1696 BSA Police Special Branch Project Section pseudo group arm patch (DW2 43)

1696 : BSA Police Special Branch Project Section pseudo group arm patch

1949 – 1971

Rhodesian British South Africa Police Special Branch Project Section pseudo group arm patch, layer of glue on the back, removed from a display board, very scarce.  The Project Section initally consisted of only 15 men, including two ex-Special Air Service soldiers then serving in the BSAP, and later expanded to 25 men.

The Projects Section motto was Pachedu, a Shona word meaning “together”.

Very little has been published about the Projects Section, but, recently, a book called “Watch My Tracer”, was written by Keith Chisnall, a member of the Projects Section.  This patch appears on the cover of the book, see attached photo.  Below is an exceprt from the book.

The Pachedu Badge

The crossed rifles represented the mix of races, the various armed forces of the enemy, and Rhodesian Armed Forces serving in Pachedu, whilst the shield represented protection. The Police badge corroborated the fact that the primary members of Pachedu were drawn from the ranks of the British South Africa Police.

“One of these units was rather special. On the surface, Pachedu didn’t exist; or so it was supposed to seem ‘in the books’. The operations of this mixed band of soldiers were directed from within its own internal intelligence, with partial participation from other units of the Rhodesian security organisations. There were times when the individual members of this unit were required to step outside of their chain of command, for the explicit purpose of attacking the enemy in unconventional methods; these occasions provide unique stories of their own.”