London Irish pipers old badge photographs

[mooke07]

More old badge photographs - London Irish pipers badges - QVC with and without South Africa battle honour scroll - pre-1900 and 1900-1905 and KC post-1905 with scroll.

Would be very nice badges.

Cheers Dean

[Alex Rice]

Maybe these images can be added to the Piper's Badges project if Dean doesn't mind?
Cheers,
Alex

[John Mulcahy]

Dean

What is the source of the images and what information came with them please?

It doubt strongly that the QVC badges are pipers badges.

According to The Pipes and Drums of the London Irish Rifles by George Willis and George P Willis; It was the arrival of Lt-Col Hercules Pakenham as the CO of The London Irish Rifles in Nov 1906 that initiated the formation of the pipes and drums in the regiment.

They give the date of 1906-07 as the formation and 1909 as the date of the first public appearance. It seems odd that a QVC would adorn first badges, indeed the photos of the 1911 King George V coronation parade and that of Pipe Major Albert Stark the first pm in that book show pipers wearing the rifle busby with cord bosses. The image of the pipers at camp in Shorncliff also in 1911 show forage caps in use.

On the, now defunct, UMHS site these designs were captioned as pipers cross belt badges but I don't think any of the many photos in the above book show pipers cross belts with plates on them.

Could these be officer's cross belt plates?

John

[mooke07]

Hi John and Alex,

Happy for them to be used in the pipers section, however, noting John's detailed post they may not be a pipers badge.

The bundle of photographs came to me from a collecting friend in the UK (not a Forum member) who said they came from a collector who sold his extensive collection but photographed them before sale. They were sold in a badge shop long gone that the owner had in Nottingham I think.

The annotations in pencil on the back certainly cannot be taken as definitive identification. Hence why I have chosen to post them for member feedback.

I can see them being Officer's cross belt plates John and hopefully a photograph of them being worn may be found.

Many thanks Dean.

[Noxin]

According to National Archives file WO 32/6497, the badge below (presumably with QVC originally) had been worn on the cross belt since the formation of the regiment in 1859, but it seems that it wasn't until October 1912, that the regiment actually received royal approval to have it made their official badge.

[mooke07]

Good to track the WO record down thanks John - will post other Irish badges shortly.

Cheers Dean