Special Air Service Titles

[Milihfra]

I would like some opinions on two 1950s/60s Special Air Service titles that I am looking at. I have been doing some research on another forum and they look good to me but it never hurts to get a second pair of eyes. Especially since these are heavily faked. According to one source these are specifically from the mid 50s or so. 

 

Also, if anyone has any SAS titles to share please do, I would love to see them. 

 

Thanks in advance.

[Tonomachi]

They are both late 1950s era SAS shoulder titles.  I believe they were cut down from an earlier design that came out about 1952.  If I can get the history right the WW2 era SAS were disbanded at the end of the war and wore different SAS titles.   The British Army brough back the SAS in 1947 under their Territorial Army which I believe is like our Reserve Army.  They raised the 21st SAS Squadron under a very old regiment called the Artist Rifles.  They were training for the Korean War but instead fought a counter insurgency war called the Malayan Emergency.    Their first title reads 21st S.A.S. (ARTIST) which was used from 1947 through 1952 and a picture of one below came from the British & Commonwealth Military Badge Forum.  Their second title read SPECIAL AIR SERVICE (ARTIST) and was used into the late 1950s.  A picture of one below came from the same mentioned forum.  In the late 1950s their third title read SPECIAL AIR SERVICE minus the ARTIST.  They used the previous surplus shoulder titles by simply cutting away the (ARTIST) along the bottom which I believe is what you have pictured above.  The harder to find title is the second one as most had (ARTIST) cut away.  I believe it was about this time that the British Army formed the 22nd SAS Squadron from the Regular Army so there was no connection to the Artist Rifles.  There are a bunch of copies of these SAS titles so you have to be careful what you are buying especially from the UK.

[Milihfra]

15 hours ago, Tonomachi said:

They are both late 1950s era SAS shoulder titles.  I believe they were cut down from an earlier design that came out about 1952.  If I can get the history right the WW2 era SAS were disbanded at the end of the war and wore different SAS titles.   The British Army brough back the SAS in 1947 under their Territorial Army which I believe is like our Reserve Army.  They raised the 21st SAS Squadron under a very old regiment called the Artist Rifles.  They were training for the Korean War but instead fought a counter insurgency war called the Malayan Emergency.    Their first title reads 21st S.A.S. (ARTIST) which was used from 1947 through 1952 and a picture of one below came from the British & Commonwealth Military Badge Forum.  Their second title read SPECIAL AIR SERVICE (ARTIST) and was used into the late 1950s.  A picture of one below came from the same mentioned forum.  In the late 1950s their third title read SPECIAL AIR SERVICE minus the ARTIST.  They used the previous surplus shoulder titles by simply cutting away the (ARTIST) along the bottom which I believe is what you have pictured above.  The harder to find title is the second one as most had (ARTIST) cut away.  I believe it was about this time that the British Army formed the 22nd SAS Squadron from the Regular Army so there was no connection to the Artist Rifles.  There are a bunch of copies of these SAS titles so you have to be careful what you are buying especially from the UK.

Yes, thats what I was thinking as well. Although it does not look like anything was cut off from the ones I show, as the cut off ones i've seen look rougher on the bottom. But thats just me. I was also understanding that the title I show was its own thing, as in being its own variant.