1st SRY title

[GTB]

Another title for confirmation, please.
Westlake 220 illustrates T/Y/SHERWOOD RANGERS.
My title is 1/Y/SHERWOOD RANGERS and although no mention of this is made in Westlake I believe it could belong to the 1/1st Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry. This unit served at Gallipoli and the s/t is local provenance - many thousands of British and Anzac troops convalesced in Malta from that campaign.
I have looked closely at the '1' to see if it could be a cut-down version from a 'T' but there is no indication that this is the case. I would welcome views on this matter
Rgds, GTB

[Sonofacqms]

I think this probably started out as a "T" title, only having a full on picture does not show the sides of the "T". Have you looked through a strong magnifying glass?

All the "1"/Y's that I have seen have been changed from "T's" to one degree or another of skilled workmanship.

Rob

[GTB]

Yes I have. I have found no indication of saw or file marks and I have compared side by side with other 'T' titles, checking the edges thoroughly. If this was a doctored job, it was a surgeon that did the honours!
It is known that 'T's have been trimmed to represent '1's and I can understand why this would have been done in the present case, if it turns out to be a doctored title. What I do not know is if there exist official 1/Y/SHERWOOD RANGERS s/ts. If so, then by the same reasoning there should be 2/Y/SHERWOOD RANGERS s/ts also. If not, then the wearer of 1/1st SRY would have fittingly altered his title to indicate that he was on active service in Gallipoli and the Middle East theatre rather than having remained at home as the 2/1st SRY did.
GTB

[Rockape]

GTB, To my knowledge, the 1/Sherwood Rangers S/T is an unofficially altered badge. All soldiers like to express their identity in some way as they are proud to serve with their mates in that unit. It wouldn't surprise me if a few more were found like this. However, I don't think they were issued that way. I certainly haven't seen a 2/Sherwood Rangers, but as always I keep an open mind about these things until the new evidence leans towards the postive or negative theory. If a whole batch of them turned up, I would be suspicious about someone presently altering them, hiking the price and raking a profit.

Cheers,

Rockape

[matti467]

I'm up for a doctored piece too. High quality doctoring occurs quite regularly. Imagine the grand alterations we'd have in a unit with Dace as a member. Also some of the 'trench art' you see is pretty well done.

[Peter Brydon]

I thought that Westlake in one of his books does mention the letter "T" on shoulder titles often being altered to look like the figure "1" when second and later third line battalions were formed.

See the original shoulder title book by R.W. " Military Metal Shoulder titles- Volume One -Infantry " page 2.

"It will be noted that one of the "T" of the 9th Bn title has been altered to look like a one.Upon the formation of the 2nd and 3rd line battalions during WW1,members of the battalion who by this time had been redesignated 1/9th,unofficially trimed the "T"s of their titles to look like "1"s. THIS PRACTICE WAS COMMON AMONGST BATTALIONS OF OTHER REGIMENTS"


P.B.

[GTB]

Thanks guys for all your feedback.
I was aware of Westlake's comment and illustration of a trimmed 'T' title to '1'. So it all boils down to me having either a trimmed T/Y/SHERWOOD RANGERS s/t or else a non-documented 1/Y/SHERWOOD RANGERS s/t. Either way I'm happy to have a genuine piece of WW1 history in the collection and with the sure knowledge that it would have been worn by a member of 1/1st SRY. A member of 2/1st SRY would definitely not alter his s/t, and a T/Y/SHERWOOD RANGERS s/t gives no indication of whether it belonged to a 1/1st or 2/1st soldier.
GTB

[matti467]

Knowing what squaddies are like I'd not be surprised that if a man was an original member and found himself with 2/1 and 3/1 men that he wouldn't be above showing his seniority by trimming his titles