Quote:
Originally Posted by Trav
Hello there,
My first post  I know I'm bumping an old thread but it made sense to post within it.
I have a few cap badges given to me by my Uncle who served (post WWII), plus my own  (3 Queens) and I thought it would be nice to try and obtain one from my Grandfather's regiment too. He served in the 2nd Royal Irish Rifles 1911 - 1919.
So what have I here, it looks a little different from those posted so far. Any opinions greatly apppreciated.
Thanks in advance
(Sorry, I did rotate the photos before posting, honest!) |
Hi Trav & welcome.
Alan is right in his replies. For further info the badge you have posted is pattern number 4633 which was 'sealed" for wear on the Field Service Cap (sometimes colloquially called "side cap") on 29/March/1898. Sealing means that a master pattern, to which all production and items in wear were to conform to, was physically produced, signed and copies put in place to control manufacture, issue and unit inspections. This was replaced by a similar item, pattern 4633A , which was sealed 07/Jan /1902 with a Tudor crown.
In 1903 pattern 5849 was sealed (30/March/1903) and this was in turn replaced with a white metal version pattern 7330 sealed 07/Feb/1913.
Your ancestor is unlikely to have been issued the badge you show and in theory would have been issued a blackened brass badge in 1911 to have been replaced by the white metal version sometime after 1913. Both with sliders. It was practice in the British Army to replace old patterns with new only when stocks of the old had run out and old and new patterns were often worn side by side depending not just on the availability and the scale of issue/re-issue but also the attitude that the unit had to "uniformity"
Below from left to right patterns 4633, 4633a, 5849 7330. Not to scale the first two are approx 42mm in height, the later ones approx. 50mm in height.
John