The REAL 1st Marine Brigade Polar Bear Patch
Jim Flowers
I have seen quite a few “original” U.S. Marine Polar Bear insignia being offered in on-line auctions recently, and wanted to set the record straight. I have yet to see an “original” one offered - I was a member of the 1st Marine Brigade stationed in Iceland, and wore the patch. My original patch is depicted in Figure 1. For future auctions, please note the thick embroidery of the polar bear and the iceberg; the shape of the iceberg, the sparse black details and their location, and compare these details to the flat machine embroidered samples offered currently. Our patches also had padding worn between them and our uniforms.
We wore only patches embroidered on felt; nothing painted, nothing on silk or gabardine. I am strictly speaking only about embroidered polar bear patches. If an on-line or other auction or catalog patch doesn’t look like mine, it’s most likely NOT original.
The patches were embroidered on wool, and issued in pairs, as a goodwill gesture by the British commander Major General H.O. Curtis. We had to remove the patches upon leaving Iceland. (Figures 2-3)
Briefly, the 1st Marine Brigade was activated in the U.S. June 15, 1941. The brigade arrived in Iceland July 7, 1941, with 4,000 Marines. The mission was to support the British against anticipated German attacks. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the 1st Marine Brigade began to be rotated back to the U.S. and replaced by the U.S. Army’s 5th infantry Division. The brigade returned home by March 1942.
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