Hi
On eBay there is currently listed a WW1 oak-leaf Onward sweetheart Stirling silver collar sized badge (Item no. 191779332977). It is hall marked Birmingham 1915, which give a very good indication that this style of badge was first produced in 1915 or earlier. I contacted the seller who informed me that the badge was 3.25 x 2.25 cm which corresponds to the size of a collar badge.
Could it be that these oak leaf badges were originally produced for NZ volunteers in the UK, initially in collar size and then later extended to normal cap size? Just a thought.
Cheers
John
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