Uniform patch : Lamassu

Rectangular patch with a Lamassu embroidered in yellow on a blue background. A yellow border is stitched around the edge of the badge and two strips of Velcro are sewn to the back.

Lamassu uniform patch as worn by headquarters staff of the Multi-National Division Southeast (MND-SE) in Iraq and by Australian soldiers of the Al Muthanna Task Group (AMTG). The Lamassu, a creature with the body of a bull, the wings of an eagle and a crowned human head, was chosen for this patch by the General Officer Commanding British Forces, Multi National Division (South East), Major General Jonathan Riley for its symbolism as a protector against evil. It was first used by the ancient Assyrians who lived in what is now Iraq, and also used as the symbol of the First World War British led Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force that defeated the Ottoman Turkish Army who held the land now known as Iraq.