Rifles ball button

[sapper533]

Hi
Part of a series of daft questions tonight but here we go.

Years ago this button was identified to me when I was a young lad by a wise old gentleman as being to the Rifle Brigade (at a collectors meeting that used to take place in the Prison Officers Mess at Strangeways Prison in Manchester..... Now those were the days lol)
But it occurred to me that prior to WW2 this could have been worn by any Rifle Regiment.
Is the fact that it's brass and not black important?
Cheers folks
Sean
PS made by Jennens London

[Peter Brydon]

Sean,

Sorry I cannot help with the button but the mention of the Militaria club at Strangeways Prison is most interesting, I did attend one meeting there longer ago than I care to think about.

I may be wrong but I think the club was started by a Prison Governor who was a member of the Military Historical Society and I am still in contact with a couple of people who regularly attended the meetings at the Prison.

That really is a blast from the past.

Peter

[sapper533]

Hi Peter
My dad had been told about it so we went along, great place, I remember showing another button and being told to ask the fella in the corner, I dully did he's response was ' Are you takin the piss lad' it was an old GPO button and he was a postman......I think I had been set up !

[Peter Brydon]

Sean,

Sounds like you might have been talking to Jim Callender ( a former postman ) who I still see at the Stockport Fairs.

Peter

[sapper533]

Ha ha that would be a small world. This must have been late 1970's ......if it is him tell him I've still got the button and flea in my ear!

[Cribyn]

Hello Sean

As your button was made by Jennens then it must pre-date 1924 when the firm was taken over by J R Gaunt. Being by Jennens it is almost certainly an officer's button.

It may well have been blackened brass to start with and some 'enthusiast' has polished the black away to reveal the brass!

This pattern of button is really a generic pattern and whilst it could have been used by the Rifle Brigade it was also used by many other British volunteer rifle units and indeed many Commonwealth rifle units.

Hope this is of some help.

Roger

[sapper533]

Many thanks Roger, that was my feeling that it was a generic Rifles button than just Rifle Brigade in fact I think the Rifle Brigade wore the plain Rifles button prior to 1939 if I'm not mistaken.
Cheers
Sean