Victorian Royal Scots
 

Hi All
Is this an officer badge? The lugs appear silver or silver plated, not brass and the St. Andrew centre piece looks like it is fire-gilt, but I don't know if the officers wore this style of badge or had a different pattern.
Thanks, cheers,
Alex

Looks like officers, I picked up an other ranks one recently. A very nice badge, mine has brass lugs, and is of course in bi metal.
The construction is the same.

Thanks PB.

Thats a beauty.
Andy

It’s a warrant officer pattern badge. Once known as ‘staff badges’ as they were worn only by the specialist SNCOs employed in Bn HQ employments, such as the RQMS, Pioneer Sergeant, Musketry Instructor, etc. After 1915 and the introduction of WO2 (CSM) it included appointments at company level for the first time.
I enclose a photo of an officer pattern badge, which was always of a different design.

Hi Toby
Thanks for the post but the badge you have shown is the post-1927 officers badge. The one I have posted is the pre-1882 pattern.
Cheers,
Alex

Late as usual
 

Hi all
Late on the scene again. Sorry.
Alex : Your excellent badge is an ORs style 1st Bn Royal Scots glengarry badge c. 1871 to 1890 and is in fact rarer than the version with the title "The Royal Regiment". (According to Leask & McCance the 2nd Bn wore a crowned HPC for this period ) However, considering your centre piece appears to be gilded (is it ?) it could be, as Toby has said, Warrant Officers although I believe that all Senior NCOs wore Officers badges.(?)
With regard to Toby's Officers badge, you are quite correct to point out that this is a post 1927 badge. (The dates Bloomer gives are 1931 - 1959). Prior to this, from 1881 the Royal Scots Officers badge was identical to the Scots Guards.(again see Leask & McCance). Regards Jeff

PS: My examples attached.

Attachment 203145 Attachment 203144

Hi
Here's the badge I have. I have looked with a glass for any silver or Gilt, but can't see any.

Hi Parabellum
That's because yours (and mine) are both ORs badges. The gilding I referred to was on Alex's badge … so poss this is Sgts or Sen NCO. Regards Jeff

Just as I thought, thanks Jeff :)

Thanks again for the replies. I expect you are correct and it is a Sgts or SNCOs badge. I do have a very badly damaged O/Rs version so I've photographed the 2 together for a comparison and the difference is plain to see.
Cheers,
Alex

You are quite right to point out that the officers cap badge I posted is the later version. The point I was trying to make is that the officers pattern was different, with a special configuration.

Gilding of an OR’s pattern badge indicates it is for a SNCO, or in some regiments it was arranged privately for bandsmen.
Different styles of badge of course generally relate to a specific type of headdress and, before 1897, Royal Scots WOs and SNCOs on the battalion staff wore a peaked forage cap with a gilded and silvered badge like that of the officers.

Colour Sergeants and below (no CSMs at that time) wore glengarry caps with the OR pattern badge. In most regiments (of the line) this was a standard pattern badge, but in Scottish regiments one has to be careful.

Kipling and King inadvertently caused much confusion when they referred to ‘sergeants badges’ where there is a superiority in quality (gilding, etc), but in the vast majority of cases these were the badges of battalion ‘staff’, some of whom (the more junior) were indeed just sergeants, but holding a staff appointment, e.g. Pioneer Sergeant, or Cook Sergeant. However, they were known collectively as ‘staff sergeants’ and by extension, their badges as ‘staff badges’. These latter wore superior uniform and headress in a way that company sergeants (Colour Sergeant and below) did not. See the series created by Bruce and I: http://www.uniformology.com/FORAGE-CAPS-01.html

Some Scottish regiments do seem to have arranged superior badges for their company level sergeants (not at public expense) in a way that other regiments did not, and presumably the Royal Scots was one of them.

They are Pipers badges, however prior to 1890 the 2nd Bn wore similar with a Gilt backing.
Paul

That makes sense as an alternative to a SNCO, similar then to the concept of a bandsmen’s badge. What do you mean by ‘gilt backing’ for the 2nd Battalion?

I thought the Piper's badge was a different style like the one here.