Quote:
Originally Posted by mooke07
Hi all,
A Tiger badge that has me puzzled. It is GM on a short slider with no scroll or title. Measures 48x28mm. Fig 548 in Churchill is close as an unidentified Royal Tiger. Could it be a forage cap badge to the Leicestershire Regiment?
I do like the Tigers.
Assistance appreciated, cheers on Australia Day, Dean
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Well Dean, as you will know it is definitely in the 'form' of a Leicester's Tiger. The slider/vertical shank does not look of a proprietary make to me. The TF battalions did for a period wear the badge without the HINDOOSTAN scroll and just the regimental title scroll, so the plain brass tiger was made in at least two forms, with both one and two scrolls that necessitated a separate tiger to which the white metal scrolls could be added. There was also of course the all brass 'economy' version but I believe that had both scrolls integral to the badge (?).
I think then that there are two possibilities, one is that it was a Mess Waiters badge made up locally in either India or Egypt. Another is that it was an obscure bandsman's pouch badge, but these were usually made with loops so that does not seem so likely. I believe then that the mess waiter is the most likely culprit. Unfortunately these badges, though common, were seldom recorded.