What is your most wanted Prison badge??
 

Maybe we can help each other out - I have most and many in my collection, but the one I have always been missing is the GV solid brass kings crown worn straight after the reign of Queen Victoria whilst all Warders still wore the last Shako. I have a few photos of it and have seen it in various museums and collections.

This is it..

This look like it- 1 WAR DEPT AUXILIARY POLICE(CYPRUS) kc brass slider# but this was worn later although I am not sure when?

Post War Palestine Prisons is the one I need!
Eddie

Hi All,
Yes I to would like to own an Edward VII non voided crown version.Money waiting !!!HMP badges this is the George V version.You and I are after the same badge.
Hwyl
Bantam

GEORGE V11 ????:D

Extremely scarce badge I would imagine.

Phil

Phil and Jerry,
Thank you for pointing out George VII error I tried to correct it initially but seemed to have a slight problem with the technology.
Hwyl
Bantam

many thanks for the replies gents, yes bantam is right, the one we're both after is non void ie a solid item. I've seen at least 4 in the Prison Service collection over the years. Most of my time is spent looking on Ebay and other sites under the rank badge category, as to the uninformed it could be thought of as such, but hey ho, such is the life of the collector - I want it now now now though :eek:

Hi HMP Badges,
What about those Edward VIII Female badges ?Probably even rarer then The Edward VII with so few produced and yet the male version appears quite frquently for sale any opinions ?
Regards
Bantam

I would like the Victorian Jersey badge, made from the bronze St Helier Paid Police helmet plate.

There was one found up at the prison several years ago, and it was put aside for me but had disappeared before I got up there to collect it. Never been seen since :mad:

Norman

Well this is another problem Bantam, only now are people coming forth with their wants and needs with collecting prison badges, it's nice to know that after many many years more and more of us are on the web showing our interest and have a lovely group like this to talk about it on.

But in the past and now, not much was known about them and as a smaller Crown Civil Service (with only some very later named on insignia), most items were thought of as being rank badges, or collar badges due to their size - and especially when talking about female prison badges, so I always make sure i look under rank/collar badges that may be a simple crown or something within a laurel leaf etc. It may be a prison badge!

The best example of this is the current female issue NIPS (Northern Ireland Prison Service) cap badge, you probably have one or have seen it, but it's generally classed as a NIPS collar badge or a form of nurses badge. Just like THAT one that we all want, the 1901 onwards badge. It's a simple brass crown and someone somewhere will display it as a rank crown/collar badge when it's not.

And Norman, the classic Victorian crown that "Warders" in those days wore on their caps. I have three different types. And there were generally different types. Her Majesty's Prison Service (Queen Victoria's origional royal gaolers) was formed in April 1877 and this badge was the later one issued that you mostly see in photos and probably was a defunct NCO arm badge no longer used.

Just before this most local countys in the UK had a go at making their own from a local regiment pattern with the onset of the new fantastic national prison service and wanted to join in and be the best of the small towns that wanted to be national. They all wanted to be unique with each local county having a form of their own and often be classed as Royal even though they were'nt. So you would see the QVC in prisons, but each would be very very slightly different as far as Essex/Westminster/Manchester/Exeter/Norwich or Sussex.

Now i do understand that in most Colonial places around the world this was the case, but when it came to the dependants and others that were forgotten about (C.I, I.O.M etc) then yes, it was a case of recycling old Police helmet plates and stuff.


I have one here:

http://www.britishbadgeforum.com/for...1&d=1299456182

I have some more, just can't find the memory stick they are all on LOL :mad:

Hi HMP Badges,
In reply to the observations you made regarding prisons trying to have a unique badge rather then standardised ones.I have only ever seen London prisons having individual badges.Another anomally is that I am sure you are aware of is that some London prison staff wore uniform without any insignia at all even as late as post 1880's.
Here is a badge from my collection from Holloway prison.I have also seen ones of a London debtors prison and probably the most notorious prison ever the infamous Newgate.
Hwyl
Bantam

What i meant was the classic Victorian crown and it's early versions