the illustration as numbered from left to right and top to bottom.I hope this information is of use to fellow collectors.

Row 1 1-4 "Felix" the mascot of 321 E.O.D. from the oldest on the left. 5 - 7 Crests of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps 8 Royal Logistics Corps

Row 2 1 - 3 More recent "Felix" pins. 4 - 6 "Felix" with a Bomb Disposal Operator. 7 "Flaming A" Ammunition Technician pin, 8 Royal Engineers Bomb Disposal

Row 3 1 - 4 Instructor Improvised Explosive Device Disposal. 5 Older version of previous, 6 - 8 U.K. I.E.D. Information Centre

Row 4 1 - 4 Student Felix from the Training Centre. 5 - 8 Ammunition Technician "Flaming A" marking 10 years.

Row 5 1-3 Exercise "Roman Edge" 4 - 6 "Billy Whiz" Weapons Intelligence Section (W.I.S.) 7 and 8 W.I.S. covering the Belfast Area.

Row 6 1 "Saton Force" Senior A.T.O. North course pin. 2 - 3 More recent Satob Force pins. 4 - 7 Intelligence Section 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment

           8 Metropolitan Police Explosive Search pin.

Row 7 1 "Demon Beacon" course pin. 2 - 8 Bomb Disposal operatior pin badges.

Row 8 1 Operation "Sea Stoat" pin badge 2 - 7 More recent cersions of the Sea Stoat pin. 8 Bomb Disposal operator pin.

Row 9 1 - 4 Christmas "Felix" pin. 5 - 6 Later version of previous. 7 - 8 Larger version of previous.

Row 10 1 - 4 "Felix Aint No Pussy" pin showing the design of a mural at one of the E.O.D. Unit bases. 5 - 8 Bio-Chemical munitions disposal Felix pin.

Sheet 2

       

Row 1 1 - 4 Royal Ulster Constabulary Weapons and Explosives Research Centre (W.E.R.C.) 5 - 8 Police Service of Northern Ireland W.E.R.C.

Row 2 1 - 5 Police Service of Northern Ireland W.E.R.C. 6 - 8 Military Headquarters Northern Ireland G2 Weapons Intelligence

Row 3 1 - 5 621 E.O.D. Squadron based at R.A.F. Northolt a WW2 Battle of Britain Fighter station.6 - 7 Royal Ulster Constabulary and Felix "Defusing the situation" 

           8 British Transport Police A82.

Row 4 1 - 4 621 E.O.D. Squadron based at Colchester an old Roman town. 5 - 8 "Brave men walk away Bomb Disposal"

Row 5 1 - 5 E.O.D. Squadron based at Edinburgh, Scotland. 6 - 8 Metropolitan Police Bomb Dogs

Row 6 1 - 6 "Flaming A" Ammunition Technician qualification. 7 - 8 Metropolitan Police Bomb Dogs

Row 7 1 - 8 Comprising Cavalier and Roundhead "Felix" pins from 721 E.O.D. Squadron

Row 8 1 - 3 "Robin Hood" Felix from 721 E.O.D. Based at Nottingham. 4 - 8 Alpha Troop 821 Squadron Special Forces Felix.

Row 9 1 - 4 921 E.O.D. Squadron based in Germany. 5 - 8 The Afghan Felix working hard in Afghanistan.

Row 10 1 - 5 The Iraq Felix doing his bit in "the war on terrorism" 6 Porton Down 7 - 8 E.O.D. Northern Ireland 321 Squadron.

Sheet 3

Row 1 1 - 5 321 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Sqn Northern Ireland. 6 - 8 Joint Tasking (United Kingdom) E.O.D. Group

Row 2 1 - 6 Felix Centre Electronic Counter Measures team 7 Joint Tasking U.K. E.O.D. Group 8 660 Signals E.C.M. Felix

Row 3 1 - 5 660 Signals Electronic Counter Measures. 6 - 8 660 Signals E.C.M. Felix

Row 4 1 - 6 The Longest Walk Bomb Disposal Officer 7 - 8 660 Signals E.C.M. Felix

Row 5 1,3,5 and 7 Combined Explosives Exploitation Cell Iraq. 2 and 6 British Army Arms and Explosives Search Dog red paw. 4 11 Regiment E.O.D.

            8 United Kingdom Bomb Data Centre SO13 New Scotland Yard

Row 6 1 - 3 Royal Air Force Bomb Disposal Unit 4 - 8 These pins relate to the technical information which is held relating to ordnance

Row 7 1 - 3 Metropolitan Police Dog Section Explosive Detection dogs. 4 Royal Navy Mine Clearance and E.O.D., 5 - 7 "Wheelbarrow" 8 Robotec Wheelbarrow

Row 8 1 - 2 Policeman on bomb 3 - 5 Metropolitan Police Anti-Terrorist Unit 6 Ministry of Defence Anti-Terrorism Training and Tactics 7 - 8 Army School of  Ammunition

Row 9 1 - 4 Royal School of Signals Electronic Warfare Wing 5 Guy Fawkes 400 years anniversary

Row 10 1 - 5 Royal Air Force 5131 Bomb Disposal Squadron

Worldwide Explosive Ordnance Disposal / Bomb Squad Pin Badges Sheet 4

Row 1 1-2 Israel Police Bomb Disposal 3 Royal Singapore Air Force E.O.D.

Row 2 1 - 5 German E.O.D. 6 - 7 Hong Kong Police E.O.D. 8 Hellenic Police Force Bomb Squad

Row 3 1 Edmonton Police Bomb Unit 2 - 3 Canadian Bomb Data Centre "Mad Bomber" 4 Canadian E.O.D., 5 F.B.I. W.M.D. Operations Unit, 6 - 7 U.S. Army     Ordnance Corps

Row 4 1-2 Polish Military Mine Clearance, 3 Australian Bomb Data Centre, 4 South Australia Police Bomb Response Unit, 5 New Zealand Explosive Detection Dog 6 Australian Police Anti-Terrorism Unit, 7-8 Los Angeles County Sheriff Bomb Squad

Row 5 1 Spanish Police Explosive Detaction Dog, 2 Spanish Police E.O.D., 3 F.B.I. Newark S.S.G., 4 - 6 United States Army E.O.D., 7 U.S. Navy E.O.D. Unit, 8 Los Angeles Terrorism Early Warning Group (POLO SHIRT IN TRADES SECTION!!)

Row 6 1 As previous, 2 N.Y.P.D. Bomb Disposal, 3 F.B.I. Oklahoma Bomb Unit

WHAT IS "SEA STOAT"??

The simple answer to this question is that it is "Hard Prep" qualification course for E.O.D. Operators which was described in "Soldier" Magazine back in the 1980's as follows.

At the Longmoor Intermediate Training Area 60 Tri-Service personnel in 2 man Teams, most of them army, have just spent a week taking their practicals. Competency exams out of the glare of publicity in realistic joint cooperation senarios alongside 193 police colleagues during Operation Sea Stoat.

It was a week when half-a-dozen teams daily tackled four taskings each up to two and a half hours in length. High concentration assignments testing not only their skill and competency in dealing with the I.E.D. but their instilled professionalism and personal credability.

The object: To be "licenced" or qualified as Army Ordnance Bomb Disposal Experts.

Potential experts of derring-do with the first aim of preventing detonation and the preservation of life, their own included. Men of potential apt temperament who put their own lives on the line. Men who are regularly re-tested every six months.

In such situations that may horrifically befall any crowded High Street for real the police would take command of the incident while the Army's experts would provide the specialist, ice-cool response and skills to defuse and render harmless any I.E.D.

Running Exercise Sea Stoat was for 11 Ordnance Battalion E.O.D. based in Oxfordshire. It has three companies 521 in Yorkshire, 621 in Middlesex and 721 in Herefordshire.

Co-operating in the week long exercise the Police had been drawn from the area encompassing The Wash, The Midlands and The South. Often they would act as an extra such as a "witness" as well as embarking on their designated roles as incident commanders.

Simulated casualties were provided by men of 11 Ordnance Battalion E.O.D. itself and from the Royal Corps of Signals.

Major Bill Pearson, O.C. 621 Company said of the exercise and its predecessors since 1978 "It's always been an important aspect of our varied jobs within E.O.D. And that importance is on the increase. The men are stressed both subjectively and objectively. The quality of the young operator is improving and that of the young officer joining the battalion. Every operator is licenced twice a year.

"We have always been in support of the police. That degree has not changed. The frequency of support has, in direct relationship to any problem the police are up against. If the terrorist plants more bombs, the more help the police are going to need."

He reaffirmed "The police command at an incident. We provide the technical expertise. They lead at all levels."

During the week-long activity amid the F.I.B.U.A. buildings, ex married quarters at Longmoor, more than 150 explosives were rendered safe with the help of specialist E.O.D. weapons.

On hand as four two-man R.A.O.C. teams, an R.A.F. team and a R.N. team were busying themselves at different locations among the players were ordnance experts from the London Metropolitan Police C13 Branch. Many of them former R.A.O.C. Warrant Officers.

As part of their test teh umpires have to complete a 68-point check-list questionaire. The results are then fed into a computer. An exam debrief can last from a quarter of an hour to half an hour depending on a failure or pass mark.

The students went through their controlled paces, in every sence, using kit such as "Wheelbarrow" the "Pig stick" and "Jack-in-the-box"

At the time of printing the bomb teams were responding to an average of 4,200 calls per year!

     IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THE PINS MENTIONED ABOVE PLEASE CHECK THE "E.O.D. BADGES FOR TRADE" PAGE      

Please Contact Me at Dander@btinternet.com to arrange a trade!!