Welch semi-cast WM - British & Commonwealth Military Badge Forum

mooke07 · #1 06-10-14, 04:42 AM

Hi all,

This one has me a little puzzled. It appears to be WM and is a semi-cast one-piece badge with signs of having been filed on the reverse. The high points to the front show a yellowish base metal colour but the reverse looks WM. It isn't silver. It has copper lugs and is quite heavy.

Is it a theatre-made badge ?

Cheers Dean.

41st · #2 06-10-14, 10:24 AM

Dean,

It looks too good to be a theatre made copy imo.

The only explanation I can offer is that it could be an officers' sp badge to a member of either the militia or one of the VBs.

I have not read anything about these battalions using the "C" spelling on cap badges before, but we do know that it was used widely in the Victorian era on various items of dress embellishments. It also appears in use on Edwardian HPs to the VBs and was used on both cap badges and shoulder titles of at least two of the war raised service battalions.

We also know that the VBs of the RWF used the "C" spelling on some of their cap badges.

Sorry that I cannot offer anything more solid, but I would regard it as a definite keeper.

Hwyl,

Kevin

mooke07 · #3 06-10-14, 10:26 AM

Many thanks Kevin am happy with that advice. It is a solid purposeful badge, all the best, Dean.

JerryBB · #4 06-10-14, 10:31 AM

Churchill lists a C spelling version of the lugged collar of this pattern, though I would assume it should be an OSD similar except for the spelling to my example.

mooke07 · #5 07-10-14, 11:29 AM

Thanks Jerry - just read that bit in Churchill and that is an interesting possibility. It would be a seriously heavy collar badge, a keeper at any rate, cheers Dean.

JerryBB · #6 07-10-14, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mooke07

Thanks Jerry - just read that bit in Churchill and that is an interesting possibility. It would be a seriously heavy collar badge, a keeper at any rate, cheers Dean.

Indeed it is a chunky badge. Certainly the one I have is one of my favorites, and I think the C spelling on yours if that is what it is, is the rarer of the two though neither are very common.

I paid more for my example than for any of the matching cap versions I have.

mooke07 · #7 07-10-14, 11:43 AM

Learning much here thanks Jerry.