Kitchener's Army Pals Battalion Article from 1942

[Alan O]

https://www.britishbadgeforum.com/fo...hp?albumid=556

Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research, Vol. 21, No. 83 (AUTUMN, 1942), pp. 124-128

I have uploaded a copy of an article on pals insignia from 1942 Edition. It does have a few errors in it such as the RF Jewish Bns badge (actually post war by the successor Judean Bn) and the Tyneside Irish and the Cardiff pals mis-id as a cap rather than a collar badge. Because it was published only 20 years after the event there were a number of letters which resulted in a second article by the author correcting some (but not all) of his errors using this information in 1954. Unfortunately by 1954 someone had given him the post war Frontiersman badge in gilt and enamel which was then mistakenly attributed to the 25th Fusiliers!

Unfortunately neither K&K nor Gaylor used this revised version and the mis-identification were published in their books in the 1970s.

If any one need s a better copy then pm me with your email and I will email the PDFs.

[leigh kitchen]

Thanks button - PM en route.

[Postwarden]

Interesting article. Ernest J Martin wrote several similar badge articles for The Journal of The Society for Army Historical Research from which your article came.

Jon

[leigh kitchen]

Pdf received, interesting stuff, thank you.

[Alan O]

I am slowly working my way through them. He was a man before his time when it came to writing about military insignia and his work on OTCs and VTCs was far superior to Kipling or Gaylor's writings.

The fact we was writing between the wars, during WW2 and into the 1950s provides a level of contemporary accuracy that is missing in later articles. In an era before the information age, he was often reliant on what he could gather from correspondence with museums, old soldiers and units directly. The fact that he did receive letters about his articles providing feedback and clarification is illuminating.

Alan

[grenadierguardsman]

Excellent.
Andy

[Alan O]

It is interesting that EJ Martin confirms that Tyneside Irish cap badges could be found before 1954, and likely pre 1942, with a slider (described as a hook in the 1954 article).

I strongly suspect these were post-war commercially made badges as seen in the Gamages catalogues alongside the Middlesex Footballers, 25 Fusiliers 'garage' badges and the 18th Middlesex Pioneers which were clearly made for sale to collectors in the 1920s.

[Luke H]

Fascinating. Thank you Alan.

As well as mention of the slidered TI I was intrigued to see the much debated enamelled Legion of Frontiersmen badge make an appearance so early.