Formation Sign - 9th Australian Division, World War 2

The marking of military equipment is not a new phenomena. A broad arrow, is a stylised representation of a metal arrowhead, comprising a tang and two barbs meeting at a point. It is a symbol used traditionally in heraldry, and later by the British government to mark government property.
The broad arrow was used in England from the early 14th century, and more widely from the 16th century, to mark objects purchased from the monarch's money, or to indicate government property. It became particularly associated with the Board of Ordnance, and later the War Department and the Ministry of Defence. It was exported to other parts of the British Empire, where it was used in similar official contexts.
The use of markings on Australian military vehicles expanded and became more sophisticated following the mass production and mechanization of armies. During World War 2, Australian military vehicles carried a wide variety of markings including the vehicle registration number, bridge classification, a Tactical (Tac) sign indicating the vehicles roll, a unit sign and a Division/Formation sign and many more.