1st, 8th, 15th and 16th Punjab Rgt. cap badges

[loupie1961]

As I have previously stated, I have started a new addition, i.e. to Indian cap badges... still I do not know very much about them, and I can't really say whether the following 1st, 8th, 15th and 16th Punjab Regiment cap badges are to be regarded as original items or copies.... what do you think about them? thank you in advance and all the best!

[loupie1961]

cap badges for the 15th Punjab Rgt and 16th Punjab Rgt.

[fearnaught]

Hi, the joys of collecting Indian and Pakistani badges, some of the crapiest looking badges are right and some really crisp detailed badge was made yesterday and both could be bought in the market and worn. Oh what joys. Some years ago a british dealer would send good examples of Indian badges to a manufacturer in Pakistan, who would then make perfect copies of them for sale to collectors and members of the Indian army as they were better than the issue ones, so he would say. Enjoy. mike

[peter monahan]

Sadly, Faernaught is right! The 8th & 15th are more likely to be issue badges because the bazaar wallahs rarely bother to do proper brass loops. On the other hand, the thin, straight lugs on the other two, typical of 'sand cast' aka 'bazaar made' doesn't mean they are not genuine, as many of the issue badges are, to be diplomatic, of 'poor quality'.

Ya pays yer monay and ya takes yer chance!

My two annas worth.
Peter

[Wmr-RHB]

Having been on holiday I come a bit late, but I have a question about the 15th Punjab Regiment badge.

I have seen drawings of a different 15th Punjab Regiment badge (in Guido Rossignoli's Army Badges and Insignia of World War 2) and also found photographs of the same badge on the internet. This badge does not have the star, but it has a ring inside the wreath with the crescent interlacing with that ring in it's upper half.
(BTW, without the wreath and scrolls this is the badge of the pre 1922 28th Punjabis, which became the 4th Bn of the 15th).

Now the next is pure assumption by me:
The crescent represents the Punjabi Moslems in the regiment.
The ring is the quoit of the Sikhs in the Regiment.
After partition there would be no more Sikhs in the regiment and it looks logical to me that the badge was changed to the one shown above.
This would mean that the badge above is a post partition one until 1956 when Pakistan left the Commonwealth. But as in the same year the 15th merged into the new Punjab Regiment, no badge without a crown will have been made. (And I guess that a QC one after 1953 was not real a priority).

Can anybody confirm that I am talking the utmost nonsense above. Or shed any other light upon it?

[peter monahan]

Henk

I suspect you're right. The star is frequently used in Pakistani military heraldry too, so a logical switch [quoit to star]. Well done, that man!

[Wmr-RHB]

Originally Posted by peter monahan

Henk

I suspect you're right. The star is frequently used in Pakistani military heraldry too, so a logical switch [quoit to star]. Well done, that man!

Thanks to let me know you see logic in my strain of thoughts.

Yes, the star within or above the crescent is returning many times in modern Pakistan badges (four out of the six infantry regiments have it). And it is in their flag. And it is a national emblem. And it replaces the crown in their British style badges of rank.

[Wmr-RHB]

Then the usage of cap badges would be something along these lines: 15th Punjab Regiment