XIII or 13 NZEF Reinforcement Badges which one is correct?
 

Greetings from my perplexed mind.

I have been working on shadow box displays honouring the service of five of my great Uncles during the Great Great War.

Over twenty years of collecting all of the artifacts I now have what was originally planned to include and to make the shadow box displays now finaly possible.

Along the way, I have picked up two quite different Thirteenth Reinforcement badges.
Before I place the artifacts I think it would be wise of me to ask knowledgeable people which one of these two badges would be applicable to my great uncle?
He signed up and became part of B Coy Wellington Infantry Regiment and on arrival at Sling Camp was reasigned to the, 2nd Battalion Canterbury Infantry Regiment and then on to Messines and his death.

Any intel regading these two Reinforcement badges would be much appreciated.
Cheers
Bruce

Hi Bruce,
For the larger 13th Reinforcement hat badge you have shown there were corresponding collar badges (XIII within a fern wreath).

However, there was much variation in the badges worn by Reinforcement men like the smaller collar badge you have shown.

I presume you do not have pictures of your great uncle?

Cheers,
Tinto

Hello Tinto.

Very interesting info and many thanks for providing this.

Regrettably, out of the five brothers who saw overseas service, the sixth was their brother; my grandfather, who, because of the proximity to Wars end, was discharged as - Leave in Leau of Discharge on September 1918, I have photographs of only three great uncles. None are in Army uniform. Two were taken after the War and one from a newspaper notice published in the Otago Witness reporting his funeral in Wellington in October 1915.

Great Uncle Charles served with the AMR, shipped out to Egypt with the 3rd Reinforcements, diagnosed there with a terminal kidney disease, shipped back to New Zealand in March, 1915, admitted to, Wellington Hospital where he later died. His grave is at Karori Cemetery, however, not among the Soldiers graves. Perhaps because of his early demise predating the possibly yet to be dedicated section for soldiers. But the headstone is of the black "marble" type usually associated with NZ wargraves.

All the best.
Bruce

13th or X111
 

Hello
All badge designs before the 17th have many interesting variations.
My understanding is that from the 17th and on is when the RD numbers appeared (Registered Designs)

Cheers

Some additional 13th reinforcements cap badges