Hi Kevin,
I’m very confident those same plumes (tall central cross and all) are found on Cheshire Yeomanry and Pembroke Yeomanry badges regarded as genuine. Both illustrated in Wilkinson’s first 1969 edition book and the latter I believe also in Gaylor.
None of the above, POW plumes or various scrolls, shows any of the signs of modern (repro) design or modern manufacture.
What’s more there is clear commonality with sliders, which appear period, and nothing to suggest a particular batch is potentially a later restrike. No dodgy MM’s etc. therefore either I believe these must logically be all be genuine or all fakes.
If the latter and they’re a cohort of fakes then they would be amongst the earliest know (late 1960s) with the dies seemingly not used much after, certainly not into modernity. They also fooled Wilkinson and Gaylor amongst a great many other respected collectors. I think all things considered plus date this scenario is highly unlikely.
Rather I suspect like the ‘flat’ POW feathers most often associated with the Denbigh Hussars, we have a manufacturer producing a range of badges from the plumes found in differing frequencies.
Lastly I recall not so long ago all single piece Montgomeryshire Yeomanry badges being deemed faked. Since then I’ve found 3 portrait photographs which from void shapes and ratios are clear to me that they’re the type pictured in KK and Gaylor.
In a similar vein, I’m now of the belief the block letter Welsh Regiment badges in both BM and BB are genuine.
Diolch,
Luke
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