QOGLR
 

Sitting in an interminable briefing yesterday I was able to study the Capt QOGLR sitting in front of me - Kaki wooly pully, black metal badges of rank, black metal titles QOGLR and what looked like a staybrite QOGLR collar badge worn in his navy blue beret. Stable belt was navy blue with two central white stripes. Mike

Stable belt officially described as dark blue with two central stripes in "old gold" (yellow). Officers beret badge is collar-size but I believe purpose-made for the beret.

Officers of the QOGLR are known to wear a collar badge in the beret especialy British officers but I would say that it is in NEW metal rather then a/a. I have yet to see a QOGLR badge in a/a. Up to today I have only seen new metal badges. I believe that the QOGTR had a/a badges.
I hope this helps.

The badge would have been "new metal "Mike. It is rather shiny. The newer badges seem to keep there colour far better than some of the earlier versions.
The QOGTR a/a is a knock up Jerry.The scroll part is new metal from a QOGTR badge and the a/a star part from a GTR badge . All QOGTR cap and collars were new metal.

Hiya,

I have not come across an AA QOGTR or QOGLR Cap badge, I have a number of metal badges, but not AA.

Maybe Chris Marsh can shed some light on the issue ?

Here is an image from my Stable belt album of the QOGLR that Mike is talking about.

Cheers

Ken

Attachment 141629

I've seen a GTR & QOGTR AA Badges but not QOGLR which are all in bi-metal.

There is no OR and Officers version, they are known as 'All Ranks Badges' and Officers wear the large badge on the Felt Gurkha Hat, and the smaller Collar Badge on a Dark Navy Beret in Barrack Dress, Working Dress & Combats. QOGLR Officers do not wear a SD Cap.

Thanks to all for the clarification (the sighting was at longish range - being a sub-contractor I was sitting at the back!) Mike

I have the following image that shows a QOGTR A/A BADGE with maker mark of JR GAUNT BIRMINGHAM. I have not seen the badge "in the flesh" so cannot confirm this. On looking closely at the image it seems to be a/a.

Hi Ken,

I would rather not as people get pretty grumpy about the subject.

However, the QOGTR cap badge was authorised in 1993 via the Army Dress Committee. During the same year the change was first proposed and instigated for the move from A/A to 'New Metal' - an early version of the RLC not withstanding.

I am confident that the official badge came with an A/A silver base but with the mounted 'detail' part in 'New Metal'. It may also have come in all A/A but I have not handled one.

I am also confident that the badge came in all 'New Metal'. I have one marked by JG GAUNT B'HAM which may have been one of the last badges marked as such before Firmin took them over.

Regards,

Chris

With regard to the QOGTR in A/A it is shown here in the Hagwalthers A/A project dated from 06/2009. Scroll down to the "Qs" and it is there.
So a member must have one to say it is in their collection. Was it me??? Found it, posted 09/2009 by a forum member (NOT ME)

Hi Chaps,
Well whilst not being at all 'grumpy' here, Chris and I discussed this particular badge via email some time ago.

This badge in my opinion does not come in AA or part AA in any official format. I have been able to physically examine the example that Chris refers to and it does indeed have an AA (Gaunt B.Ham) base but has had a new metal frontspiece 'grafted' on - the rivet posts clearly show that this badge is not factory manufactured. When one examines this badge, and this example can be seen in Chris's book, we see that it is an 'after market' addition - kind of similar to the MSO brass discs on the RCT badges from BAOR days. This particular badge belongs to a forum member and is I believe the badge mentioned on Jerry's list as above. Initially believed to be all AA it was later found to me a mix.

Quite why this was done is unknown. The true badge, in my opinion is in all new metal and is heavy.

These badges, I suspect would be easily available in AA if issued etc in reality. I would be happy to be proved wrong, but I respectfully disagree on this one gents.

Regards all

Bess

Hello All

Personally I'm undecided on this one but as I am the owner of one of these badges I thought I would add a few pictures to see if it helps people see the actual construction. I bought this one just over 2 years ago for £15 including postage and it is not the one in Chris' book. There was no hard sell saying what it was, it was just listed as a Gurkha badge so I bought it, if it is good, bad or undecided then I have not lost much but I have no intention of selling it anyway. The fact that there is more than one of these will obviously pose the questions, were they done by the regiment and why? If not then who has made them?

When I first got it I assumed it was all AA and didn't even think that the front piece could be modern metal until I saw a post by Mike H. When I checked I found that it definitely is modern metal on an anodised back piece.

Posting these pictures will probably pose more questions than they answer but I thought I would just add them into the mix.

Paddy

I have one of these too, marked Firmin London, my opinion on this is that its a made up piece, heres why :-
Firstly the star part of the badge has a slider which doesn't reconcile with the date of the badge. QOGTR came in early 90`s or so, Gaunt Bham badges were no longer manufactured. If whoever made it had used a Firmin London marked star it would have been more believable.
Secondly the rear of the star part has countersinking type marks which it would appear has enlarged the pin holes for the scroll. Why, because the pin holes don't marry up to the pins on the scroll.
If you look at the front,the flatten part of the star again doesn't marry up to the scroll. There are loads of GTR, GASC, all metal QOGTR and all metal QOGLR badges that do marry up perfectly , because the scroll part is made to fit the star part, not forced to fit.
Finally, as Bess has said there should be loads on the market, if they were genuine items.
An afterthought, no doubt some bright spark will try and graft a QOGLR scroll onto an anodised star and pass it off as "genuine"

I am with Mike on this one. The riveting is rubbish.

When I asked a few years ago about these and some earlier QOGTR AA badges I was told that they were locally produced/modified in Hong Kong to make up for shortages since a lot of QOGTR/QOGLR soldiers were based in the territory.