['Ticker' Riley]

Hello Julian

Many thanks indeed for posting up what you have on the directive in WO 359/10, about volunteer battalions being allowed to wear the same badges as the regulars of their parent regiment but without any honours. Just so we’re clear, I do note that when it talks about “the Territorial Badges” this means those of the regular line infantry regiments, as opposed to the later Territorial Force that succeeded the volunteers in 1908. Anyhow, even though what you have might not be a verbatim transcript, it does seem to confirm that before this date the volunteers shouldn’t have had badges like the regulars, or at least such badges weren’t officially sanctioned. As I’ve said this does seem to fit for the 1st Vol. Battn of the Leicesters, and with what Churchill says about them only adopting the tiger cap badge of the regular battalions in 1902. Whether this situation was the same for other regiments I obviously can’t say, but I’m sure this would warrant further investigation.

As to the 1905 granting of honours, I did make a posting here about this in specific relation to the Leicestershire 1st Vol. Battn, but I don’t have anything in the way of official documentation in this respect. Regarding the 1906 adoption of Service Dress by the volunteers, Steppler references minutes of the Finance Committee of 1st Vol. Battn, and whilst I haven’t looked at these myself I’m sure it is correct. Consequently if they didn’t official take Service Dress into wear till 1906, it does make sense that they didn’t have any OSD badges until then either. Anyway, thank you again for posting up what you have on the directive of 22nd May 1901, which is greatly appreciated.

Best regards

Martin