[Roy]

Hello Chaps

For a while now I have been collecting & studying the headdress badges of the Royal West African Frontier Force (1928-1960). Aside from having an appreciation for the 'palm tree' as a badge, the history and participation by so many regions across West Africa is a fascinating topic to study.

Although the badge itself seems rather simply (a palm tree atop a scroll) with little variations in design, I still find it an enjoyable topic to study and research. From the approval of the prefix 'Royal' in 1928 (formerly just WAFF) the badge underwent no changes to the design until the last units finally ceasing to exist (in that form) in 1960 with the independence of the last of the British colonies in that region of Africa. This does not mean that there is not variety in the RWAFF cap badge to collect and study.

A number of makers have been involved in producing this badge and in some cases have marked their products. A great many badges are unmarked, many of which (with close study) can be attributed to a particular maker. Further, there were a great many examples locally made and as such these badges are an especially interesting area of study as variations abound. The quality of locally made badges varied greatly and can be found in nearing professional standards all the way to clearly hand-made and quite naive renditions, with everything in between. Some of these have clearly been cast from original badges of British manufacture and again with close inspection it is sometimes possible to identify the parent badge and manufacturer which was used as a pattern.

As the design of the badge did not change and due to the lack of complexity in that design, it can often be challenging to distinguish one manufacturer from another (when no maker's mark is present). If one studies the fine details it can sometimes be possible to attribute a badge to a particular maker, despite no markings being present. I have found the best feature to facilitate this is the central part of the palm tree canopy. This has what I presume to be a group of 'coconuts' (usually seven) and it is in the placement of these in relation to one another that holds the key.

To help with this process I have developed what I call a 'coconut clock'. This is a graphic I overlay on the center of the canopy to better understand what's going on. The outside circle remains constant and is divided into the clock-face hours to better locate each 'coconut' and it's place. The overlaid circles are specific to a maker and helps to narrow down an identification. As dies changes and/or became worn, I may have more than one 'clock' per maker. Although not especially scientific, it certainly does make it much easier to attribute a badge (or not as the case may be) with a specific manufacturer. It's worth mentioning that I created each 'clock' only from badges that have clear and correct makers marks, so as to create somewhat of a badge base-line. I will attach a photo of an example to give you an idea of what I'm talking about.

New Album

As I collect and study these badges I thought it would be enjoyable to start an album of those examples I have thus far found. It may take me a while to finish cataloging and loading up all the badges, so bear with me. I don't quite know where this project will take me, so at this time still plant to obtain more examples as able. I'm especially looking for locally made and/or silver examples. If you happen to have an unmarked example you wish to identify feel free to contact me and I will be happy to run it around my 'coconut clocks' and try and attribute it for you.

Cheerio,

Roy