Monmouthshire Yeoamnry 1908-20 cap badge

[Alan O]

A nice set of badges. FE Woodward is a maker mostly seen on WW1 era badges especially on 1916 all brass economies.

This is the Taxicar brass fake.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ARMY-CAP-BADGE...QQcmdZViewItem

This one was on ebay recently MIY all w/m but in 2 parts but the rear is very poorly defined suggesting a restrike on worn dies and the lugs are again on the scroll.

Alan

[Keith Blakeman]

Originally Posted by 41st

Here are my MY badges. All titled on the photos.
All the O.R's are of two piece constuction and the fakes shown at the end are of one piece constuction.
The Officer's could be a converted collar as both blades would appear to be later additions.

Strange tone around the base of the Woodward slider join. Is it a trick of the light making it look like solder?

[Alan O]

I do find it odd that the MIY seem to be found on sliders when most Imperial badges were on lugs as sliders did not come in to use from 1905ish onwards. While there is debate about exactly when things changed over I cannot remember seeing many other IY or VB badges on sliders. Either the MIY were in the vanguard of slider use or they were wearing the old pattern a bit longer than 1908 as Keith suggests.

Alan

[41st]

Originally Posted by Keith Blakeman

Strange tone around the base of the Woodward slider join. Is it a trick of the light making it look like solder?

It is a trick of the flash.
The material is more gold in colour, which I am informed means it contains some elements of metals no longer used on H & S grounds. It is a solid badge with no indication of it having been messed with. As it is all brass it could easily be WW1 period, they did not need to change metals for this pattern after all.

[41st]

Originally Posted by Alan Owen

I do find it odd that the MIY seem to be found on sliders when most Imperial badges were on lugs as sliders did not come in to use from 1905ish onwards. While there is debate about exactly when things changed over I cannot remember seeing many other IY or VB badges on sliders. Either the MIY were in the vanguard of slider use or they were wearing the old pattern a bit longer than 1908 as Keith suggests.

Alan

Alan,
I believe they were quite late in taking up this pattern and the badge shown comes from the manufacturers unissued stock. It was sold to me by one of the most respected authorities on the earlier cap badges and helmet plates and I have no doubts as to it's authenticity.

[Keith Blakeman]

Originally Posted by 41st

Alan,
I believe they were quite late in taking up this pattern and the badge shown comes from the manufacturers unissued stock. It was sold to me by one of the most respected authorities on the earlier cap badges and helmet plates and I have no doubts as to it's authenticity.

I think that you have to put in perspective that the IY were the cavalry arm of the infantry VB's. There is no question that a lot of - and certainly those post Boer War VB's (and RVC's which never took up the VB title) - wore badges with sliders which are probably a result of their sourcing their own suppliers prior to the ACD taking control of things in 1916. I was once told that wire forming, i.e making lugs is a very time consuming process whereas a single stamping and attaching of a slider is not.

[Alan O]

The problem with manufacturers unissued stock is that how do you know that the 1970s Gaunt badges were 'unissued stock' or made from original dies. I have had dealers tell me that Gaunts added Gaunt Bham sliders to old stock and then sold them when they moved from London in the 70s. 'its a genuine badge with a new slider guvnor honest...... ' Fact or fiction? An absolute minefield.

Alan

[Tim GJ]

I live in hope - Uniformology shows the uniforms of the Gloucester Yeomanry with no cap badges apparent.
However old B/W photographs of parades in Monmouthshire show military escorts wearing slouch hats and a badge. (Not 1,2,3 Mons as would easily recognise those).