Field Marshal Douglas Haig Officers and Men 1914 1918 badge
 

Hello Forum.
I purchased a lapel badge which was titled Field Marshal Douglas Haig 'Officers and Men 1914 1918 badge' purely out of interest as I had never seen one before.

Is there anyone on the Forum who could tell me more about the Association it represents, please.
I presume that members had to buy this lapel badge.

Many Thanks
David

As far as I understand, this was one of the ‘organisations’ which would evolve into the Royal British Legion. Others included ‘comrades of the Great War’ etc

The British Legion was founded in 1921 as a voice for the ex-service community as a bringing together of four organisations: the Comrades of the Great War, the National Association of Discharged Sailors and Soldiers and the National Federation of Discharged and Demobilized Sailors and Soldiers, and incorporated the fundraising department of the Officers' Association.

The Officers' Association is still going today :

https://www.officersassociation.org.uk/our-history/

Regarding the badge , probably like other organisations of the time , when someone applied (and paid) for membership they would be given a badge.

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Hi Mike

Thanks for that. I'd always assumed that the Officers Association had gone the way of many of the other pre-Legion groups so I've learned something here - as I so often do....

Shame they didn't maker mark the badge but I see that the medalist has "signed" his portrait of Haig. From memory it is "C B", but it's fairly small.

Interesting that there isn’t a leek on the badge

Initials on badge are "CE" but I don't know what they represent , the engraver , the manufacturer or the artist who did the original portrait ? :confused:

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I imagine the selection of the shamrock, rose and thistle is reflective of the Royal coat of arms. There is no daffodil (or leek) as England and Wales are technically one Kingdom, the Kingdom of England. This is also the reason why Wales is not individually represented on the Union flag.

Thanks for the info.

I should have gone to......

Yes, you are correct it is C E. I would think that this is the medalist. When I first got one of these badges way back I wondered who it was but figured that it had to be one of the "fish heads" as I'm told they were called.

Now having followed your link, Mike, I can see why they chose Haig. Anyone suggest a good biography of him to read?

Ray , a couple of year ago I picked up a British Legion magazine from March 1928 , it is an "Earl Haig Memorial Number". Lots of articles , tributes and photos about his life and works.

If I can find it I will scan it and send you a copy.

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Hi
Thanks everyone for your help.
I now have a better idea of the badge and where to look for more information.
David

Thanks Mike. Look forward to getting it should it come to light. There is a bio of Haig that I've seen around but I think that it has now made its way to the second hand book market.

Yes, always wanted to learn more about Haig. I finished a book on Alec Godley a year or two back and got to understand more about him.

An old Gallipoli veteran I knew was full of scorn for him, saying that he usually stayed in his dugout down on the beach at Anzac Cove. Rumour had it that when he did visit the frontline, the trenches had to be deepened in places as he was a fairly tall man!

Having read the book, I think that he was often misunderstood and a product of his generation.

I would dearly like to learn more about Haig and better understand him.

At the time of the Gallipoli landings Haig was a Corps commander of I Corps BEF on the Western Front. By December of 1915 he became C-in-C of the BEF. Why would he have been at Anzac Cove? He was also not a tall man even by standards of the time.

Do you mean Lord Kitchener perhaps? He was 6ft 2ins tall and certainly went to Gallipoli.

Hi Luke

Sorry about the confusion.

No, I was talking about Godley who was the "beach dug out" man. He was disliked by many of the NZers and Australians. However, having read a bit more about him, I think that he was viewed as an outsider and rather cold. I get the impression that he did his best with the resources at his disposal.

Not got his height to hand but pictures I've seen of him give the impression of being tall, or maybe the others were very short....