Hackney Volunteer Corps 1914 - British & Commonwealth Military Badge Forum

hertsmil · #1 08-10-11, 06:02 PM

have just purchased a cap badge for the Hackney Volunteer Corps 1914 and i am trying to find more information about this unit.
i am new to collecting mainly first world war London Regiments badges so any help would be great.

Alan O · #2 09-10-11, 03:53 AM

This is one of the VolunteerTraining Corps units that were raised in WW1. They were a sort of a Home Guard initially raised by local assosciations and volunteeers and not part of the War Dept until they were absorbed into the official structures in 1916. They sat outside the Territorial Army and were part time UK only.

That is a very rare and expensive badge.

Keith Blakeman · #3 09-10-11, 08:01 AM

That's a lovely badge and as Alan rightly says rare as hell. A word of warning though, I know of collectors who still have gaps in their London VTC's even after forty years. I collect London and only have a few but you shouldn't have much trouble with the WW1 London Regiments. All have been faked to death but there are good references to genuine items in the albums on here, Orasot for example has an excellent one.

Peter Brydon · #4 09-10-11, 10:47 AM

There were a number of articles on the VTC by John Bodsworth in The Armourer magazine last year although a lot of the information is also in the relevant chapter of his book "British Uniforms and Equipment of the Great War 1914-18- Vol 1, Clothing and Necessaries".

He says the County of London VR raised 21 battalions. Mention has also been made on here before of the "Volunteer Force List " published annually between 1916 and 1919 which lists all the Voluteer units with their locations and officers.

P.B.

Fatherofthree · #5 09-10-11, 02:01 PM

Hi Hertsmil.

What a wonderful badge and a warm welcome to the Forum from another Hertfordshire member.

There's a small group of Herts people on here, one of them being Orasot, (mentioned by Keith), have a look at his album.

Hope you enjoy yourself on here, you'll certainly learn a great deal.

Regards
Brian

Lampwick · #6 09-10-11, 02:45 PM

Lovely badge as has been mentioned. Have you any idea which church it is shown on it?

Graham Stewart · #7 09-10-11, 04:10 PM

C.L.N.G..jpg J.L.London -C.L.N.G..jpg
It tune with the article illustrated a venerable member of the City of London National Guard and a closer look at the capbadge as worn by J.L.London, C.L.N.G.

Peter Brydon · #8 11-10-11, 09:12 AM

Looking for something in the MHS Bulletins, I came across an article By Hugh King in the February 1991 Bulletin entitled " Some Further Notes on Head Dress Badges of the Volunteer Training Corps 1915-18 " and among the badges illustrated is an example of this badge.

P.B.

badjez · #9 11-10-11, 11:55 AM

This badge has the scroll 5th Batt (Hackney) North London Volunteer Regt. It is GM. I've not pictured the rear in order to make it harder to re-strike, but it has twin lugs and a JR Gaunt London square plate.

I've trawled through the Hackney Record Office but found no trace of this unit, and only a little bit on the Hackney VTC. Any additional info welcome.

Stephen
= = =

Hackney Volunteer Corps.
00.10.14. Formed as Hackney Volunteer Corps.
HQ- Kings’ Hall, Hackney Baths.
North Division.
Central Division.
South Division.
04.08.16. Wednesday preceding; New Drill Hall opened in converted shops at 79 Upper
Clapton Rd.
Thursday preceding; amalgamated with Volunteer Athletes as Hackney Volunteers.
Under command of North London Regiment, VTC.
00.00.0?. Retitled (?) as 5 Bn (Hackney) North London Volunteer Regt.

Keith Blakeman · #10 11-10-11, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by badjez

This badge has the scroll 5th Batt (Hackney) North London Volunteer Regt. It is GM. I've not pictured the rear in order to make it harder to re-strike, but it has twin lugs and a JR Gaunt London square plate.

I've trawled through the Hackney Record Office but found no trace of this unit, and only a little bit on the Hackney VTC. Any additional info welcome.

Stephen
= = =

Hackney Volunteer Corps.
00.10.14. Formed as Hackney Volunteer Corps.
HQ- Kings’ Hall, Hackney Baths.
North Division.
Central Division.
South Division.
04.08.16. Wednesday preceding; New Drill Hall opened in converted shops at 79 Upper
Clapton Rd.
Thursday preceding; amalgamated with Volunteer Athletes as Hackney Volunteers.
Under command of North London Regiment, VTC.
00.00.0?. Retitled (?) as 5 Bn (Hackney) North London Volunteer Regt.

An therein lies the pitfalls of collection VTC's ! I never knew this one existed, pretty much like there are two different Wandsworth ones.

Peter Brydon · #11 11-10-11, 12:50 PM

I did not know that Ray Westlake had reprinted The Volunteer Force List 1918 ( 100 copies ) a must I imagine for anyone with an interest in the subject.There is a copy currently for sale on Abebooks.

http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/Bo...2BForce%2BList

It always amuses me when people ask if you have the " complete set " as one of the great things about our hobby is that previously unknown items still turn up on a regular basis.

P.B.

KLR · #12 11-10-11, 12:54 PM

The monument on the badge is the 'St Augustine's Tower'. It is the only part of the 16th century St John's Church, in Hackney Central, which was pulled down in the late 18th century but has rather become a symbol of Hackney. The original clock mechanism still works.
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/rep...x?compid=22711

badjez · #13 11-10-11, 03:11 PM

Currently on ebay is the following
'Merton Morden volunteers cap badge / lapel badge'
Looks like another South London VTC badge that doesn't appear in K&K.

Stephen.

Keith Blakeman · #14 11-10-11, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by badjez

Currently on ebay is the following
'Merton Morden volunteers cap badge / lapel badge'
Looks like another South London VTC badge that doesn't appear in K&K.

Stephen.

That's another branch of VTC collecting. Sometimes no-one is ever aware of a lapel/mufti badges' existence until one turns up for sale somewhere. One close to my heart is the Chelsea Football Club VTC !

I hadn't noticed the Merton one, I bet it fetches a decent price.

NB- Just seen it....£56 with a couple of hours to go.

TWGB · #15 18-10-11, 08:22 AM

Badjez,

What a fantastic badge, one I've never seen before. Very envious!

Rather than a title change, I believe that this was a parallel organisation to the Hackney VTC; it is an Athletes Volunteer Force badge. (Sorry! Misread your chronology; it is the post-amalgamation badge, combining elements from both the original units...)

The Athletes VF was formed initially by footballers, but I suspect had to be more "open" than that. The general AVF badge, the blue oval, is the first badge shown in the VTC chapter in K&K. However, there are a small number of other instances where a more speific badge was struck; Exeter in the headdress badges, Shiply and North Birmingham on the mufti side...

As mentioned, the whole area of VTC has the capacity to spring regular surprises, generally nice ones such as this! The 170 VTC headdress badges I knew of has just gone up to 171 (should it be 172? I was not convinced enough by the Merton & Morden to bid very high, but I'm not sure either way...), and the majority of the 113 VTC mufti badges are for different units. We must put a definitive illustrated catalogue together sometime!

What else does anyone have tucked away that's not in any of the books?

Tim.