Need help with badge indentification
 

Anyone know anything about this badge. It's about 2 inches long and made of lead. Looks like it's related to The Uffington White Horse, which used to be located in Berkshire. Is it military?

Your help will be greatly appreciated
Ron L

Hello Ron, your account is active and open for posts.

Looks like the cap badge of the Berkshire Yeomanry, whether it is genuine or not I have no idea

PL

Are you sure its lead? It looks to have had lugs braized to it. It may be a bronze officers badge. How easily does the reverse scratch?

Looks like a ground dug O/R's brass badge to me.

regards

Actually Berkshire Imperial Yeomanry I believe, but broken.

Note the flat line at 6 o’clock on the scroll. This is where the I.Y. letters would have been attached, their breaking has left a flat line rather than the normal scroll border.

It being an I.Y. is further supported by the fixings. Genuine Berks I.Y. badges had 3 loops, 2 E-W at the scroll curls and 1 North behind the horse. The scars of these are visible on your badge.

The edges of the reverse look correct as does the lettering. So it’s either an original badge or cast from an original. I would go with the former and therefore it’s GM not lead.

It was found with a metal detector and was probably buried in the ground for many years

If genuine, how old would this be?

Yes, it was found with a metal detector

Was the original made from lead? What does GM stand for? It was bent so I put it in boiling water for about 10 minutes and straightened it out. It bends easily.

Thanks for that info

This badge was found with a metal detector so it was in the ground for quite a few years.
It was bent so I put it in boiling water for about 10 minutes and straightened it out. It was easy to bend so I assumed that it was lead.
Was it plated when it was dropped or is this the way it was made?
How old would this be? Was the original made from lead?

Here is a clearer picture:

Thanks for all the info
Ron L

It’s not lead.

The badge was produced in GM and WM. it’s easy to bend because despite being die cast there’s simply not a lot of metal there die to the design.

Your badge dates to the Imperial Yeomanry era between 1902-1908.

GM stands for gilding metal, it's the copper alloy used in the manufacture of military badges.

Thanks to all for all that info .... I like finding out about the history of things found with a metal detector. Its too bad that this badge wasnt in better shape. Still fun to find so it probably doesnt have a lot of monitary value but a lot of historical value for me.
It was found in an older part of Edmonton, Alberta.
Thanks again

In Edmonton? Interesting indeed. Brought home by a Canadian soldier, or a relic of someone's service in the UK before emigrating to the 'Last Best West', then buried by children at play?