Canadian BD NNH's

I found this interesting photo on Ebay. The subject matter is excellent but what struck me as interesting is the 3rd Div patch and the title. It seems very interesting that this officer would have a title and patch on his uniform so poorly sewn. This is fascinating since many collectors would dismiss this uniform as "Put Together" if they saw it on a table at a show. Most collectors think that machine sewn titles are original and that hand sewn items are post war made-up. I've always thought that absolutes in collecting are dangerous and tend to create "Rules" that may hold true for the majority of situations but not all.

Ypres

I also saw this picture on eBay and noticed sewing skills as well as the nice shoulder title and what looks like an nice officers cap badge.

I guess the sewing on insignia was not that consistent during the war. The quality of sewing depended on the soldiers skill and the opportunity/willingness to hire someone to sew them on.

I have seen similar period pictures of Canadian 1st Div soldiers and officers with hideous examples of attaching insignia. Even officers with curled up Div patches attached with just a few threads.

I would assume the reason we see more WWII battle dress now with neater stitching is pretty much all the uniforms around today are "coming home" uniforms. The war was over and more time could be taken to look good for the ladies in the UK and family at home.