Another link in mystery of army cap badge

A former Compulsory Military Training (CMT) officer believes he may have partially solved the mystery of a Royal NZ Armoured Corps cap badge recently discovered at Patiti Point.

In August, Timaru 6-year-old Medinella Fauth found the bronze and silver badge on the beach about a metre from the bottom car park at Patiti Point. Nearby was a military ribbon.

Her family has not received any responses to their call for the owner, or relatives, to claim it.

Bruce Johnson, who now lives in Auckland, said in the 1950s he was a member of the CMT (Compulsory Military Training), which had an Armoured Tank Regiment unit on Barnard St in Timaru, and the badge found by Medinella was the same as the one he had at the time.

‘‘It is a hat badge and an officer’s one. Only officers’ badges had a silver tank on it,’’ he said.

The officer’s badges were goldplated whereas the lower ranks’ badges were silver plated, Johnson said.

CMT in New Zealand was practised from 1950 to 1959 for all males aged 18, who had to train for 101⁄2 weeks a year.

Johnson said they went on an annual camp to Tekapo and spent weekends away in places such as Blue Cliffs.

‘‘The Stuart tanks were on rubber tracks, so we could drive them.’’

Johnson lived in High St and was in the CMT in about 1956 and 1957. He recalled how there were four troops in Timaru and each had three tanks which were parked next to the army hall.

He said there were quite a few ‘‘locals’’ who were officers in the Third Armoured Unit when he was involved.

‘‘It is possible the [discovered] badge could have belonged to one of those from this unit. The ribbon would not be related to the badge, we had a green patch behind the badge not a ribbon.’’

Johnson donated his badge to the Temuka RSA for display in its collection.

Medinella’s mother Roselyn Fauth was interested to hear what Johnson had to say and still hoped the owner of the badge or their relatives would be found.

She suspects as the the badge was discovered lying on the ground meant it had been stolen and flung from a car window.

Johnson agreed that was quite possible and hoped someone would come forward.

Officer Bruce Johnson and his peers at one of their annual Compulsory Military Training camps at Balmoral, near Lake Takapo/Tekapo in the late 1950s. They are with the rubber-tracked Stuart tanks used by the Third Armoured Tank Regiment.