Other ranks cap badges with blades
 

I have recently seen some other ranks cap badges with blades, in the past I have had the odd one, Australian General Service springs to mind but there seems to be several line Regiments with this type of fixing around.

Is this likely to be another ruse by the fakers to sell dodgy badges or is there a chance blades were actually fitted to bi-metal cap badges?

Your thoughts appreciated.

Rob

Rob,

Other ranks Volunteer Artillery cap badges are the only ones I can recall with blades.

However, Canadian badges often had them and they called them tangs.

regards

OR's blades
 

Simon, thanks for confirming my thoughts on other ranks badges. Of course someone may have been repairing other ranks badges using blades instead of sliders and loops which of course should be fitted.

Rob

Here's an oddity I found a couple of years ago. REME officer's badge with lugs removed and fitted with blades. Why is beyond me!

I have some TF fitted with double blades
Attachment 278486Attachment 278487

Those two above plus the Vol Artillery badge seem to point to blades being an option on privately ordered batches rather than the Regulars issue.

regards

The only other ranks badges to line regiments I’ve seen with tangs / blades were to a handful of Volunteer and (possibly) Militia Battalions.

Also seen on some Corps vols, I.Y., Yeomanry and a few TF badges occasionally.

These early tang fixings are very distinct compared to OSD blades. They’re often found in a double ‘butterfly clip’ configuration.

Thinner in gauge and width than your standard OSD blades they are very fragile and easily broken bending. Doubtless this was the reason for all but abandoning such fixings by the advent of the TF.

I think dodgy eBayer albert.doris who you bought that 17L off had some bladed infantry badges recently. Have seen he/she is up to their old tricks drilling holes in and weathering badges.

OR's blades
 

Thinking back I had a Bucks Btn with double blades, one of which had broken, again a TF unit and probably private purchase.

Thanks all for your replies.

Rob

I have a couple of OR badges with double blades and as Luke has stated, they are substantially less robust than those on Officer's badges.

The two I have are 3rd VB Essex and a white metal 17th London example, on which one set of blades are broken.

I also have small WM Harrow Rifles badge with twin blades, the blades also being white metal, although I'm not sure whether this item is for Other Ranks or Officers.

Regards.

Brian.

Not military, but older Red Cross cap badges have double tangs.

Don't forget that the Danbury Mint collector's series of badges also had blades. Might be some of them confusing people who don't realise that.
I know there are also some genuine SA badges made with blades for sun helmets, so there may have been limited runs of badges for issue in India, Egypt etc?
Cheers,
Alex

Nearly all badges from the Danbury Mint collection were anodised with two blades and made by Firmin.
However, a few were in metal: Blues and Royals (bronzed), QDG (chrome) and RAChD (blackened).

Badges from the second (post Options for Change) set were likely made in ‘new metal’ to emulate the official issues.

See https://www.britishbadgeforum.com/fo...p?albumid=1177

Tim

I don't see how OR cap badges with blades could not be worn as they had to be removed for polishing, unless they were bronzed or blackened, which would obviate the need, although some early anomalies seem to exist as Luke mentioned.
I also have never seen any British badges with blades for the sun helmet (FSH) as some SA were.

CB