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#16
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Quote:
Firth & Sons employed 5700 workers at Templeborough , approx. 90% were women. If the Firth backplates were given to all female employees then the one you've shown (5172) must have been a very late issue. The 2 other ones mentioned (IWM and auction) were numbered 2646 and 3377 respectfully. Edit : The two "Certificates of Appreciation" that the IWM have gives the name and employee number (?) of the member of staff , their job description and dates of employment. The number on the certificate for Miss.R.Shale is the same as the number on her backplate. 1. Ada Rogers - machinist (recess) and ganger at the National Projectile Factory, Templeborough, Sheffield, March 1916 - December 1918. 2.R.Shale - machinist (chamfer) at the National Projectile Factory, Templeborough, Sheffield , March 1916 - December 1918.
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British Legion/Royal British Legion , Poppy/Remembrance/Commemorative. Poppy and British Legion Wanted Last edited by mike_vee; 29-07-19 at 07:40 AM. Reason: Added info |
#17
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Hi Mike
Many thanks for your information. I really appreciate any material that can add to my/ our knowledge of this area. So do you think that the "back plates" are some kind of merit award or that they do indicate some position in the hierarchy of the factory? On a related matter,I did have a look at my 1915 OWS gilded, enameled badge and see that it actually has a five digit number but in very small numbers on the "half moon" clip. I also located a 1916 triangle with, I assume, the owner's name skillfully struck on the back. Will post a pic of this along with some intriguing "variations" on the 1916 badge. These have been posted before but I don't think that I gave an indication of size. |
#18
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A different take on the OWS 1916 badge?
Hi all
As promised here are a few slightly different approaches to the well-known 1916 badge. They seem to range from the professional small silver(?) "dangler" to the outright amateur attempt that your metal work teacher would have graded "C+".... The small blue triangle claimed to have some Jewish link but, upon reflection, I would think that there is the YMCA (or maybe YWCA...) link. The famed "triangle Joe" of both wars. I venture to suggest that it shows how the 1916 badge was worn beyond the factory floor and maybe even following WW1. Anyone care to add to this selection? PS Apologies for the "mind-altering" quality of these photos..... |
#19
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Can't add to the badges , I've only got :
1. Sharp cornered brass (J.R Gaunt & Son). 2. Rounded cornered brass (J.A Wylie & Co). Regarding the Firth backplate , I've no idea about the who/why of its awarding. If it is connected to the certificates then 'possibly' given to those who worked at the factory for the full duration women were employed there (dates on both certificates the same). The 'hierarchy' doesn't seem to apply as one was a 'ganger' and the other simply a worker. Found an interesting dissertation about the lives of munitions factory workers. Women’s Work in Munitions Factories during The First World War: Gender, Class and Public Opinion.
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British Legion/Royal British Legion , Poppy/Remembrance/Commemorative. Poppy and British Legion Wanted |
#20
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I remember reading somewhere a suggestion (and that is the context in which this should be considered) that a back plate would have a dual purpose a) to identify the munitions factory the woman was working in and b) given that the badge was triangular with sharp corners a back plate protected from the badge digging into a persons body preventing injury. Whether this is true or mere fanciful speculation I am unable to say but an interesting idea nevertheless. However I would think that if there was grain of truth in this the idea would have been adopted by other factories.
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He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed. (Albert Einstein) |
#21
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Hope Chariledog doesn't mind, but some lovely examples here
https://www.britishbadgeforum.com/fo...p?albumid=3667 Simon |
#22
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The fact that some badges were produced with rounded corners would also indicated a "health and safety" concern.
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British Legion/Royal British Legion , Poppy/Remembrance/Commemorative. Poppy and British Legion Wanted |
#23
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A quick aside but I found an interesting little site which refers to Munition works in the Uk during WW1 which might be of interest to some:
http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/s...eme%20List.pdf
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He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed. (Albert Einstein) |
#24
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Quote:
I speculated that the "round cornered" badge was an improvement to avoid mishaps (having worked briefly in a factory with the scars to prove it...). I also wondered if the "rounding" (Swedish?) was an "unofficial" modification but if you look carefully at the edges of examples you can see that they have been sheared off and not filed as you would expect to see if this had been done "in house". The round edge examples are not as common as the standard ones suggesting that the idea didn't really catch on. Another clue may be the numbering (many different styles of plain, serif, small and large) and I will check my "rounded" badge and see where it fits in to the series. By the way a BIG thanks to all those who've contributed to the post. It's more than added to my meagre knowledge.... |
#25
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My failing memory has sometimes caused me to buy the same badge twice off eBay..... but I did avoid the "trap" today by recalling that I had got that one so thereby saved a couple of quid.... |
#26
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#27
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1915/ 1916 oddities?
Hi all
Possibly not the best pics of these badges but I think that you can get the idea. The 1916 badges are maybe a bit different in that the one has been "personalised" with the owner's name (A. SHACKLETON) and the other has has "service bars" added. I did see one of the latter some years back on eBay but without the five pounds of solder that the owner of this badge felt was needed to hold them in place.... Of the 1915 line up, I felt that the standard badge with the enamel infill was "different". Note that the plated (or white metal?) one has a 4-digit number much like the blue/ white version shown. Until now, I'd never noticed that the blue/ white badges I have do not have a letter to the back of the crown (or elsewhere for that matter) I have posted these before but decided to post again making more of a feature of them. |
#28
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Quote:
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British Legion/Royal British Legion , Poppy/Remembrance/Commemorative. Poppy and British Legion Wanted |
#29
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1915 "generics"
Hi
Having made several recent posts about the "official" OWS badges, I was moved to re-post some of the infinite variety of what you might call the "generic" 1915 badges. I'm been truly astounded by the range and design of them and I've even bought another (not in the scan) that is yet again different. Like the small "pie crust" edge one? I do! By the way, that silver-looking round badge is actually thin silver but not marked as such. |
#30
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Hi Mike,
as I understand it, these were all made by Gaunt, and quickly replaced with all GM/brass. From my research, the only markings on them are the gaunt maker mark, and this comes in 2 variations, a small mark, behind the crown, as seen in Dumdum's picture, and a larger mark, which curves around the fixing. DD - as always, some super examples, thanks for showing them! Cheers, Tim Quote:
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