Hello all
I've been collecting Northumberland Fusiliers/Royal Northumberland Fusiliers badges and insignia for a couple of years now, and wanted to get a Fusilier 'Brigade' cap badge to go with my collection, not just make do with a Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, and so started my study.
Thanks to a couple of forum members and page 2 of this thread,
https://www.britishbadgeforum.com/fo...Brigade&page=2
I have come to my conclusions.
As seen on a few posts now, it's fact that the Fusilier Brigade badges were the wire loop fittings, as apposed to the flat half inch prongs that you see on the RRF badges, the wire loop Brigade badges would have obviously been worn by the RRF on formation, and well into probably the 80's, whatever the stores have to issue, but they would have started as 'Brigade' cap Badges and originally issued to stores as such.
I've three versions, please see photos attached.
The first badge is the Same pattern/strike as Mojob123's post on the above thread, he actually got his from a Fusilier in Aden 66/67.
Note the bottom left flame is a lot shorter than average, and the tips of the left 3 flames from the centre are more spikey than the others, on the back there is less definition to the flames, and the rivet hole has a raised circle,the bottom flames are solid and not carved out like other Fusiliers badges.
Also the ball of the grenade is a bit more bulbus as it were, so the St George and Dragon part is pushed out more. I found this badge out of all of them the hardest to find.
Badge two, this is the same pattern/strike of the one in Denis Woods book, The 5th Fusiliers and it's badges (still available on the Quartermasters site),
This has a slightly longer bottom left flame, and the top left 3 flames from the centre are less spiked and merge more into one another, on the back, more definition on the flames, and the bottom flames have a groove.
Third badge has a totally different flame shape, especially the length of the bottom left flame, on the back, a little less definition on the flames, and the wire loops are thinner than the other two.
If anyone has any different patterns/strikes I'd love to see them please.
It is believed that the flat half inch prongs came out just with the RRF badges, I've made a discovery while searching online, of a sealed pattern card for a Fusilier Brigade cap badge dated 16/9/66, this badge has the half inch prongs fittings,the cap badge itself is the same pattern/strike as the first badge in this thread.
On the back of the card is various badge makers with dates on them going into the 80's that's interesting, so there is a half inch prong Fusilier Brigade cap badge out there too, which I want to get my hands on, but I did find this pattern of badge the hardest to find!
The badge is on this site,
https://www.thelanesarmoury.co.uk/shop.php?ps=1
just type Fusilier Brigade in the search. I don't want to put the photos on here just incase of copyright.
I hope people find this thread of some interest.
Thank you
Chris