Royal Fusiliers

[moraynovice]

My Grandfather served in the Royal Fusiliers in WWI and the 1920s. After my father's death, whilst looking through his effects, we found a Royal Fusiliers cap badge in white metal. All my research so far makes no reference to such a badge. Did NCOs or Bandsmen wear it, perhaps? Any thoughts?

[5thFoot]

I think it will turn out to be a volunteer battalion badge as used pre 1908.

K&K doesn’t cover the subject much but I know the Northumberland Fusilier Vol btns. used a white metal version of the regular cap badge during this period , and I know the practice was followed by other regiments but cannot say for certain if the royal fusiliers did, but its highly likely.

Pic. of the NF equivalent attached

[Toby Purcell]

I believe your grandfathers badge is the 1st VB Royal Fusiliers white metal cap badge circa 1896-1908. The Volunteer Battalions were the successors to the Militia, who were Regular Soldiers who could only be deployed in Great Britain and were primarily a kind of home based army to defend our shores from invaders. As a result they were at their strongest and most popular when we feared invasion by the French during periods of the 18th and 19th Centuries. The 'home only' concept was misleading as many hundreds of them were persuaded every year to enlist with the regulars and during the Napoleonic wars in particular they were a source of much needed and relatively well trained reinforcements to battalions sore hit with heavy casualties after major battles. The militia was transformed into volunteer battalions of regular regiments as part of the Cardwell Reform of 1881 and stayed that way until the Haldane Reform of 1908. The Militia uniforms were always marked out from their regular brethren by silver lace, buttons and badges and the Volunteer battalions of 1881 to 1908 carried that tradition on.

[Keith Blakeman]

Originally Posted by Toby Purcell

I believe your grandfathers badge is the 1st VB Royal Fusiliers white metal cap badge circa 1896-1908. The Volunteer Battalions were the successors to the Militia, who were Regular Soldiers who could only be deployed in Great Britain and were primarily a kind of home based army to defend our shores from invaders. As a result they were at their strongest and most popular when we feared invasion by the French during periods of the 18th and 19th Centuries. The 'home only' concept was misleading as many hundreds of them were persuaded every year to enlist with the regulars and during the Napoleonic wars in particular they were a source of much needed and relatively well trained reinforcements to battalions sore hit with heavy casualties after major battles. The militia was transformed into volunteer battalions of regular regiments as part of the Cardwell Reform of 1881 and stayed that way until the Haldane Reform of 1908. The Militia uniforms were always marked out from their regular brethren by silver lace, buttons and badges and the Volunteer battalions of 1881 to 1908 carried that tradition on.

It's not the 1st VB, theirs had an integral scroll at the bottom, possibly 2nd, 3rd or 4th bit I've never seen one of theirs so I'm not sure. The militia badge was in brass (or gilding metal as purists call it) with a whitemetal rose.

[Keith Blakeman]

Originally Posted by Keith Blakeman

It's not the 1st VB, theirs had an integral scroll at the bottom, possibly 2nd, 3rd or 4th bit I've never seen one of theirs so I'm not sure. The militia badge was in brass (or gilding metal as purists call it) with a whitemetal rose.

Here's the 1st VB badge mentioned above.

[Toby Purcell]

Thanks for that Keith, all interesting and useful stuff, especially the scrolls. My understanding is that all the VBs used silver badges to continue the connection with the Old Militia's Silver Lace, buttons, badges etc. Is that not so?

[KLR]

No, Toby, the Volunteer Battalions - attached to the regular units in 1881 (but only numbered 1st VB, 2nd VB etc from 1888) were separate from the Militia.
These Vol Bns were mostly formed in 1859/60 as a response to a perceived threat from Nap III.
The Militia of old was also formalised in 1881 and were also attached to the regular units but were numbered consecutively - the regular inf regt usually had 2 battalions so that the 3rd (and occ 4th) would be the Militia Bns.
In 1908 the Militia Bns were renamed Special Reserve and retained their battalion numbers. The Vol Bns were transformed into Bns of the new Territorial Force (TA in 1920) with numbers following on, eg the 1st Vol Bn now became the 4th Bn of the regt (where there was only one Militia Bn [ie 3rd Bn]).

In a nutshell !
Julian

[Keith Blakeman]

Originally Posted by Toby Purcell

Thanks for that Keith, all interesting and useful stuff, especially the scrolls. My understanding is that all the VBs used silver badges to continue the connection with the Old Militia's Silver Lace, buttons, badges etc. Is that not so?

Generally yes but not always so. I have a 1st VB Hants in brass (and every other one I've seen is also), some are bi-metal (some Manchester Regt VB's). Other retained their old RV badges especially those of the KRRC & Rifle Brigade, usually but not always blackened brass crosses of varying design.

[Toby Purcell]

Thanks Keith, interesting to know. It just shows that in the British Army no standard application can ever be assumed !

[moraynovice]

After 10 years I am revisiting this thread as I've received my grandfather's Certificate of Service that states that he joined the Royal Fusiliers in 1913 into the 1st Battalion. During WWI he jumped between the 1st and 2nd battalions with a short period in the 5th. Just after the war he served with the 29th battalion of the London Regiment. I believe that this was because he had 'caught a Blighty one' and served on Home Service during his recovery. Might a silver/white metal Royal Fusiliers cap badge come from the 5th battalion or the 29th London Regiment?

[badjez]

I put my head above the parapet and say 'No'. So far as I'm aware all Royal Fusilier battalions wore a gilding metal (brass alloy) cap badge. Can you tell if the badge has been 'dipped' to give it a white metal appearance. If dipped the lugs will also be white. These sort of badges were reputedly worn post-ww1 by veterans when attending reunions etc.

Stephen.

[Toby Purcell]

The 5th Battalion was special reserve and in lineage terms a direct successor of one of the old militia battalions from before 1881 (Royal Westminster/London Militia), I’m not sure what colour cap badge they wore, but white metal does not seem impossible. Before 1908, and their conversion to the new category of special reserve battalions, many (but not all) militia battalions had adopted badges in ‘reversed metals’ (from the standard badge) as a differential from regulars and this seems a likely provenance for your badge.

28th and 29th (Reserve) Battalions. Formed in Epsom in August 1915 as Reserve battalions, from depot companies of the four Public Schools Bns. 1 September 1916 : converted into 104th and 105th Training Reserve Battalions in 24th Reserve Brigade. These battalions would definitely have worn the all gilding metal (brass alloy) badges. In October 1917 the 28th/104th Battalion became the 53rd (Young Soldier) Battalion, I have not been able to ascertain what became of the 29th/105th.

You might find these two links of general interest:

1. http://rrflondon.2day.uk/siteFiles/f...1246371704.pdf

2. https://archive.org/details/royalfusiliersin00onei

[Alan O]

There was only one sealed pattern of the k/c badge and that was the GM version of the RF badge.

Whilst the pre-1908 VBs had their own rules, Militia badge variations were largely confined to the officers' badges. The militia ORs uniforms were provided by the WD to sealed patterns. In the past fake and fantasy reversed metals OR's badges have been created to fill a demand from collectors where its should not exist.

I am struggling to think of an example where militia badge or the later Special Reserve Battalions other ranks had a bespoke cap badge. The reversed metal EastLancs badges have been attributed to the 3rd Militia Bn but whether the badges were specifically procured for them (contrary to the s/p) or whether a manufacturers mistake was sent to them as no one else wanted the incorrect badges is debatable. I think the latter.

[leigh kitchen]

I picked this up in 1983, it's of white metal, not plated.
I have it labelled as possibly RF Vols, 3rd Bn, c1902-08.
It's one of those badges that I feel is "genuine", although I don't know exactly what it is.

[Toby Purcell]

There was certainly a sealed pattern card referring to reversed metal badges for the militia of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, but I have never attempted a survey to see how many other regiments followed the same practice, and I am not sure as to what extent this was just officers, or also other ranks. Certainly the old Volunteer Battalions wore wm badges, but that was because they were also required to wear silver lace.