In the response below CC refers to Colin Churchill’s book
That grenade was a long lived design with the regiment. Its first sealing was as part of the two piece sealed pattern number 1722 first sealed in 1888 for tunic & frock.
That horizontal grenade design continued in use, which changes of metals and fixings until SPN 16145 was sealed in Gold AA on 12/02/1954 for wear with No 1 and No 3 Dress [LC 6135 of 12 July 1954 and CC p283].
Thus your GM grenades may have been worn in theory anytime between 1888 and c. 1954 depending on the order of dress by other ranks.
Any with a single loop in GM can be dated to post 1951 by virtue of having the single loops fastening introduced under LC4483 of 01/03/1951.
This grenade would not have been used much in the 1930’s-1950’s when service dress was near universal. The vertical grenade configuration SPN 10132 sealed 15/10/1926, being used on service dress.
It remained the badge approved for full dress and though in theory could have been worn on the blue patrol jacket of the full dress pattern used for walking out , it appears as if the RIF did not wear collar badges on blue patrols , at least as evidenced by a photograph of Tug O' War Team in Faugh a Ballagh July 1939.
Initially sealed for tunics and frocks these horizontal grenades were again used for SPN 2648 sealed 13/10/1890 [WO359/5 p221 and CC p283]. According to CC the change in this pattern was a modified Princess's Coronet with strawberry leaves that did not touch the crosses paté. These badges were renewed as SPN 4163 in 10/1894 [CC p283].
So to sum up examples of the other ranks GM full dress and frock collar (less coronet) worn from 1888 to c. 1954. With the badges more likely to have been heavily used in the period c.1888 – 1914 (after which the orders of dress they were designed for were not in regular use). The grenade was not worn on the F.S.C. - the coronet part of the collar badge pair was.
One can be very specific with the WM pattern. SPN 3800 was sealed 09/06/1923 for Sgt Pipers & Pipers for use on Full Dress, No 1 and No 3 Dress. In 1926 a vertical version was sealed for no 2 dress. It remained the badge for full, 1 & 2 dress until replaced by silver A/A. I do not have sealing data for the A/A silver collars but Cavalryman mentions 1953 above.
John
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