Perse School OTC

[Spencer]

I have the OTC version of this badge and the detail on it is great . The problem I have is K&K states it was only ever issued in Gilding-metal and blackened - brass . Mine is white metal
Does anyone know if it was ever issued in white metal as the badge I have is an excellent strike ?

[Sonofacqms]

Your Perse School OTC looks to be a good badge, I have the Perse OTC in Blackened brass, Gilding metal and white metal. Also the Perse CCF in Gilding metal. The unit originated as "The Perse School Drill Corps" in 1860 and it's badge was in brass.

[Spencer]

Hi
The problem I have with this badge is the metal it's made out of . If we go by Kipling & King it states the OTC version was only ever issued in Gilding-metal and Blackened-brass . The CCF was only ever issued in brass .
No mention at all of white metal in either the CCF ot OTC .
I'm wondering if the white metal ones are restrikes from the original dies ?

[Peter Brydon]

Interestingly in his article "Badges of the OTC" by E.J.Martin in the Society for Army Historical Research journal,the badge is described but no mention is made of the metal HOWEVER Keith Rawlings in "OTC,CCF,Cadet and ACF Badges" says the badge was in brass,blackened brass and white metal.

P.B.

Have to go back to what Julian B ( KLR) says, a lot of reference books are catalogues of collections ( plus whatever else the authors might have come across ?)

[KLR]

I'm not sure how many official records there are of OTC badges, I guess the units themselves are the best bet. The only one I've found so far at the National Archives is
WO 32/13313, TA OTC & Cadets (Code no 6F) Univ TC shoulder titles and cap badges, 1949

but I'm afraid I didn't notice the Perse Sch , I just looked through to find anything to do with Lpl Univ - which wasn't very productive anyway !
Julian

[KLR]

WHOOPS - sorry, I realise this was for Univ (ie senior) OTCs, not schools (junior)

[Spencer]

That's Interesting and K&K could have got it wrong
Bad news as it's one of the leading books on the subject .
Saying that the amount of badges it lists they can't all be 100% correct .

[Sonofacqms]

I am afraid K & K is a bible, but not every badge variety is mentioned. If you look under Cambridgeshire Regt badges it would appear that the badge with the S.A. Hons is for officers only. This is not the case as it appears in bi-metal for other ranks as well.
Spencer, I have a Perse School OTC in white metal and it will stay amongst my schools badges, even if it is not mentioned in K & K.

[Peter Brydon]

I think one only has to look at the " Militia" section of K and K to realise they are showing a cross section of SOME of the badges that existed,the same is true of all the sections( e.g. V.T.C.).

If K and K had illustrated all the badges to every regiment,there would have been no need for books such as Bloomers on Scottish badges,Ivall and Thomas- Military Insignia of Cornwall, Litchfields books on the Artillery etc etc.

Kipling and King is a great book,but you have to accept it has its limitations,as indeed does every badge reference book.

I suppose the acid test would be if we asked members to list British badges that were not shown or refered to in K and K,how many would we have, probably as many as appear in both volumes of the book.

P.B.

[Mike H]

Perse school is on the staybrite fantasy list,so it could easily have been made after K&K was written.
The 2 patterns of staybrite birmingham university i have arent listed as anodised but the 3rd pattern which i know exists but have only seen 1 example of is listed as anodised.

[Malcolm Davey]

Hi Guys
I have this badge but thought it should be voided, it also only has 1 butterfly pin fixing at the back.
Your thoughts please.
Malc

[Sonofacqms]

Hello malcolm, a long time since we last met . . !

This is new to me, all my Perse School badges have loops and are voided, but as you know I am a Dinosaur and have not kept up with modern trends, one butterfly clip seems unusual and the non voiding does nothing for the design, however as we live in an aura of austerity or so we are told maybe this is the trend.

My advice is write to the school, they are most helpful regarding their OTC.

Regards Rob

[Alan O]

Ebay is full of them and they are either restrikes using old dies or old stock with new attachments? Either way they are being reproduced.
The school pre war wore BB as shown below