Due to other collecting habits I am a bit of a late starter when it comes to NZ Reinforcement badges, and the following triple fern badge picture is literally the very first NZ Reinforcement badge that I collected. (At the time it was my 2nd most expensive badge purchase)
Geoffrey Lowe’s badge book was “compiled from photographic evidence of the badges having been worn on actual uniforms, - rather than from badges existing in individual collections.”
Unfortunately Lowe’s book does not include a picture of a ‘triple fern badge’ being worn, and has only dedicated one short paragraph describing the (Type No. 1) triple fern badge.
Fortunately for us speculators of brass metals, photographic evidence of a triple fern hat badge was discovered and commented on by fellow forum member Pukman on the 16th November 2009.
The picture shows Trooper Robert Scott from Longridge in Southland, who embarked with the Otago Mounted Rifles 6th reinforcements on the 14th August 1915.
Trooper Scott was the first piece of the puzzle, and with focus drawn on the 6th and 7th Reinforcements, more triple fern photograhs were uncovered, adding enough evidence to make a reasonable speculation that the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Reinforcements triple fern badges were simply modified excess badges (As first worn by the 6th and 7th Reinforcements) that were purposely altered for the collectors market.
In all, there appears to be 4 variations/patterns of triple fern badges, my own 1st Reinforcements triple fern badge rates as a 3rd Pattern- made for the collectors market.
The following triple fern badge from Tintos collection, rates as a 1st Pattern badge – and was worn by men of the 6th and 7th Reinforcements.
On the back of the badge is the letters “C.B” for C. M. Bay of Willis Street, who was the manufacturer of this badge.
The second and most important piece of the puzzle is the collection of NZ Reinforcement badges featured on page 17 of the book Historic Trentham, which was written by Will Lawson (New Zealands leading poet at the time) and printed by the Wellington Publishing company. (First edition was released on the 1st September 1917)
The collection of NZ Reinforcement badges (page 17) is credited to Mr Elden S. Neill and appears to have been photographed around May 1917.
In order to successfully analyse the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Reinforcements triple fern badges, as well as other early reinforcement badges that are displayed in the collection credited to Mr Elden S. Neill, we need to understand who Elden S. Neill is?
This brings us full circle to our two first Trentham Camp jewellers, Horace William Lloyd and Arnold Ashworth Binns, who were undoubtedly the two of the main players when it came to NZ Reinforcement badges.
As mentioned earlier Horace William Lloyd was the Michael Hill Jeweller of his day, that is, he would open a store, stock it with fine jewellery, and employ a suitably qualified manager to run it for him.
To manage his shop at Trentham Camp Horace Lloyd employed Mr E. Looser, who before moving to New Zealand, had done his apprenticeship (about six years) as a watchmaker in London, and then gained further experience in leading watchmaking houses in Europe, particularly in Lucerne (Switzerland) and then in Nice (France).
Arnold Ashworth Binns also employed a manager to run his shop at Trentham Camp.
Arnold Binns employed Elden S. Neill as his manager.