Staffordshire Regiment Cap Badges

[Stafford Knot]

Hello. I'm new to the forum and very pleased to have become a member.

I am interested in modern (ie. post 2000) cap badges and have a query regarding the Orders of Dress and in particualr the cap badges worn by soldiers of the Staffordshire Regiment from this date and until it became part of The Mercian Regiment.

There are many examples around of and references to annodised aluminium (staybrite) STAFFORDS cap badges (Manuf: Gaunt, Firmin, etc). However I have recently obtained a burnished gold/silver metal badge (with lugs) made by Firmin which was sold as an Officer's badge. However, from at least 2005 I understand that Officers of the Regiment have been wearing wire embroidered badges on both the beret and forage cap, and I wonder whether the new burnished metal badge is in fact an official replacement for soldiers' staybrite badge. As Forum members will know many Regiments have been taking opportunities to gradually replace staybrite badges with gilded and other heavier metal versions over the past decade

Does anyone have any information on the cap and beret badges issued to and worn by soldiers of the STAFFORDS since 2000?

[Alan O]

Possibly it is for a No 1 Dress blue cap. A lot of them came on to the market at once when the Staffs became part of the Mercian regt. I don't ever remember seeing an embroidered badge on the khaki SD caps at all.

[Stafford Knot]

Alan O, thanks.

Illustrations in the 2 'Regiment' magazine editions on the STAFFORDS (pub. May 95 and Feb 2005) show Officers (including the Duke of York) wearing embroidered badges on the No 1 Dress Blue Forage Cap. However, a picture in the 1995 edition of an officer wearning the khaki SD cap in Barracks Dress suggests a metal badge (probably silver/gilt) is worn in this Order.

The badge I have doesn't look 'Officer quality' but although 2 colours, it doesn't appear to be bimetal. It has the 'frosted' appearance that many regiments are going for these days for soldiers' issue badges. Robin Hodges does refer to a frosted bimetal soldier's badge in his excellent book 'British Army Badges', but also references a silver/gilt officers cap badge, and makes no mention of the Officers' embroidered badge being worn on anything other than the beret. Having said that some of the pictures of soldiers in 'BAB' also show badges with sliders being worn on berets which look like the 'staybrite' or bimetal private purchase types. All very confusing!