I also collect interesting patches but am stumped on this " Rod and Gun Club " patch

4521 Views 27 Replies 15 Participants Last post by collectorguy, Aug 3, 2015

kfields

Discussion Starter · Sep 22, 2013

I also collect interesting patches but am stumped on this " Rod and Gun Club " patch

I was wondering if anyone had a clue about the club it represented. Or is it a fantasy patch?

The "dot" on the map of Africa on the patch looks like it is Libya, maybe Tripoli more precisely.
In reading the style of the patch, it appears to be of an older construction, maybe 50's or 60's as there is a felt/wool base with gauze on the back.

So was there really an english speaking group of folks that had a " Rod and Gun Club " in that part of the world?

Thanks for your comments!

Kim

Circle Stitch Needlework Embroidery World

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dogface6

· #2 · Sep 22, 2013

Wheelus Air Base - Tripoli.

'Oea' was the Phonecian name for what would become Tripoli.

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Cruiser RN

· #3 · Sep 22, 2013

Thanks I learn something new every day here.

kfields

Discussion Starter · #4 · Sep 22, 2013

Yes, thanks 'dogface'!
With a patch you get a little bit of history to go along with it!

I see that the U.S. gave that facility back to the Libyians after Gaddafi overthrew the king and came to power.

So the patch probably dates to the 60's or possibly a little bit earlier.

Kim

Buckspen

· #5 · Sep 22, 2013 (Edited)

Kim - Here a couple of photos of other rod & gun club patches. The green one is from Karamursel Air Station in Turkey. When I was serving in the Marines I was stationed at Karamursel in the early 1960's. While I was there, I bought several guns though the post exchange which I brought home with me in 1965. Karamursel is about 60 miles from Istanbul and we operated a radio station there. The fishing and hunting was pretty good in the mountains south of the base.
The other one is from the New River Marine Corps Air Facility in North Carolina. I was stationed near there at Camp Lejeune in 1965-66 and did a lot of fishing in the ocean and the rivers.
- - - - - Buckspen
View attachment 42677 View attachment 42678

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kfields

Discussion Starter · #6 · Sep 22, 2013

Very neat patches Buckspen.
A little bit of history comes with each one and everyone of these patches is unique to the location.
I'm looking for a Patch Barracks rod and gun club patch. I was stationed at Panzer Kaserne just down the road and Patch Barracks is where I purchased several firearms while I was in Germany.
Five years later with a child on the way, I had to sell them off!
Kim

Ronald12

· #7 · Sep 22, 2013

Kim
Here is the one when I was stationed at the Pentagon. Ron

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kfields

Discussion Starter · #8 · Sep 23, 2013

Sharp patch Ronald!

Kim

Ronald12

· #9 · Sep 23, 2013

Hope it fits in your collection. Ron

rhmc24

· #10 · Sep 25, 2013

I have a few that only half qualify, gun but not rod &. I never sewed them on, just bought them to support the cause. The Long Island ones date from early '70s, others '80s. Is there a collector for these or a website?

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dogface6

· #11 · Sep 25, 2013

Pretty much every Fort or Base had their own Rod and Gun Club - and they all had patches.

At least, they did until it became no longer popular, and they started closing the golf courses and amalgamating the various Clubs and minimizing the shooting sports, entirely.

At one time, you could always find the Old Man and the Top or the CSM out at the Trap Range on a weekend - just like you saw John Wayne doing in 'The Green Berets'.

Today, those activities are suspect - and this from Combat Arms guys...

It was a great time to serve, though - no political correctness, no 'real' chickenshit - everybody had a focus, and knew what they were about.

Today - not so much, as too many became 'self-polishing apples' and would game the system in order to advance.

But I digress...

The old Rod and Gun Clubs were where you could order all manner of guns and fishing 'stuff' and get a bargain in the process, they were a perk of military service that civilians didn't enjoy, and a lot of 'business' and mentoring could be discussed at the Club or Range or on the links that wasn't 'official' - and there was great value in that.

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rayb

· #12 · Sep 25, 2013

dogface6 said:
Pretty much every Fort or Base had their own Rod and Gun Club - and they all had patches.

At least, they did until it became no longer popular, and they started closing the golf courses and amalgamating the various Clubs and minimizing the shooting sports, entirely.

At one time, you could always find the Old Man and the Top or the CSM out at the Trap Range on a weekend - just like you saw John Wayne doing in 'The Green Berets'.

Today, those activities are suspect - and this from Combat Arms guys...

It was a great time to serve, though - no political correctness, no 'real' chickenshit - everybody had a focus, and knew what they were about.

Today - not so much, as too many became 'self-polishing apples' and would game the system in order to advance.

But I digress...

The old Rod and Gun Clubs were where you could order all manner of guns and fishing 'stuff' and get a bargain in the process, they were a perk of military service that civilians didn't enjoy, and a lot of 'business' and mentoring could be discussed at the Club or Range or on the links that wasn't 'official' - and there was great value in that.

Excellent summary of what I saw happening 1960's-1990's. By the time I retired, the Rod & Gun clubs were being dissolved and their activities taken over by the PX / BX system. Maybe the marines & Navy had a different experience. I don't know if there are even any Rod & Gun Clubs in operation any more.

I also recall with great joy the practice of issuing ammunition of certain calibers for markmanship practice. I used to go to a pistol range at Ft Sill over lunch hour, draw a box of .22 LR and/or a box of .38 Special. I didn't have a .45 so didn't draw any of that. All ammunition had to be expended on the range, none was to leave the range, all brass was turned back in. I think those days are probably gone.

rayb

skwcoltguy

· #13 · Sep 25, 2013 (Edited)

Here is a very cool patch with several good stories attached to it. The "Gentleman's Ale & Quail Club" of Windsor Connecticut....yes, back when Connecticut had enough wild quail to actually dedicate a club to them.

The club was formed by wealthy shade tobacco (cigar wrappers) growers that the area in north central CT was and is famous for. These guys were so wealthy, the comic character and comic book "Ritchie Rich" was actually a spoof of these guys, with the logos of their farms on the doors of their Lincolns and Caddys. They were further spoofed in a great black and white movie from the late 1940's "The Palm Beach Story" where they are in their private railroad car displaying serious baffoonery drinking and shooting their Parker shotguns on the train. Oh yes, the club was known for having an amazing array of Parker shotguns, just down the road a bit in Meriden (after driving past Colt). The club has been gone for some time, but a shooting buddy's father was a member, and that is where the patch came from. Since you collect them, PM me with your address and I will mail it to you. -Steve

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HayesGreener

· #14 · Sep 25, 2013 (Edited)

dogface6 said:
Pretty much every Fort or Base had their own Rod and Gun Club - and they all had patches.

At least, they did until it became no longer popular, and they started closing the golf courses and amalgamating the various Clubs and minimizing the shooting sports, entirely.

At one time, you could always find the Old Man and the Top or the CSM out at the Trap Range on a weekend - just like you saw John Wayne doing in 'The Green Berets'.

Today, those activities are suspect - and this from Combat Arms guys...

It was a great time to serve, though - no political correctness, no 'real' chickenshit - everybody had a focus, and knew what they were about.

Today - not so much, as too many became 'self-polishing apples' and would game the system in order to advance.

But I digress...

The old Rod and Gun Clubs were where you could order all manner of guns and fishing 'stuff' and get a bargain in the process, they were a perk of military service that civilians didn't enjoy, and a lot of 'business' and mentoring could be discussed at the Club or Range or on the links that wasn't 'official' - and there was great value in that.

This was my experience on air bases as well. When I entered service in 1969 every air base had a rod and gun club and a skeet field. The senior officers were mostly fighter pilots and they thought all young flyers should be able to hit flying targets. Skeet was used to teach WWII gunners about lead which gave us a lot of interest in clay targets and robust skeet and trap fields on many bases. Added to hunting and fishing interests the rod and gun clubs were a going concern on most bases. I think as computerized firing systems and self guided munitions became the standard on combat aircraft skeet fields fell by the wayside-many bases lost their clubs over the years. And so many of the young troops have no background of hunting and fishing to build upon. Scott AFB, Hurlburt Field, MacDill, Tyndall, Wright-Patterson, Robins AFB to name a few are still going but most wouldn't survive without the retirees using the facilities.

As an aside, when I was at RAF Lakenheath a few years ago I discovered the Air Force had turned over the base skeet club to the Brits and they made it so difficult and expensive to shoot that there was no way an Airman was going to be able to shoot there. Ramstein AB in Germany had a robust rod and gun club (with many German rules) but at least they were trying to keep it going.

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kfields

Discussion Starter · #15 · Sep 29, 2013

Here's an old Camp Perry jacket patch. I think 1941 was the last year for matches until the war was over.
Kim

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collectorguy

· #16 · Oct 12, 2014

I'm new to the Colt Forum but have been a collector and researcher of military patches and badges for years. Recently I started collecting and documenting US military rod and gun clubs for Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Probably 99% of these clubs, along with the installations they belonged to, are closed now. Preservation is what drew me to them. I just found this thread on the forum and thought maybe someone could help me. I would like to hear from people that might have some of these patches and pins, and knowledge of these clubs. Paul

Mike Faires

· #17 · Oct 12, 2014

Back in the mid 70's coming back from SEA I was assigned to George AFB, Victorville. We had a very active Skeet and Trap Club. Roy Rogers and Dale Evans were honorary members since they lived over in Apple Valley. When they showed up to shot it was usually 3 Suburban's full of shooters, shotguns and ammo. No GI could pay for a round of skeet or trap or pay for ammo. Roy would let you try any gun in the cases. Great people.

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colt22dotcom

· #18 · Oct 13, 2014

kfields said:
Yes, thanks 'dogface'!
With a patch you get a little bit of history to go along with it!

I see that the U.S. gave that facility back to the Libyians after Gaddafi overthrew the king and came to power.

So the patch probably dates to the 60's or possibly a little bit earlier.

Kim

I don't know when the R&G Club closed, but I just checked my old navigator logs and see that I went in to Wheelus on 25 Sept 1969. They had already kicked us out and we were retrieving some of the US property.

Bob Rayburn
colt22.com

collectorguy

· #19 · Oct 13, 2014

Thanks. I appreciate any help with the US military rod & gun clubs, Europe, Africa, and Middle East. I know at the height of the clubs (1960s) there was over 150 different club locations. Paul

spud62

· #20 · Oct 13, 2014

I do not collect patches, but here are 2 that I brought back from Naples Italy in 1970.

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