87th Royal Irish Fusiliers (R. O'Donnell) - Tunic Button ID
 

I hope someone on the forum can help me with dating a 87th Royal Irish Fusiliers tunic button that I found yesterday whilst metal detecting in a pub garden in West Sussex.

It's got an eagle on the front over the number '8' and on the back it says 87th R.I. FUSLS and 'R.O'Donnell'. It's 25mm dia and around 8mm high.

A member of the forum has already suggested to me that it's post 1881 which is really helpful but if anyone can add anything further or knows why the RI Fusiliers might have been in Mannings Heath in West Sussex that would be really interesting.

Many thanks in advance and see attached photos.

Simon

I can't help you too much (most of my research material is in storage), I believe this is more likely to be a pre-1871 item.

The 87th Regiment was long titled "The Royal Irish Fusiliers" and their button pre 1871-2 (when the general service button was introduced for other ranks) was the Eagle of the French 8th regiment. I can't tell if this is likely an officers or an other ranks button. If officers I would say pre-1881

The marking is unusual to me and does not to appear to be a maker's mark, I wonder if it is the owner?

As to why in Manning's Heath?, you would need to research the stations of the 87th (The United Services Magazine would have them) to see if they were stationed anywhere nearby. That is a tedious process and the station of the regiment may have nothing to do with the location of the find (consider the possibility of it being the residence of the owner, an item lost from a collection etc).

John

Thanks
 

Thank you John for your helpful reply and I will try to research it further.

Simon

Hello Simon,

I have managed to find the following information which may well be of interest.

He was a Sergeant Master Tailor in the regiment, attested (Royal Dublin Fusiliers) 1888, discharged 1914 (RIF), with an exemplary character. As you will know, the Irish censuses were burned in 1922, but he was in Hampshire in 1911.
It is though unlikely that the button was made during his service.
Other buttons with the back mark include the letters "M T".

I hope that this is helpful.


Marcus