Senior Officers Rising Sun cap badge
 

Hi Gents,
I recently acquired this silver gilt & enamelled cap badge made by Stokes, Melbourne. Would like to know if Forum members could tell me if this would be likely to be a WW1 item.
Many thanks in advance.
Colin

Hello Colin

Your badge is a collar badge for the pre WW1 Australian HQ staff and later the Australian Administrative & Instructional Staff Corps. The badge was worn from about 1903 until about 1921 when the Administrative and Instructional Corps became the Australian Instructional Corps. There is evidence that it was worn by officers and NCO's.

I don't believe it was worn by personnel serving with the AIF during WW1

Regards

Dennis

Hi Dennis,
Thanks for the info, great stuff! But this is a cap badge (60mm wide approx.) and not the smaller collar.
Many Thanks.
Colin

Nice badge Colin
As Dennis said.
If it's 60mm it would probably have been fo the slouch hat. I would have thought collar sized badges worn on the cap.
Regardless a really nice item and one of my favourites.
These were made both in Australia like yours and in the UK by I think Gaunt but will have to double check
Bc

Hi Bc,
Many thanks for the update. I should have guessed it was for the slouch. It came with a Tiptaft S&G with enamelling sweetheart hallmarked for B'ham 1915 and a small SG&E shirt cuff badge on a chain marked STG SIL so I'm pretty pleased with my luck!
Regards
Colin

IThere is a famous photo somewhere of collar badges of this design worn on a fantasy uniform (I think by a member of the Australian Flying Corps) to impress the girls when visiting Paris on leave.
Hat and collar badges were made by both Stokes and Gaunt and are amoung the highest quality Australian badges I have seen.
I have a spare Gaunt collar badge somewhere if anyone is interested, missing the enamelled backing plate but still quite nice.