Royal Irish Fusiliers Officer Service Dress - RIF OSD

[Kyle]

There seems to be a bit of controversy over the Royal Irish Fusiliers Officer Service Dress badges. My collection has been focused on Boer war, WW1 O/R, and bronze OSD badges, and I have sought to acquire a set to each of the pre-1922 regular Irish regiments. When posting for wanted badges, it has been suggested on numerous occasions that the RIF did not wear a bronze OSD cap badge. Due to given evidence, of period photographs only showing officers wearing silver and gilt badges - and my own fruitless search for any existent examples - I accepted that RIF bronze OSD badges did not exist. However, whilst rummaging through a box of badges at a militaria fair this weekend, I made a startling discovery. Whilst moving aside shoulder titles and staybrites in a box of fairly common Irish badges, I chanced upon a bronze coronet which had blades protruding from the back. My belief had been challenged and I immediately began searching for the matching grenade. After moving around several badges with my fingers, I found a small, round, bronze badge with blades on the back. Turning over the bladed badge revealed a grenade with an eagle in the middle. I reunited the two pieces in my hand, and stared at them in disbelief. After regaining composure, I calmly asked the price, and paid the modest fee. On the way home, I thought about what I had in my pocket and smiled from ear to ear, knowing I had obtained something which I had given up on acquiring for my collection.

[manchesters]

Well done Kyle.

Never say never.

regards

[billy]

Kyle have uploaded an image I have previously put into a thread, Bronze R.I.F. Badge adapted for picture mounted above what was once on the C.O.s desk? or maybe not?

As you can see a Bronze badge (no visible removal of Lugs) but a “D” shaped pin which fits a shaped fitment to top of Frame, on which sits a very Cheap cardboard print of the Rgt. Picture tell it all!

Am not sure when I originally posted this but was quite a few years back, am missing the Bronze Coronet so if you come across another and also an Economy plastic Coronet I would be made up!

All the best Billy

[John Mulcahy]

Kyle,

thanks for posting. What the Great War photos of officers seem to tell us is that (for whatever reason) non-bronzed badges in OSD seem to have been the practice during the war. There is certainly good reason to believe that bronzed badges are real. The R.I.F. is not a core focus of my interests but in passing I have come across,

1) The 1906 officers sealed pattern card
2) The 1938 officers sealed Pattern card

both of these show a bronzed fused grenade as the approved service dress collar badge (but it is not with a coronet). So your finding of a bronzed coronet is interesting because the 1902, 1904 and 1911 DRs all state that the approved badge for service dress is "on the collar in bronze" ... "As for forage cap, 2nd badge". "On the cap in bronze" ... "as for forage cap, 2nd badge"

So according to regulations (and the sealed pattern cards) one might expect to find perfectly genuine bronzed grenades but not bronzed coronets.

It would be fascinating to study period photographs from 1902-1914 to see the evolution of practices in the regiment. I have done this is some detail for the Royal Munster Fusiliers and there are some interesting patterns. not just the changes from the original 1902 collar badge to a smaller (non regulation) gilt version but even practices that seem unique to battalions.

I do not have permissions to post my images of the pattern cards in public, but I will catch up with you off-line on the matter.

John

[irishhorse]

Have a bronze collar, not seen a bronze coronet before.