Quote:
Originally Posted by Toby Purcell
At first the two Household Cavalry regiments (then the Life Guards and the Royal Horse Guards) did not wear a cap badge at all on the coloured forage cap when it was first introduced c1900, in part because they had worn both, a pillbox cap and a forage cap without insignia for so long, and did not wish to follow the same practice as the line cavalry (even the NCOs had previously worn just a crown on pillbox caps based upon their arm badge).
Before the original HCR was formed the two regiments wore individual cap badges on coloured forage caps, although they were very similar, but simply with different titles on the badge's circlet. Separate and beautifully enameled cap badges were introduced comprising a simple circlet with title, surmounted by a crown, and with the Royal cypher at its centre. When the 1st and 2nd LG merged their badge simply replaced 'first' and 'second' with 'The'.
When a cap badge was chosen to be worn by the original HCR, it was a generic enameled badge, based on a garter strap, and worn by both regiments on that particular cap. It remains to be the case today, but just with the Blues and Royals replacing the RHG within the duo.
I enclose an image of a pre-1953 version of HCR cap and insignia, and you can see that apart from the Sovereign's cypher at the centre of the cap badge, it is the same pattern as today.
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Just to be clear all those enamelled badges are fakes sold by Wharton Militaria. They’re not nice especially when compared to a genuine piece.
Despite what KK says I have never seen a 1LG or 2LG in gilt and enamelled that I consider genuine. Personally I doubt they exist but would love to be proved wrong.
The GvR badges are all from the common fake die à la Martin Marsh catalogues but had a bit more time and effort invested to void the annealed ‘v’ and of course add enamel. Always beware of Spiderman enamel!
The EviiiR badge is also straight from the MM repro catalogue and in my belief does not exist either. I have seen a genuine gilded The Life Guards EviiiR badge but it looks nothing like that, there is no laurel spray at 6 o’clock rather a dot.
As to the EiiR Household Cavalry, the Elizabethan die is no doubt still extant and in use. The one for sale on Bosley’s regimentalbadges.com site has a Gaunt London slider (unusually) but does appear to have some age to it. I think we can be certain the Wharton one given its appearance was made at the same time as the other repros and for the collectors market rather than the regiment.
This GvR Household Cavalry badge is genuine. The difference is quality and finish is very striking.