5th Battalion York and Lancaster mess dress collar badge - British & Commonwealth Military Badge Forum

mooke07 · #1 28-02-16, 06:15 AM

Hi all,

Staying on my recent York and Lancaster theme I was pleased to add this one to my collection. It is the half sized mess dress unofficial collar badge to the 5th Battalion Y&L as described in Ivan Machin's excellent reference book 'A Guide to the Badges of The York and Lancaster Regiment 1882-1968", Figure 114 on page 90. Worn 1920-1927 and incorrectly attributed to the 1st Battalion Y&L CO in Churchill's collar badge book (Figure 1607).

Cheers Dean

badger123 · #2 28-02-16, 08:45 AM

Very nice Dean, not too many of these around.

You are quite right about the details in Churchill's book. The attribution came from, as I understand, a northern dealer who has form for making things up.

It never ceases to amaze me that in our hobby, if something is not known about, there always seems to be someone willing to put 2 and 2 together to make 5 and before you know it, that incorrect piece of information becomes the gospel.

(A good example of incorrect information portrayed in a book that becomes the 'gospel' is the information about the number of WW1 economy badges in Gaylor's book. How long did it take for that information to be disproved once it became set in stone)?

It didn't take me long to work through the Y&L archive to find out the real details and I'm glad that based on archival material I've been able to correct a long standing misinterpretation.

Here's the normal size collar badge compared to the smaller 5th Battalion badge.

Ivan

mooke07 · #3 28-02-16, 09:13 AM

Thanks very much Ivan,

Your research has done our hobby a great service, it is a very nice little badge.

Cheers Dean

AndyC_65 · #4 29-02-16, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mooke07

Thanks very much Ivan,

Your research has done our hobby a great service, it is a very nice little badge.

Cheers Dean

Here, here!!

Andy

badger123 · #5 29-02-16, 04:16 PM

Tigerlily · #6 04-03-16, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by badger123

Ivan was having a bit of a tidy up of my tigers last night and was using your book, it is brilliant, I completely echo Dean's comments.

I was working away late into the night, getting a bit tired, starting to see tigers everywhere and was getting quite annoyed at a couple of collars I couldn't find in your book. I had them correctly labeled in my hand(ignoring the label), a picture of them on my laptop in front of me, again correctly described(ignoring the description) but still couldn't find them in your book. They were Gordon Highlanders

Then I went to bed

badger123 · #7 04-03-16, 07:52 PM

Looks to me like you are suffering from Tigeritis!

One of the best ways to tell the difference is to look at the front paw. On the York and Lancs Tiger, the front paw curls up.

With the Gordon Highlanders Tiger, the front paw curls down (in a camp Larry Grayson sort of way)!

The ground is a good give away too. If its flat with almost no vegetation, its Gordon Highlanders.

If its got clumps of grass or curved ground, its York and Lancaster.

Can you tell which is which from these pictures?

Ivan

Remember, A Tiger does not have to boast that it is a Tiger. (old proverb)