More Munster.

[thursdaychris]

Hello Chaps,

A rather nice Munster OSD Bronze cap badge came my way the other day, and as I'm not having much luck elsewhere, I thought that I might see what other Munster stuff I could find. Firstly, I replaced the collar badge that I had in my display with this latest OSD, and then sought some collar badge companions and shoulder titles, etc

I just have the two ORs cap badges, so far, I've tried my best to avoid any fat tigers, and I'm now looking for a 1916 brass economy version that isn't going to cost me £199.99, like the last one shown!

[Alan O]

I would expect to find one for £40-60 at most.

[cbuehler]

Those are some very nice OR collar badges there. Indeed, 200 Quid for an economy RMF is absurd!

CB

[Luke H]

Originally Posted by Alan O

I would expect to find one for £40-60 at most.

I think you’d be very lucky to find or win one sub-£60.

On a dealers list expect to pay £60-80. They don’t surface very often.

When the £199.99 badge was first listed a couple years ago I contacted the seller to ask if the decimal point was in the wrong place.

[thursdaychris]

Many thanks for all your thoughts, chaps, I'm quite sure that a nice RMF economy badge will be coming my way before too much longer, in the meantime, there are a few more CBs to search for. There are the officers versions, with silver tigers, as posted by Mark (MH331) many moons ago, and there are also the smaller versions as shown by John Mulcahy in the same thread (well loved, those!) I expect that I'll somehow be able to find room for a pair of OSD collars, as well, the pair shown below also from Mark (MH331)

[Toby Purcell]

Super collection Chris. You seem to be missing a pair of the mock bullion metal collars that all the fusilier regiments used at one point. Perhaps they were not adopted by the regiment (I cannot find them in Churchill). If so they were the only fusilier regiment not to do so.

Here’s a photo also of an RMF corps of drum’s, including at least one enlisted boy seated front right, giving a good impression of how collar badges for ORs were favoured by the regiment at a time when they were not sanctioned as a free issue for service dress.

[thursdaychris]

Many thanks, Toby, I haven't come across any of the bullion badges, as yet, but they were worn by the RMF, Peter Brydon posted the following, some years ago.

[Toby Purcell]

Originally Posted by thursdaychris

Many thanks, Toby, I haven't come across any of the bullion badges, as yet, but they were worn by the RMF, Peter Brydon posted the following, some years ago.

Yes I understand Chris but the one I was referring to was ‘mock bullion’, meaning it was metal designed to look like bullion. The majority of the fusilier regiments had a version of this (very similar looking) but it seems that the RMF perhaps did not.

[thursdaychris]

Oh, I see, "mock" bullion, I wasn't really on the same page with you there, Toby, I guess by that it means CBs that are like these RWF examples?

[Toby Purcell]

Originally Posted by thursdaychris

Oh, I see, "mock" bullion, I wasn't really on the same page with you there, Toby, I guess by that it means CBs that are like these RWF examples?

Yes, exactly those Chris. I always thought getting a full set of the fusiliers would make a nice display, but as mentioned it doesn’t appear as if RMF or RDF had them. As they were the only two that didn’t I pondered whether it might be a deliberate differential because they had come from the HEIC, but that doesn’t seem likely.

[cbuehler]

Originally Posted by Toby Purcell

Super collection Chris. You seem to be missing a pair of the mock bullion metal collars that all the fusilier regiments used at one point. Perhaps they were not adopted by the regiment (I cannot find them in Churchill). If so they were the only fusilier regiment not to do so.

Here’s a photo also of an RMF corps of drum’s, including at least one enlisted boy seated front right, giving a good impression of how collar badges for ORs were favoured by the regiment at a time when they were not sanctioned as a free issue for service dress.

I presume the collar badges worn in this photo are the standard blank grenade shoulder title type?

CB

[John Mulcahy]

Here is some extracts (on officers collar badges) from material I put together for the of the Bengal Tiger, the journal of the Royal Munster Fusiliers Association several years ago. Could probably do with updating and the attached images may not be the sharpest as I just took some screen grabs.

I should add a few things

* The "mock bullion" exists for the regiment but is very scarce and having looked at hundreds of photos there is not much evidence it was worn
* There is great variety in designs worn by officers in service dress and undress in the 1880's and 1890's very little uniformity 'till about late 1890's. And there is a definate difference in the undress collar badges worn by 1 & 2 bn where they seem to have continued to wear 101 Rgt and 104 rgt badges as long as they could
* In OSD there are also some clear practices from 1914 onwards. 3 & 4 Bn officers generally wore the large bronzed regulation collar badges (you see it in period photo analysis and its also mentioned in the 2nd Bn 1920 questionnaire return) while most other bns wore small silver and gilt.

John

[John Mulcahy]

Other ranks collar badges are a far simpler topic...

[Toby Purcell]

Originally Posted by John Mulcahy

Here is some extracts (on officers collar badges) from material I put together for the of the Bengal Tiger, the journal of the Royal Munster Fusiliers Association several years ago. Could probably do with updating and the attached images may not be the sharpest as I just took some screen grabs.

I should add a few things

* The "mock bullion" exists for the regiment but is very scarce and having looked at hundreds of photos there is not much evidence it was worn
* There is great variety in designs worn by officers in service dress and undress in the 1880's and 1890's very little uniformity 'till about late 1890's. And there is a definate difference in the undress collar badges worn by 1 & 2 bn where they seem to have continued to wear 101 Rgt and 104 rgt badges as long as they could
* In OSD there are also some clear practices from 1914 onwards. 3 & 4 Bn officers generally wore the large bronzed regulation collar badges (you see it in period photo analysis and its also mentioned in the 2nd Bn 1929 questionnaire return) while most other bns wore small silver and gilt.

John

Thank you John, that all makes sense and I can recall us communicating on this subject well over a decade ago. I’m relieved to get your confirmation that the mock bullion did exist for the RMF as I did think that I’d once seen one whereas I can find no images now. The Google search has declined markedly and although Bing seems better for insignia I couldn’t find one there either.

[Toby Purcell]

Originally Posted by cbuehler

I presume the collar badges worn in this photo are the standard blank grenade shoulder title type?

CB

Yes I had believed that to be so, although the flames seem more symmetrically pointed than usual.