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Old 26-12-07, 10:44 AM
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Default KLR production figures

In the thread on King's plastic badges there was a question about the possible rarity of the 1896 pattern (4362A) badge (ie the "pre 1926") - I stress that this concerns the regular issue cap badge NOT TF/A ones.
I can now provide some figures, taken from Government contract sources:

Between January 1904 and 1914 the Government 'ordered' 29,158 badges.
(Unfortunately I don't seem to have written down the QUANTITY ordered in Jan 1904. Nor, regretably, the DATE of a order for 1,440 sometime between Feb 1913 and July 1914 - though that figure is included in the 29,158 - I shall of course go back and check asap).
Now, I have no means of telling whether these orders were actually produced and delivered but I'm assuming they were.

It will come as no surprise that orders / production were increased during the 1st World War. Unfortunately we only have figures for the first year; Sept 1914 - Nov 1915. During this period the Govt ordered 60,760. Again, I only assume that the orders were completed.

So, we have a figure of nearly 90,000 up to the end of 1915. If we assume a continued high production until say, 1919, it would undoubtedly go well over the 100,000 figure.
There do not seem to be any figures for the period 1919 - 1926 when this pattern became obsolete.

For comparative purposes we can look at production during the 2nd World War - though it should be stressed that we again have no figures between 1926 (the introduction of the "rocking horse" pattern 10042) and 1939. But, for the specific period between September 1939 and the summer of 1946 Govt figures record not only the ordering but the actual production and delivery of 87,861 badges.
As I noted in the plastics thread, Govt figures reveal the order, production and delivery of 40,032 plastic badges.
So, total 2nd WW figures of nearly 128,000. Unfortunately of course, we cannot compare with only one year production for the 1st but I would guess that figures from the 1st were much much higher.
There are no figures for orders / production of King's badges up to 1950 when pattern 14312 (the smaller 'rocking horse') superseded the 1926 pattern. Nor, from 1950 to 1958 when the regiment ceased to exist.

There is a possibility that I may be able to glimpse some other production records when I have time at a later stage but I think the figures shown here indicate - for starters - that the 1896 pattern cannot be that rare ! At the Bromley Mil Fair on Sun 23rd Dec I saw dozens.
(Yes, I might even get so neurotic that I'll start statistics on var types badges at fairs next !!!)

Before you all ask, NO I don't have comparative figures for other units, it takes enough time to collate data for one unit !! (but it would be interesting). Also - this research was undertaken at TNA and NAM. There are all sorts of other avenues that I'm chasing regading KLR figures, titles, collars etc let alone TF/A figures !!

enjoy !
and happy Boxing Day !
Julian

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Old 01-01-08, 08:44 PM
longbowman21 longbowman21 is offline
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Hi Julian, When you respond to a question/link you certainly do it BIGTIME.

I am amazed by the numbers that you have quoted, and this certainly answers the question on rarity of this particular plastic badge. Re your visit to the bromley Mill fair,
and the dozens of plastic rocking horse badges that you saw, playing devils advocate...How many were fakes.?

Best Wishes for the new year.

Geoff
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Old 01-01-08, 10:05 PM
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Geoff,
Sorry, perhaps I wasn't clear.
I was referring to the 1896 pattern (ie "pre 1926") metal badge - which is the one whose rarity was queried.
Well, dozens might have been a teeny exaggeration, but there must have been at least one dozen

As for plastic, I only saw one - reflecting the fewer produced.

HNY
Julian
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