Dean, I've been thinking about this for a while too. From what I've read in the WO records etc I think we use the term pagri erroneously. Most of these badges were specifically sealed for the 'Foreign Service Helmet' (FSH)and the 'Universal Service Headdress' (=slouch hat). Both these items did indeed have pagris wrapped around them (there are even regulations about the number of folds - 7 I think).
I've still got to get to grips with "ordinary" badges - though I can tell you that most of what we call cap badges that originally appeared in the 1890s were specifically sealed for the "Field Service Cap" (and later the Forage (ie peaked) cap) and the FSH.
The other thing I do know again from official records is that the HPCs with sliders were specifically sealed for the slouch - and there were metal sockets made specially for them SO in fact the notion that these (at least) were for inserting into the folds of the pagri is wrong.
Finally, there are the usual regimental quirks - for example, lots of old photographs show that the KLR wore what looks like a cap badge on the front of their helmets above the pagri ! (long shanks would be irrelevant here but I wonder if they had long lugs ??!!)
Julian
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