Southern Rifles - British & Commonwealth Military Badge Forum

Roy · #1 17-06-17, 08:14 PM

Afternoon Chaps,

The badge shown here was kindly included along with another badge from a friend and forum member. As I know little of this unit and even less of it's insignia, I thought I would share it here for interest and/or comments.

Listed in Owen (#1686) as Southern Rifles 1914-1915, it is of sheet brass with wire loops. A simple badge but according to the details very short lived. Not sure if it is a shoulder title or slouch hat badge?

Comments welcome?

Cheerio,

Roy

Frank Kelley · #2 18-06-17, 07:34 AM

The Southern Rifles normally worn the attached on their helmets on that particular campaign.

Roy · #3 18-06-17, 02:19 PM

Hi Frank,

That's a lovely badge, thank for sharing.

I presume then that this SR is a shoulder title.

Cheerio,

Roy

Frank Kelley · #4 18-06-17, 02:33 PM

Hello Roy,
I would think it was originally intended as a shoulder title, but, quite frankly, this sort of thing was not uppermost as far as soldiering went in both GWSA and GEA, you know Roy, they were raised to do a specific job and get rid of bloody Harry Hun, generally speaking, the Dismounted Rifles had no distinctive badges, other than the General Service badge and their SADR shoulder title, however the 4th (Southern Rifles) Dismounted Rifles did have and wore their own badges, the letters SR certainly may well have been worn as a headdress badge, they are good, scarce things that I certainly like to see.
Kind regards Frank

Roy · #5 18-06-17, 02:38 PM

Hi Frank,

Thank you for that, some great details of a unite I really know nothing at all about.

This badge came along with one other (Boer War badge), I was asked if I also wanted this SR badge, and although not my specific collecting field, I thought it interesting enough to say yes. Maybe a trade down the road but always find such things intriguing.

Cheerio,

Roy

Frank Kelley · #6 18-06-17, 02:47 PM

Roy,
Certainly from my own experience, I would say, generally speaking the campaign made badges worn by the Union Forces in GWSA and GEA during the Great War are, perhaps, surprisingly, actually rather scarcer than those worn by the SAMIF during the Anglo Boer War, they have not stood the test of time.
Again, regards Frank