Leicestershire Volunteer Rifles

[mooke07]

Hi all,

Another early badge to my Leicestershire Regiment collection. Leicestershire Volunteer Rifles bladed bronze badge. The greyhound depicted is discussed in Churchills book on Collar badges.

Westlakes "Directory of Rifle Volunteers" published by the MHS shows them formed in 1859 and then 1st to 10th LVR merging as companies of the 1st Admin Battalion, Leicestershire VR in 1880.

The badge measures 31x30mm.

A good topic for further research, cheers Dean.

[TWGB]

Dean,

To be confirmed / corrected as necessary, but I've always thought that this badge was for the Leicestershire Volunteer Regiment, a Volunteer Training Corps formed during the 1914-18 war.

Away from home at the moment, so no reference material to immediately support this, but hopefully someone else will chip in...

Best regards,
Tim

[GriffMJ]

See "Brittons to Arms!, the story of a Volunteer Soldier" by Glenn A Steppler.
ISBN: 0 7509 0057 1

Appendices 163, Appendix 5:- Leicestershire and Rutland Volunteer Force, February 1917.

The whole book is about the Leicestershire & Rutland Volunteers.... I have had this bible since 1993

[mooke07]

Thanks Tim and Griff - did wonder about the bladed fitting on a pre 1900 badge and Volunteer Regiment fits better - am in US at present but maybe some kind member could put me out of my misery and find it in K&K who have a fiar chapter on VTC of WW1. Will correct in album as a temporary measure.

Cheers Dean.

[Fatherofthree]

Hi Dean.
Not spoken for a while, hope all is well.

This looks to be a great badge, just my tuppenceworth of natural history observation though.

I believe the canine at the top of the badge is in fact a Fox, not a Greyhound., (the tail is a clue)

Must have a chat soon, re a badge you have.

Regards
Brian

[mooke07]

Yes thanks Brian and a fox it is. I was confusing a reference and pic in Churchill about Leicestershire Volunteer Rifles collar that had greyhound and the badge I had totally wrong as is actually a Leicestershire Volunteer Regiment of the WW1 VTC and so is a different animal - I should be ashamed with a biology PhD to have missed it having a foxes tail.

Happy to hear from you on Durham's badge - no new additions there sadly, cheers Dean.

[TWGB]

Dean,

It's not in K&K, I'm afraid. There are only 100 VTC badges in K&K, and another 30 or so in a follow up article HK wrote for the MHS Bulletin, but there are probably more than 200 VTC heaqddress badges known today - including yours.

Oh, and another 200+ mufti badges, with less than 50% overlap with the headdress badges...

Best regards,
Tim

[mooke07]

Thanks Tim - a daunting area and will only add VTC with family regiment county associations - pleased in a way not in K&K as would be quite a slip not to have recognised it - still should have thought about it before made the Volunteer Rifles call, cheers Dean.

PS do you have Durham and Lincolns VTC badges - be nice to see pic - think again Durham VTC in K&K?

[GriffMJ]

The running fox or "Legging it Charlie" is the County crest

[mooke07]

Thanks Griff,

Were the VTC regimentally associated ?

Cheers Dean

[GriffMJ]

Only by the fact they were a Leicestershire Volunteer force...

[Peter Brydon]

A lot of the VTC`s eventually became Volunteer Battalions of the Line Infantry regiments.

For example the 1st,2nd and 3rd battalions, Liverpool Volunteer Regiment ( which included the City of Liverpool Volunteer Guard ) merged into the Lancashire Volunteer Regiment on 21st August 1916.

On 1st July 1918 they were redesignated Volunteer Battalions of the Kings Liverpools.

P.B.

[TWGB]

Dean,

Sorry to disappoint, but both Durham and Lincoln are gaps in my collection so no pictures. As you know, they are both "general pattern" badges, with only the scroll underneath differentiating them...

Would also be happy to see a picture, if anyone can oblige?

Best regards,
Tim

[Graham Stewart]

Hinckley V.T.C..jpg

A member of Hinkley V.T.C., Leicestershire and his three Territorial Cadet sons.

As Tim sadly points out, we're left in the dark as to just how many VTC badges actually existed. I have quite a few V.T.C. photo's where the unit is only identified by the photographers mark, simply because the badge worn is totally unidentified in any of the usual sources.

Very few of their records appear to have survived, most seemingly destroyed, even though they were administered by County T.F.A.'s on becoming the Volunteer Force in 1916.

[mooke07]

What a wonderful photo Graham, many thanks for sharing. A VTC unit I had no awareness of. A fascinating area of study.

I look forward to learning more of them and yes what a pity the records did not survive, cheers Dean.