Luke,
I'm not sure I would want to base my evidence on what is in Wilkinson. Welsh Guards Puggaree (198) for example, although I don't know within which edition this was first included. Errors are known to apply for both Gaylor and K & K. These authors simply did not have ready access to the huge data base that we have today and mistakes were made.
I have recently picked up a very good one piece blackened badge to the 7th Welsh, again with the small font. With regard to the 1916 order I have a few photographs of the unit in wartime which shew many of the men wearing both blackened and non-blackened badges in the same photos. As such I can see no evidence to suggest that if this order was produced that all the badges were then blackened.
As stated earlier this block font does not appear on any other period bimetal example, or for that matter the EI variant.
This is one we will have to disagree on and I will not be including any of the block font examples in my collection, other than for reference as what I consider to be a copy.
Hwyl,
Kevin
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