Badge; Arm cloth; Chindit

Chindit arm badge in gold, black & red embroidery on circle of blue felt with white cotton backing to reverse. The Chindit name was derived from ‘Chinthe’, a mythical beast represented as half lion, half griffin, guardian of Buddhist temples. The Chindits were the largest of the Allied Special Forces. They were trained in guerrilla warfare in order to cope with the dense Japanese-occupied rainforest in Burma. Two battalions from the King’s Regiment took part in the Chindit campaign. Although the 13th and 1st Battalions were King’s Regiment soldiers, they identified themselves as Chindits.