or maybe not.
I had never seen an example of this badge prior to that auction either. It’s got to be a pretty rare piece, maybe even a one-of-a-kind.
What’s most interesting to me when ‘unknowns’ like this pop up, is trying to determine what they are, & why they exist. Photo evidence can be very frustrating when trying to ascertain uniform details like badges. Written history can be equally vexing. A study of the General Orders, which the army used to authorize badges, reveals a host of anomalies & contradictions. Some units were clearly wearing badges for which there was no official sanction. Others had authority for badges which were (apparently) never worn. Sometimes the time lag between authorization & adoption (or conversely, the lag between adoption & authorization) could be measured in decades.
I believe that I have all the badge oriented G.O.’s issued for the XII Manitoba Dragoons during the life of the regiment. They were pretty ‘well behaved’, in that there are very few deviations between these written accounts & the physical badges which we collect today.
That said, I suspect that this is not an early 1900 officer’s cap badge. General Order 134 of 1932 reads, in part:
Pouch Badge
Buffalo and mount in silver, remainder of badge in gilt.
Within an annulus inscribed “Manitoba XII Dragoons” ensigned with the Imperial Crown, on a stippled background, a Buffalo charging upon a mount. On the base of the annulus a trefoil. ext. h. 2 5/8
ext. w. 2 inches.
Pinback fastener non-withstanding, I think this is that pouch badge. There are a few variances between this description and the badge pictured; i.e. - the annulus (vs garter), the title, & the type of crown. All of these same discrepancies between the written description & the physical badge also exist in the Regiment’s helmet plate, authorized by the same G.O. 134. The similarities between these two badges makes it seem likely that they were created in the same time period.
Somewhere in the archives of this forum is a post where I express doubt that the XII MD pouch badge was ever made, & suggest that it probably didn’t exist. (...oops) I guess I’ll change my mind now, even if I haven’t changed anyone else’s mind. Whatever it may be, the badge is certainly a winner.
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