what i´ve seen on ebay ;)

[Hamish]

Sorry, Mcnice and Aaron, but I cannot help at all with this one. Military history, insigia, uniforms, etc. have never interested me at all.

However, you seem to be getting the right sort of advice from the guys that DO know about these things.
Well done, you chaps!

[James]

Thanks-that's interesting-Young Soldiers Bns: it account for the unique badge-rather than the General Service badges often worn by such units.

However they should not be confused with an OTC, which was in most cases a University corps-akin to the American ROTC-though members were not guaranteed a commission.

Officer training uits during WW2 were OCTU's 'Officer Cadet Training Units' mainly in the UK.

A young soldier Bn was primarily a holding & training unit for other ranks too young to be posted overseas/to a service bn.

There was also a policy of dispersing soldiers throughout the country, so large numbers of Scots would serve in English units and vice versa: so that casualties when a unit was in action would not bear too heavily upon one locality. This was a consequence of the experience in WW1 when local units suffered heavy casualities and whole districts/towns would be faced with losing a high proportion of their men. More so as on a pro rata basis an infantry soldier had a better chance of surviving WW1 than WW2.

James

[macwilkin]

I just received a very detail e-mail on the Scottish Military Historical Society's yahoo group about the Highland & Lowland Regiments -- if anyone is interested in seeing it (it's too long for a post here, methinks!), PM me and I will send it to you post haste.

Cheers,

Todd