4th Gurkhas
 

Good day folks

I've had this in my junk dos for a while as I have always assumed it is one of the many many copies of this heavily copied badge. What do you think?

It appears to be cast white metal with the kukri handles painted black.

Many thanks

James

I think I recall owning, many years ago, a IV badge which had black overlays - horn or plastic - on the kukri handles, probably a pre-47 badge. This looks like a cruder copy of the same badge.

I'm thinking that even for the modern IA it is a little too crude, so my impulse is to say 'bazaar copy' but I've seen some truly awful examples which are apparently issue items, so hard to be dogmatic. :(

So this design of badge was worn on the general service hat from 1943 > 1950 ( when the POW feathers were dropped ). There are two main variants - ones with blackened handles ( either painted on, or made of horn applied to the white metal ) - and the white metal version ( which is the one most commonly seen on e bay - ( and the most copied !) .

I think yours looks like it has some age and could well be a war time issue - but as Peter says it's very hard to determine, but I certainly wouldn't dismiss it. Tim