AJ or JA Cadets Badge

[Scottish Borderers]

All,

Looking for a bit of help, we have a badge at the museum which has a large A.J or J.A. in the centre on a wreath of thistles with a Cadets Scroll below and a small Gaunt tablet on the rear.

Any help in identifying would be great.

Thanks

[Alan O]

It is indeed attributed as a Scottish Cadet Corps badge. Bosleys have sold them in the past but theirs is the sole attribution and there is always the possibility that it is a sporran badge. Both K&K and Rawlings shows sporran badges and claim them to hat badges and Bosley's are all too eager to repeat the error.

A trawl through Bosleys' back catalogues will give you the answer.

[mike_vee]

Originally Posted by Scottish Borderers

All,

Looking for a bit of help, we have a badge at the museum which has a large A.J or J.A. in the centre on a wreath of thistles with a Cadets Scroll below and a small Gaunt tablet on the rear.

Any help in identifying would be great.

Thanks

Described as :

Scottish. Arrol-Johnston Cadet Corps cap badge.
Affiliated 5th Bn. KOSB

https://www.regimentalbadges.com/en-...9#.Y2EW86DP01I

.

[mike_vee]

Bosleys 2017 :

https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/a...c54#lotDetails

388 Scottish. Arrol-Johnston Cadet Corps rare WW1 cap badge. £220

.

[Alan O]

It is AJ for Arrol-Johnston cadet corps.

This bulletin might confirm what hat/sporran it was worn on. https://www.militaryhistoricalsociet...inDetail?m=241

[Scottish Borderers]

All,

Thanks for the details you live and learn every day.

The badge was in an old box in the Museum with no idea who or where it came from.

Thanks to the power of the forum the mystery is solved.

Gerry

[Alan O]

It still assumes that it is a cap badge and not a collar or sporran badge mind you. A period photo would be nice but very hard to find!

[mike_vee]

Originally Posted by Scottish Borderers

Thanks to the power of the forum the mystery is solved.

Gerry

Originally Posted by Alan O

It still assumes that it is a cap badge and not a collar or sporran badge mind you.

Do you have a photo of the rear of the badge ?

The "regimentalbadges" one appears to have had N/S loops 'crudely' soldered on at some point but what were the original E/W fittings for ?

.

[Alan O]

Pure speculation on my part but the change to N-S lugs may well have been to allow easier insertion of the split pin into a sporran?

[Scottish Borderers]

Hi all,

I will post a picture of the Badge tomorrow when I get back into the museum, the lugs are East - West, It would be nice to find a picture of a cadet(s) wearing the badge.

Regards
Gerry

[Alan O]

Gerry

All the examples have the original lugs E-W.

Sadly cadet corps photos are very rare. I have literally found only one or 2 photos of some cadet units and in several cases I have been unable to find any contemporary photos.

Alan

[Alan O]

There are cadet records from 1917-1919 online so it may have been very short lived.

[Hoot]

The Arrol-Johnston Car Company must have been unique in having it's own cadet corps. It's a new one on me.

[Alan O]

https://picclick.co.uk/Antique-Old-P...html?refresh=1

Humber also started one with the RWarcs Cadet Bn.

[Hoot]

Thanks Alan, we never stop learning on this forum.