THE COLCHESTER & HANTS REGIMENT M.114
 

Picked this badge up last month. First time I had ever seen one on ebay. Thought it would have gone at a higher price but I lucked out at just under $300 US. According to Chris Brooker book 4 on badges, there may have only been 25 of these badges ever produced. Picture of the badge has been submitted for the post 1920 badge album. Thanks for allowing me to share

Outstanding find..:D

Just goes to show there are some real treasures still out there.

Lovely looking badge, well done indeed.

Roy.

Congrats! I was extremely surprised at the price as well. I thought for sure that I wouldn't stand a chance bidding, so I bid low.

I manages to snag a non 25th version last week at a good price as well.

Here is mine :

Congrats on your find as well. Once in awhile one does score a big one for a great price. Back in 2013 I pick up a Yorkton regiment officers badge out of Vegas for $40 US on ebay. I was the only bidder. This badges image is in the forums post 1920 album.

Nice examples of both patterns of badges. The Dress Instruction file for the NNSH has the 1/25 pattern as a sample, but the blueprint drawings in the file show the badge without the 1/25. The file indicates that 720 badges of the second pattern were ordered.

Reviewing Mazeas, M114 contains an error. The numeral "1" is not contained in the drawing.

Meant to add that there was no mention of a run of the 1/25 pattern of the badge. I am not sure where Brooker gets the number?
The Colchester and Hants Regt was formed as a result of the Otter re-organization of the militia in 1920. The Otter reforms required that the numerals be removed from the previous militia badges. This was not a problem as the Colchester and Hants had respectively been the 76th Colchester & Hants Regt and the 81st Hants (redesignated the 68th Regt in 1914.) No badges are recorded for the 81st or 68th Regiments under the Hants name.
I don't recall ever seeing the 76th badges on the market.

What does the "1" represent. In Brookers book the paragraph is cut short

Not 100% sure on this, but most reserve regiments were organized on a multi battalion basis by the Otter reforms. For "rural" regiments there was usually a 1st Bn and a 2nd (Reserve) Bn. The reserve battalions were essentially a list of officers (many who were CEF veterans) who could be called up for service in time of emergency.

Maybe they thought they were the best (#1) :D Something to add to the research list!

Edit: It appears you are correct Bill. "Upon redesignation as The Colchester and Hants Regiment on 15 May 1920 (see above), it was organized as a two battalion regiment with the 1st Battalion (25th Battalion, CEF) on the Non Permanent Active Militia order of battle and the 2nd Battalion (106th Battalion, CEF) on the Reserve order of battle. The reserve unit was disbanded on 14 December 1936 (GO 3/37)."

As per :http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-...r2/nsh-eng.asp

Great pickup on the 25 Colchester... I remember the Yorkton officer badge very well.... I screwed up on the timing of that badge and missed out... Glad it went to a good home... All the Best in 2015... Jim

Reiterating that this is not necessarily an error. Rather, for a small regiment, these folks may have had way too many badges.

Mazeas correctly drew a 'no number 1' badge — sort of. Mine has no "1", but it also has the world's worst unicorn, like the non-'25' badge, with no chain.

The question now is, is there a third version with no "1", but with the better unicorn like the one on the badge in Chilliwack's original post, and in Mazeas's guide?

Sixpack, is there any sign of the "25" having been cut out of your badge, seeing as it seems identical to mine in every other respect?

Hi David,
Something lost in translation here. I meant that the image in Mazeas M114 is in error. The "1" is missing from the drawing pg 89. OR, he has missed the 1/25 pattern, which definitely exists.

I understand that, Bill. I'm saying that I have a Colchester & Hants "25" badge with no "1", but that it's otherwise exactly like the M114a drawing. Soooo, Mazeas... did he draw a correct M114 badge or did he miss the 1/25? Is there an M114 badge out there exactly like Maz drew it, does Chilliwack own the only 1/25 badge in existence, and should we forgive poor Maz for missing it? And do we drive to Chilliwack's place later and steal it? Idle hands, inquiring minds... you know the drill.

I don't have Brooker's books: does the badges he shows include both a 1/25 and a 25-only type M114?

Ok, I see that the error is an omission. There appears to be a third pattern Cochester & Hants Regt. that is not recorded in Mazeas. There is at least 2 of the 1/25 badges. Brooker shows the 1/25 pattern. (Perhaps it should be called the Ugly Unicorn variety... or the Unicorn on steroids pattern.)
Here is the image of the badge submitted for approval to NDHQ. It is in the file for the Nova Scotia Highlanders. It appears to be an officer's pattern badge.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...psc272011f.jpg