Leinster's Astrakhan Badge

[mooke07]

Hi all,

Here is a puzzling and delightful badge.

It is a hallmarked silver Prince of Wales plumes and coronet badge marked with the lion passant and date letter i for 1904-5 tucked under the bottom front edge of the crown. There are traces of pink polish to the rear and a 3cm long screw threaded attaching post to the rear. It measures 4.5x4cm and is beautifully crafted.

Hallmarked English silver items are usually marked with lion passant, date letter and makers initials with a monarch mark for earlier pieces. Multi component pieces like sugar sifters will have a detachable piece marked with only the lion passant and the makers initials to match the full hallmarks on the larger peice. The fact that this badge lacks makers initials makes me wonder if it is part of a badge or plate device of some nature. I only have a couple of hallmarked badges and they indeed bear a full set of hallmarks as above.

I actually believe the badge could be a Prince of Wale's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) badge worn on the Astrakhan cap for service in Halifax, Novia Scotia. These were Persian lamb caps with flaps that could be tied over the ears. Confusingly an account of a soldier serving in the regiment whilst at Halifax described the Officers wearing the Astrakhan with a plain crown badge and Other Rank's wore a sealskin cap with a regimental badge. The ich dien scroll is omitted on this badge again a mystery to me. There are of course other badges like this notably cavalry NCO arm badges for 10th Hussars etc but not with fixing posts of this length.

The long post at the rear of the badge would accomodate fixing through an Astrakhan cap.

The 1st Battalion Leinster's arrived in Nova Scotia in March 1900 and departed for South Africa in September 1902. They were relieved by the 3rd Special Service battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment. The dates don't quite work but I post it for assistance. There are a number of informative posts featuring the distinctive Astrakhan cap with Canadian units and British units serving in Canada but I am still piecing the history together.

Regards to all and await your learned inputs, Dean.

[Toby Purcell]

Originally Posted by mooke07

Hi all,

Here is a puzzling and delightful badge.

It is a hallmarked silver Prince of Wales plumes and coronet badge marked with the lion passant and date letter i for 1904-5 tucked under the bottom front edge of the crown. There are traces of pink polish to the rear and a 3cm long screw threaded attaching post to the rear. It measures 4.5x4cm and is beautifully crafted.

Hallmarked English silver items are usually marked with lion passant, date letter and makers initials with a monarch mark for earlier pieces. Multi component pieces like sugar sifters will have a detachable piece marked with only the lion passant and the makers initials to match the full hallmarks on the larger peice. The fact that this badge lacks makers initials makes me wonder if it is part of a badge or plate device of some nature. I only have a couple of hallmarked badges and they indeed bear a full set of hallmarks as above.

I actually believe the badge could be a Prince of Wale's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) badge worn on the Astrakhan cap for service in Halifax, Novia Scotia. These were Persian lamb caps with flaps that could be tied over the ears. Confusingly an account of a soldier serving in the regiment whilst at Halifax described the Officers wearing the Astrakhan with a plain crown badge and Other Rank's wore a sealskin cap with a regimental badge. The ich dien scroll is omitted on this badge again a mystery to me. There are of course other badges like this notably cavalry NCO arm badges for 10th Hussars etc but not with fixing posts of this length.

The long post at the rear of the badge would accomodate fixing through an Astrakhan cap.

The 1st Battalion Leinster's arrived in Nova Scotia in March 1900 and departed for South Africa in September 1902. They were relieved by the 3rd Special Service battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment. The dates don't quite work but I post it for assistance. There are a number of informative posts featuring the distinctive Astrakhan cap with Canadian units and British units serving in Canada but I am still piecing the history together.

Regards to all and await your learned inputs, Dean.

Dean, personally I do not believe the Leinsters would have worn the PoW plumes without a Leinster scroll at this relatively late stage in their existence. The long post could perhaps just as easily be for a cavalry pouch badge where it was required to pierce a significant depth of leather. A cavalry provenance seems much more likely to me than infantry.

[mooke07]

Thanks Toby,

Am inclined to agree with you on this badge thanks Toby. I will do some looking to see what regiment it belongs to instead, many thanks Dean.