RHG King's Crown OSD Finish Badge.
 

This badge I take to be "genuine", but is it a known variety of genuine (or fake) or a "one off"?
It appears to have had lugs or blades fitted but they've been replaced by a slider and the whole refinished in a chocolate brown OSD type colouring.

RHG
 

Leigh,

When assessing if possibly a restrike I always look first at the 'vi' of the cypher. If it is fretted out (like the one you show) I am more inclined to think it real.

I thought that the GviR badges all had lugs, so the fact that yours was lugged/bladed gives more credence to it being original.

It would be kept by me (but there again, I have a cupboard of trash according to my better half!).

Stephen.

Ta - and you've seen that I've got more than a cupboard full of what I've had condemned as "rubbish".
I've had the badge some years, I thought it was about time to find out a bit more about it.
I know that some badges would be deliberately work shop converted from lugs to sliders for ease of cleaning, but there seems little reason to do it and to such a professional standard to a badge that doesn't require polishing.
An officers badge from the thickness of the metal?

You mean all GviR badges had lugs or just the OSD ones?
I got this brass one from the same source and at the same time as the OSD one, a neat little badge, shaped for wear but unfortunately with a bit of a bend to the top of the crown.
It's hard to say whether the back of the badge has an OSD finish or whether it's just toned, I think its just dirty brass but can't be sure.

This HC badge came with the two RHG badges, they quite possibly belonged to the same man.
Again, the lugs have been replaced by a slider albeit soldered and not as neat a job as the OSD finish RHG badge.

RHG OSD
 

Leigh,

I have culled this snippet from the Minutes of the War Office Dress Committee/ Army Dress Committee.

12.01.61. At the 134th Meeting of the WODC it was decided to approve that the cap badges of OR of the Household Cavalry should be provided with twin loops and split pin in place of the single shank used at present. [This was to negate loses occurring when shanked badges were worn]
It was NOT approved that the following cap badges be made in GM:
a) Household Cavalry pattern as worn on the Forage Cap by WO1 of The Life Guards and The Royal Horse Guards.
b) Patterns as worn on the Forage cap by WO2 and OR of The Life Guards.
c) Patterns as worn on the SD Cap, and beret, by all ranks of The Life Guards.
d) Patterns as worn on the Forage Cap, and beret, by all ranks of The Royal Horse Guards.
Note- The WODC were prepared to reconsider proposal in three years time when an all Regular Army is being, provided HQ Household Bde so desired at that time.


05.12.68. At the 189th Meeting of the ADC, the Committee decided to approve finished samples of badges for The Blues & Royals (RHG & 1st Dragoons)
Cap badge- Design No 0.2613:
OSD in bronze metal, fully pierced.
Soldiers SD & beret to be in bronzed GM, partially pierced.
The new badges are to replace
Badge, Organisation, RHG GM bronzed cap (CB 8455-99-973-9362)
Badge, Organisation, Royals, AA cap (for beret) (CB 8455-99-973-9368)
Shoulder Title ‘BLUES & ROYALS’ in gold AA, 3/8” deep, for wear by Soldiers (other than WO1)- Sketch Design No 0.2617.
New title to replace:
Badge, Organisation ‘RHG’ AA Title (CB 8455-99-974-0832)
Title, GM ‘RHG’ (CB 7975)
Badge, Organisation ‘ROYALS’ AA Title (CB 8455-99-974-0836)
Title, GM ‘ROYALS’ (CB 2549)

05.06.74. At the 221st Meeting of the ADC, the Committee heard a proposal from the Life Guards that they should revert back to a brass cap badge. The Grenadier Guards had reverted to brass in 1969, but in the same year a similar application by the Welsh Guards had been refused. It was noted that every serving Life Guard in BAOR had voluntarily purchased a brass cap badge privately.
Criticism that the lugs broke off the AA badges had been eliminated by strengthening the fittings.
The Chairman was instructed to investigate whether the Army as a whole wished to revert to brass badges.


18.09.74. At the 222nd Meeting of the ADC, the Committee were informed that, after consultation, it was found that the Army’s opinion was in favour of retaining badges that did not require polishing, but that they were not content with the strength or definition of the current AA badges.
C&T1 said that recently improved badges, with added magnesium, were soon to be issued. It was hoped these would satisfy complaints regarding strength, but not definition.


19.03.75. At the 225th Meeting of the ADC, the Committee decided to initiate Draft MDR 319, to enable SCRDE to research into the use of alternative metals to AA for the manufacture of cap and collar badges.


07.10.96. At the 294th Meeting of the ADC, the Committee were told that the circulation of proposal for the Household Cavalry to revert to brass Cap badges had produced clearly opposing views: sympathy with soldiers who were coerced into buying what should have been an issue item, against the view that in a tight financial climate there were more important things that needed funding. The Committee rejected the proposal but asked Defence Clothing and Textile Agency (DCTA) to investigate the possible Army-wide provision of cap badges in a better material than ‘Staybrite’.

Thanks - I remember that a Life Guard I was in a mixed cap badge unit with in 1979 wore a brass HC badge in his forage cap, he told me that it was an enforced private purchase. His had been well and truly given the old soldier look by enthusiastic application of emery cloth, as he admitted.