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  #1  
Old 20-11-22, 04:29 PM
thursdaychris thursdaychris is offline
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Default Royal Berkshire Boss Badges.

Hello Chaps, The KC Infantry Officer's cap badge collection is growing steadily, although it certainly does seem that there's still a long way to go, however, I thought that I might show all of you fine fellows how far I've got, up to now.

The latest thing exercising my few remaining brain cells are R. Berks boss badges, according to K&K there are two slightly different forage cap badges with the gilt central device (pre and post, circa, 1920) The badge that I have with a very faded scarlet-cord boss seems a bit different to either of these.

Searching reveals numerous differences with these badges, unpierced gilt circlets and R.Berks tablets, for instance, there must have been quite a few makers variations, and at the moment I'm thinking that as long as I've got a gilt device on a scarlet boss and a bronze device on a khaki boss, everything should be fine.
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Last edited by thursdaychris; 20-11-22 at 06:27 PM.
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  #2  
Old 20-11-22, 04:41 PM
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Mike H Mike H is offline
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It was my belief that the red cord boss for the dress cap had a gilt central device and the buff coloured boss for the service dress cap a bronze device with a red backing.
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  #3  
Old 21-11-22, 01:49 AM
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In my understanding, the bronze and buff boss badge was the earlier (WW1 era) badge for officer service dress, and the scarlet boss came about sometime in the inter war period for officer service dress.

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  #4  
Old 21-11-22, 11:40 AM
thursdaychris thursdaychris is offline
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Hello BC, According to K&K the scarlet-cord boss was worn on the Forage-cap before and after 1920, what did change and has confused me a little, is the gilt central device.

The Service-dress cap badge is described as for Forage-cap, but on a khaki-cord boss and with a scarlet-cloth patch behind the central device, there is actually no mention of bronze, or the two versions being worn at the same time.
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  #5  
Old 21-11-22, 06:33 PM
Neil s Neil s is offline
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Don't know if this helps but these are mine the three R Berks have a Buff boss with red badge backing the earlier Berks a red boss
IMG_20221121_175018.jpgIMG_20221121_175049.jpgIMG_20221121_175121.jpgIMG_20221121_175147.jpgIMG_20221121_175216.jpg
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  #6  
Old 21-11-22, 08:28 PM
thursdaychris thursdaychris is offline
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Aha! the waters only getting murkier, Neil, your badge #4 is I think, the first KC badge described in K&K that was worn up to circa 1920, this then changed to one similar to your badge #1 only in gilt and on a scarlet boss, it had Ps before Charlotte and R.BERKS under the Dragon.

Your badge #5, I'm thinking is, perhaps, QC (K&K 1962) rather than the QVC, which it looks like, and if so, it should really have R.BERKS under the Dragon. There does just seem to be so many variations, and taking K&K as gospel, is probably a mistake. I'm thinking now that if I can find two different gilt devices on scarlet bosses, and two different bronze ones on khaki bosses, I will have these things pretty well covered.

Last edited by thursdaychris; 22-11-22 at 01:33 PM.
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  #7  
Old 21-11-22, 09:38 PM
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No5 isnt a QC, i have a gilt QC boss. Theres writing under the dragon and the "s" isnt there. Image to follow.
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  #8  
Old 22-11-22, 09:16 AM
thursdaychris thursdaychris is offline
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I've found an image of a QC boss, I guess Neils badge must be QVC after all, although I've seen no mention of a QVC boss, so far, this doesn't really matter though, as my collection is KC only at the present time.

I'm getting into these boss badges a bit, I'm starting to wonder how many regiments had them. When I've got the R.Berks sorted, I've attached a couple of pics of what I think I'll be searching for next.
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  #9  
Old 22-11-22, 11:36 AM
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Same as mine mate.
The R.Ulster rifles ones appear for sale regularly.
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  #10  
Old 22-11-22, 06:26 PM
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I think the all scarlet boss badges were worn on coloured headdress other than khaki service dress caps.

There was a period when most non Scottish infantry regiments that had adopted the Austrian pattern folding field service cap when it superseded the Torin in the 1890s, favoured initially a boss type badge on the front, sometimes with an additional badge on the side. Subsequently the boss badges were discontinued by most around the turn of the century, but retained by Rifles units and the Royal Berkshires. In some cases they were worn by the battalion but not by the battalion on the Home establishment. It was quite a short lived usage, interrupted in part by the 2nd Anglo/Boer War. Surviving examples can be seen in some regimental museums, but images of them in use are quite rare, largely because they were worn with day-to-day undress.

Last edited by Toby Purcell; 22-11-22 at 06:46 PM.
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  #11  
Old 22-11-22, 07:28 PM
Neil s Neil s is offline
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some others I have acquired
IMG_20221122_190759.jpgIMG_20221122_190707.jpgIMG_20221122_190731.jpgIMG_20221122_190646.jpg
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  #12  
Old 22-11-22, 07:32 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Neil s View Post
Very nice Neil,i have the QVR QC No4,id like to get the QC version of No2 the QVR cross.
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  #13  
Old 22-11-22, 09:02 PM
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Quote:
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Very nice. All are rifles, it’s the other line regiments that are more rare.
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Old 23-11-22, 12:53 PM
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Here is Gloucestershire Regiment example.
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  #15  
Old 23-11-22, 01:17 PM
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Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment).
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