Kings Liverpool Regiment

[KLR]

Simon, may I respectfully suggest that you are looking at this from the wrong perspective. You need to ask why the E Lancs - or RB or whoever - might want to purchase Other Rank's cap badges direct from the manufacturer. As this is what the adherence of such a plaque appears to indicate.
Firstly, the badge is an 'ordinary' regular badge and does not, as far as I can see, deviate from the official pattern. As such they will have been supplied to the E Lancs R&F directly by the WO / RACD / MoS etc.
The particular KLR badge mentioned in the first post quite specifically deviates from the official pattern. This is quite explicit in regimental documents, but I am still uncertain as to WHY the regiment decided to deviate !

[Charlie585]

Hi Julian,

Not wishing to go against the grain here but Just a thought with regard to the RB badge.

As the regulations required this badge to have a slider fixing, could it have been possible that the regiment purchased looped examples as a special order from Gaunt for wear on tropical headdress for service abroad?

It would explain why a badge that wasn't produced until 1910 appears occaisonally with loops when it should really have had a slider, something that has puzzled me for some time.

Granted, my latest WM example doesn't bear the Gaunt tablet which may blow a hole in my theory but it has had a very hard life so I will investigate to see if it bears signs of it ever being fitted with a tablet.

Ry

[LONGSHANKS]

Why, I haven't a clue. I wanted to just show that standard line infantry badges can have Gaunt plaques. I admit after looking the majority of mine are Yeomanry and RND; all I believe sort of private purchases. I'll the fineries of the detail to the much more experienced on here.

Simon.

[Noodles]

Here's the badge with a Gaunt plaque and marked slider.

[KLR]

Ry, loops were given up in favour of sliders in 1903 at the earliest BUT I found later that loops were still used on badges worn by units in India - precisely because they were still wearing the FSC.
Simon, I'm still not sure why "standard line infantry badges" would need such a thing. Unless, of course, it is actually a much later - eg 2nd WW badge.

[LONGSHANKS]

Don't know J., but it is a looped badge. No sign of slider.

Simon.

[Charlie585]

[QUOTE=KLR;128916]Ry, loops were given up in favour of sliders in 1903 at the earliest BUT I found later that loops were still used on badges worn by units in India - precisely because they were still wearing the FSC.

Hi Julian,

Gaunt tablets aside. This is the point I was getting at in my post.

In your estimation, bearing in mind that slidered badges were the order of the day ---

Could there have been a contract deviation specific to the regiment in order to maintain a supply of looped badges for use in India, or is it possible that the regiment, wealthy as it was actually purchased this pattern directly from the manufacturers.

This seems to be an anomaly that at present has no feesible answer apart from the possibility that the looped badges were old stocks. It still begs the question as to who authorised their production and when?

Ry

(Rob / gents, my sincere apologies for the hijack here, it wasn't intended, just a compelling digression)

[LONGSHANKS]

Hi Ry/Julian. It arrived today and from what I see it's an original tablet and lugs.

Simon.

[KLR]

yes, original badge and lugs !

[Charlie585]

Hi Simon,

That is a nice badge, I've expressed my opinion on it's deireability previously.

It does seem to throw a spanner into the works on the question of Gaunt tablets though.

Still intrigued.

Ry

[LONGSHANKS]

HI Ry, KLR believes the tablet to be mad in some back street in Karachi I think.

The badge I have to admit after cleaning is very sharp and a heavy striking. For me I'm happy with it. The badge itself is an original with lugs. So once framed the tablet is never seen.

Simon.

[Charlie585]

Hi Simon,

I have spoken to Julian about the Gaunt tablets as well but haven't yet looked into them in any detail.

I assume that in his last post when he ok'd the badge and its lugs this didn't include the tablet.

This obviously negates my last post somewhat.

I still though would like to know if there was official authorisation for a badge worn by a regular unit and not sealed until 1910 to have been constructed with loops.

In my opinion the India theory just doesn't add up to a conclusive answer and I feel that the answer is out there for the finding so will continue to look for it.

Ry