South Waziristan Scouts

[MarkMcM]

Hello All,

Can anyone confirm date range for this badge type?

[Wmr-RHB]

Oficial end date would be 1956 when Pakistan became a republic.

[MarkMcM]

Thanks.... and a start date?

[Wmr-RHB]

I think the corps started life in 1900.

I have seen images of this badge with an imperial crown. thus that is probably the older one.

Please take care, I am not a badge collector, but I am interested in lineages. Thus I can deliver some dates connected to changes in organisation. Changes of badges are often an offspring of those.

[peter monahan]

Here is an example of the same badge sans crown - From FM Sir John Chapple's collection, now at the NAM - which I suspect was the very earliest version, after their conversion from the S.W. Militia. Whether the Imperial crown came before the King's crown, as I think Henk is suggesting, I don't know.

[Wmr-RHB]

Hi Peter,

You know I am a noob when it is about badges. I always thought that the badge without crown is the one post 1956 (and still used today). Or is both true, that without crown was used very early and again after 1956 (where it then depends on material, make, etc. to decide what it is).

[Wmr-RHB]

This are images I gathered over time. The one from Peter Monahan has the largest horns (beautiful animal).

From left to right:
what I called "imperial crown",
KC,
no crown, but looks earlier then Peter's.

[peter monahan]

In my admittedly brief search for other images of the SWS badge[s], I came across but didn't save one image of the badge with a crescent moon and star on top in place of the crown.

I assume that it represents the modern [Pakistani] version of the badge and that the 'no horns' version is therefore if not the earliest at least an earlier version, with the two [?] crowned examples fitting in between the first [1900 to ??] and the post Partition/Republican type.

But,as I hope I implied in my earleir post, I'm guessing. None of the examples I was able to find had any reliable dating attached and most had no dates attributedf at all. Still a lovely badge, IMO, though.

Peter

[Wmr-RHB]

One with crecent moon and star! That must be modern. I found one immediatly on E-bay.
Such a tiny corps and so many different badges

[Wmr-RHB]

The one Peter shows is from c. 1922 says the NAM.

And this is the modern one in use.

[Khyber]

Photo of what I think is the mess waiter of the South Waziristan Scouts wearing the badge. From the National Geographic Magazine of April 1946.
The caption reads: At a Victory Feast, Wild Honey is served on the Branch: The author found this fort at Jandola deserted. The South Waziristan Scouts had moved out to round up a lot of bad men. They caught the gang hiding in women's clothes. The waiter serves the homecoming officers.

[Wmr-RHB]

With KC!

But I am not sure about the food

[cbuehler]

I too think that get up is for mess waiters only. The Pagri is of a special style.

CB

[Lampwick]

Here's the one I had.

[peter monahan]

Originally Posted by cbuehler

I too think that get up is for mess waiters only. The Pagri is of a special style.

CB

I would agree. For one thing, the Scouts units, like most IA units, had small badges. Particularly true of those who 'pursued the wily Pathan', I think. You wouldn't wear anything that large and shiny on gasht! IMHO.

Peter