|
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Indian Army Badge Souvenir Belt
My latest souvenir belt adorned with Indian Army shoulder titles and one cap/pagri badge the majority if not all I think are of Great War vintage. The presence of the RMLl and RMA badges might suggest collected by a member of the Royal Naval Division.
Mark |
#2
|
||||
|
||||
Indian Army Badge Souvenir Belt
A nice item, great titles.
Rob |
#3
|
||||
|
||||
Ooh, I am drooling now.... I collect Indian Army and there are some very desirable and scare titles there! Rare to find a hate belt with Indian badges.
All are pre 1922 badges and titles, so it is a WW1 belt. All the titles are self explanatory, but in case you did not know, the 3 J&KR is the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, a rare title. Super find! CB
__________________
"We seldom learn the true want of what we have till it is discovered that we can have no more." Sam. Johnson |
#4
|
||||
|
||||
Indeed a beauty. These souvenir belts are snapshots in time. did these units serve in a specific theater where proximity made finding these badges normal. Or do you think it was more scattershot. Either way those are some great titles.
__________________
"We must make our mistakes quickly"
Major General George Alan Vasey CB, CBE, DSO and Bar New Guinea 1942 |
#5
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
Cheers, John |
#6
|
||||
|
||||
Yes, those badges were not from units that served in France, but in various areas of the Middle East.
CB
__________________
"We seldom learn the true want of what we have till it is discovered that we can have no more." Sam. Johnson |
#7
|
||||
|
||||
I have any knowledge at all in respect of Indian Army units, but from what I can see of the belt, it's a splendid item.
A great acquisition and hopefully to be kept intact. Regards. Brian. |
#8
|
||||
|
||||
Can we please stop referring to these as hate belts? The badges were either swapped or given as a gift, there is nothing hateful about them.
|
#9
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
CB
__________________
"We seldom learn the true want of what we have till it is discovered that we can have no more." Sam. Johnson |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
Can anyone tell me why these belts were made? was it by individual soldiers who wanted to have keepsakes for their time in the army? I know nothing about their history/usage if any.. A most interesting piece - and some very desirable badges. |
#11
|
|||
|
|||
Brian,
Rest assured no splitting off of the badges. The history is in the belt once broken up then that is lost. Regards Mark QUOTE=Fatherofthree;526994]I have any knowledge at all in respect of Indian Army units, but from what I can see of the belt, it's a splendid item. A great acquisition and hopefully to be kept intact. Regards. Brian.[/QUOTE] |
#12
|
|||
|
|||
Thanks CB, I am not an expert on the pre 1947 Indian Army so thank you for you insights and expertise. A quick research suggests that most of these units served at some time on the continent of Africa or may have passed through it en route to other theatres of war. Egypt possibly being the hub where they were collected.
Mark Quote:
|
#13
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
The badges were almost certainly swapped between soldiers, or given as a gift, perhaps from a wounded soldier to those looking after him. Other badges might have been used as currency in exchange for cigarettes or food; some may have been pinched from an unsuspecting comrade. The belts used to be very common but many have been broken up by dealers or collectors in order to get a rare badge or make a quick profit. As a young lad who collected "army badges", I used to note with fascination, that many of the dust men who came weekly to empty the bins, wore them. There are also fake belts out there offered for sale by the unscrupulous, they tend to have badges from different conflicts that normally would not be found together such as Great War and Post WW2 badges, where a scarce badge has been replaced with a filler. Even, the superb belt shown in the original post has spaces where badges have been removed. |
#14
|
||||
|
||||
Even 'Arold Steptoe had a few badges missing from his belt - probably nicked and flogged by his old man.
|
#15
|
|||
|
|||
Ah, they would have had some stories to tell ..thanks for the info, Simon.
|
|
|