Unknown cap badge
 

Hello all

I have a photo of my great uncle (attached) taken during WWI I believe. He is wearing a cap badge that I haven’t been able to identify. He lived in County Durham so I had assumed Durham Light Infantry or Northumberland Fusiliers but the badge doesn’t appear to match either of these. Can anyone help?

Many thanks.

Hello Lois, welcome to the Forum. Your account is active and open for posts.
The badge in the image is the Royal Marine Artillery.

He is Royal Marine Engineers not RMA.

See here https://www.britishbadgeforum.com/fo...rine+engineers

Hi Lois
Welcome to the Forum , great picture, as Luke has said Royal Marine Engineers.

Gerard

Gerard

Thanks very much to all of you, this is exciting news. Now I can do some more research!

On most websites it is listed as Royal Marine Artillery although the badges do not have a Universal pattern Grenade. Which is attributed to Royal Marine Engineer Officers and the gent in the first post image is not.

Marc

Hi Lois

Very nice picture and nice to see this specific badge being worn. The badge is one worn by the Royal Marines Engineers, a unit formed in early 1918 and I believe disbanded shortly after the end of WWI. If you get access to the book "Personal Distinctions" by John Rawlinson there is a section about the RME on pages 190 & 191 with some pictures of the badge you posted being worn on page 191. He is definitely not an officer as their badges were 2 part bronze with the letters RME on the grenade part. The 2 part gilding metal badge you have pictured seems to be attributed to corporals in the RME. There is also a one part badge which appears to be attributed to privates and pioneers. I have pictured a few of the badges I have below. First badge is the bronze officer's version, second is the 2 part corporal's badge and the third one is a representation of the 1 piece private's badge. I have also posted a fourth badge which I have not been able to verify yet but thought I would show just so you can have an idea of the variations in this small short lived unit.

Paddy

Thank you very much for your clarification, learning all the time with this Forum. Just goes to show you can not trust some websites.

Marc

Ditto

Paddy, the badge in the opening post looks like a one piece badge to me, you can see where the grenade joins the globe. It looks more like your fourth badge to me.

Looks like it.
Only borrowed the badge part of the image.

Marc

This thread highlights the collective knowledge and the value of discussion. A good reminder that internet sources need to be verified. Thanks to all.

Great photo!
Was there a RME shoulder title?

Chris

Chris

There were 2 different sizes of metal shoulder title (pictured below, the single is the large size and the pair are the small size). The large ones are approx 18mm tall. The common theme for RM shoulder titles is that large titles were worn by other ranks and small titles worn by officers (RMA, RMLI & RM). There was also a cloth RME title but unfortunately I do not have one at the minute.

Paddy

Thank you Paddy for the information and photographs, most interesting.
Cheers
.
Chris