Quote:
Originally Posted by Frank Kelley
That is very interesting, as it does clearly imply that the enamelled badges were the first issued.
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The change from enamelled to plain brass badges was assumed to be purely an economy/cost cutting exercise but the article seems to imply that initially the enamelled version was not issued to 'basic' workers.
From the enamelled badges I have seen (and info I've read) there appears to have been only one issue/series (99,999) all made by Gaunt , so is it possible that these were for managers/foremen ?
The later decision to issue a badge to all (except unskilled) workers would have been costly and would require a cheaper version. This also resulted in the addition of a 'lettering' system with a different letter used for each series (99,999 per letter) and various different manufacturers (13 series made by 8 manufacturers).
There was also a 'silvered'/nickle version made , possibly for managers/foremen when the enamelled version was discontinued.
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