North Irish Horse
 

Now does this badge have to have void strings or is the one shown genuine ?

NIH badge
 

Spencer,
Here's two pics of NIH badges of mine. The white metal one was my grandfathers, so I know it is 100%, the other belonged to a WW1 veteran, and it got passed to me. It had been enamelled and gilted (badly) and made into a broach, however, it has now been tidied up. Both have strings which are un-voided, but I have seen examples which are. I have somewhere an anodised one, which has voided strings, but can't place it at the minute. I know that the PRI shop at their base sold white metal QC badges, but I gave away the one I had years ago, and can't remember what the strings looked like. No doubt I won't be the only contributor here.

John

Here you go an anodised North Irish Horse

John,

What colour beret does NIH wear?

Clay

NIH Beret
 

They wear the normal navy blue beret. No badge backings or any anything. There are two NIH units. One is 69 (NIH) Signal Squadron TA part of 40th Signal Regiment. They wear the cap badge of the Royal Signals with NIH uniform. The other is B Squadron of the Queen's Own Yeomanry. Up till a couple of years ago, they wore the cap badge of the NIH, but they have now been forced to adopt the QOY badge, ending a long tradition which they were allowed to continue during their time as part of the Royal Yeomanry. for a small regiment, the NIH had a good history.

Spencer

This is not a regiment that I know a whole lot about and I look forward to learning here. I THINK that non-voided QC badges were struck (I recall a reference somewhere but cannot find it at the moment). A word of caution a non-voided QC with Marples and Beasley slider is known and is almost certainly fake. It is true to say that the majority are voided. A message to the association web-site would probably clear it up. They have responded to me in the past

http://northirishhorse.net/index.html

I do believe that the smaller GM (non-voided) badge is WW2, do't confuse it with the common fake shown on the left below, the give away is they lack of a gap between the back of the maid's head and the harp (compare to the image shown by F.A.B.) Wilkinson in his Cavalry & Yeomanry badges gives the dates 1908 - 1952 for the GM version (Known with loops & slider) and 1952 - 1953 for the WM KC version. John - do you have a date for youe grandfathers WM KC badge?

Some material to share

Shown second from left are the QC O/R bage with O/R A/A collars on top and officer's collars (silver plated below), 3rd from left is the NCO's arm badge (this one with service damage)
John

I have three NIH badges. On all three the head does not touch the harp or the crown. Two have no voided strings or scroll ends. One is marked Marples & Beasley, one is marked J.R. Gaunt and one has no markings. The one with no markings has voided strings and scroll ends. If you where to look at all three badges, not knowing about voiding, the one that looks the oldest and most "Original" is the Marples & Beasley badge. Go figure :)

P.S. All three are QC. The voided, unmarked badge is the "tinniest" to the touch.

Michael

This the GM KC example in my collection. There is the gap between head and crown and the strings are non-voided, but the way the slider is attached looks odd (this shot in next message). Any thoughts?

Sorry, had to submit the last shot of the slider attachment separately.

Lettman,

Any sign that maybe the slider has been re-attached? I personally have never seen a slider attached this way. I have seen bent sliders but this one seems to have been soldered on the flat.

Michael

I really don't know. I remember having a 3rd Carabiniers badge that looked rather like some kind of museum souvenir that had a similarly curved slider (I no longer have this, so can't provide a photo). I also wonder whether this NIH badge is cast rather than die-struck, when you look at the back.

This type of slider is the norm on Loyal North lancs and 19th Hussars badges where extra strengthening was required. I have also seen them on early RIR and Suffolk badges. While a bit different from the norm on a NIH badge it does not make it wrong.

Alan

Anyone else seen an original slider fixed this way?. I have never seen one and personally don't think it is a common practice.

Michael

Not on that particular badge but as Alan mentions it was pretty common for a double over hair pin style slider to be attached on Loyal North Lancs and latterly Loyal Regiment badges as well as WM Royal Irish/Ulster Rifles (one maker, at least) and 19th Hussars.

Regards,

Luke

can provide some picture if you'd like to some?

I have a long scrolled R.I.R. (that I assume to be an early example , somewhere between 1913 - 1930's) with this type of slider, the badge itself is Kosher, I assume the slider to be an original rather than a replacement , but I do not really worry about it

John