More Unidentified badges
 

Utterly bored by the endless repeats on UK television over the holiday period I have again retreated to my room and pulled out the cap badge box. I do not know if I can send more than one image, but this is one of the unidentified badges. It may not be military - perhaps it is something like a doorman's badge from Liberty?

Here are two more unidentified badges Attachment 644 Attachment 646

unidentified badges
 

Hello,
"L" in wreath Gunlayer R.A.(Edwards and Langley 13A))

The first badge on the second post is a South Africa general service pattern badge and the second badge looks like Honorable Artillery Company.

P.B.

The brass letter L in a wreath of Laurel leaves is the Gun Layers qualification badge. This was at one time worn by ALL qualified gun layers on the upper right sleeve. This one piece version is circa WWII and beyond. It is now only worn by those qualified in the Royal Regiment of Artillery in a cloth embroidered version and aa.

The brass grenade with the monogramed letters HAC is from the Honourable Artillery Company (Infantry). Still worn today by some.

Trade badges are no longer worn by the Royal Regiment. Save for the Sgts arm badge.

Specialist Parachutist, Commando, Special Observer however are.

Inf Bn HAC
 

The brass grenade badge of the Infantry Battalion HAC was phased out in 1953 and replaced by a white metal badge of similar design

HAC Inf Bn bdge
 

My earlier post regarding the change from brass to white metal for the HAC Inf Bn cap badge has caused me to think back.

Prior to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II members of the Infantry Battalion were measured for and fitted out with a new blue uniform and issued with new hats with white metal bands on the peak in place of brass, and a white metal cap badge. NCO;s chevrons were silver, and I assume the buttons were white metal.

Very few of the battalion had cause to wear the new uniform at the time of the coronation, and the uniforms were handed back.

Members of the battalion reverted to wearing the brass badge, and as far as I recall were still wearing it in 1956.

I would be glad to know if the white metal badge subsequently became stabdard issue, replacing the brass, or if it was a 'one off' for the coronation, wuith I believe, the HAC reverting to a tradition of wearing brass where the Grenadier Guards wore silver, and vice versa.

Without going too off topic the a/a version of the HAC Inf badge is always found in silver a/a and not gold a/a suggesting a chnage to the wm version stayed that way.

Alan

The L within a wreath is Gun Layer worn on the lower left arm 1892 to 1901 and upper right arm from 1901 onwards.

Correct, it is the South African General Service badge.

It is possible to tell if it is WW1 or WW2 by the language used for the non English part of the badge.

"Union is Strength" was in Dutch on the WW1 badges. Between the wars the official language of the "Boers" became Afrikaans, so the motto on the WW2 badge was in that language.

I have both types in my own collection, but can't remember which is which these days.

Maybe a Dutch/South African member can advise?

Here is another unidentified badge which came to me via the John M.Strange collection ("hoard" might have been a better description). It may of course be obvious to most people, but I cannot think what the initials refer to.

Its a cap badge to 'The Queens Bays (2nd Dragoon Guards)', known as the bays as from 1776 they were mounted on black bay chargers which is how they became known as The Bays.

Luke

That one is in the style of the 2nd Dragoon Guards (the Queens Bays). It is however solid at the and of the wreath where as all the original versions are voided at either end where it meets the crown and the back reinforced with a bar. You do get solid Q/C ones but not usually k/c.

Alan

Luke and Alan - Thank you for the information. I do not know much about cavalry units.

HAC badge
 

A few days ago I talked with an old HAC man, and according to him the sequence of events for the cap badge of the Infantry Battalion was:
Breass badge in use until the Coronation.
White metal badge introduced at time of Coronation.
Reverted back to brass badge after Coronation.
Brass b badge replaced by a gilded one.


I could not get a date for the switch to the gilded badge, of which I have one in my collection, together with a white metal one.

I am looking out for a replacement brass badge, and a 'Gold Serjeants' , having given my brass one to the THA in Johannesburg many years ago, and broken the HAC off my Gold Serjeants badge badge, and now lost the bits.