EllR badges

[hindoostan]

Amongst a lot of repro badges are these EllR types I assumed they were also repro as the backs look brand new. The badges were collected late sixties and seventies. Could these be new good badges at the time that have remained with the original finish? As ever any input welcomed.
Cheers,
John

[Alan O]

Originally Posted by hindoostan

Amongst a lot of repro badges are these EllR types I assumed they were also repro as the backs look brand new. The badges were collected late sixties and seventies. Could these be new good badges at the time that have remained with the original finish? As ever any input welcomed.
Cheers,
John

John

Likely to be commercially made and sold in PRIs, militaria shops etc.

Alan

[hindoostan]

Thanks Alan. But what is a PRI?

Cheers
John

[Alan O]

Regimental shop.

I would have expected the badges to be maker marked if they were official issue before a/a cap badges.

Alan

[Skippy]

Brass RMP badges were and likely still are, available for purchase from the RMP museum within the RMPTC, certainty when it was at Chichester (now tri services police training centre over in Hampshire). Didn’t have maker marks on those.

Back in 1991 you could start wearing one instead of the issue A/A badge once you had transitioned from basic training to Special-to-Arms training, along with non-issue leather banded berets. Of course you then had something else to polish!!

Cheers……John

[grey_green_acorn]

PRI = President of the Regimental Institute.
An officer, often the Second in Command, is appointed ‘President’ and account holder of what is effectively the unit non-public fund. Its main income sources include sports grants from for example the Nuffield Foundation Trust and general income from the PRI Shop which would sell Regimental clothing, badges, commemorative items and sports equipment.

Badges sold by the PRI shop are usually of better quality than the issue item and are worn by soldiers. Most stable belts are sold within units by the PRI.

More recently there are a number of larger collective shops, often in Garrison Towns, which will sell items for many Regiments and Corps with (hopefully) a percentage of profits being returned to units.

Tim

[jeep]

John. As Alan says, the regimental shop. PRI stands for President of the Regimental Institute and provides items for private purchase such as stable belts, plaques, regimental ties, and other non-issued items. Profits go to the regimental fund.