My Buttons

[Cribyn]

Hello Jack

Rest assured you are not alone having difficulty deciphering script initials on buttons! Even worse when they are entwined and reversed!

It's only when someone points it out to you that it seems so obvious you wonder why you didn't see it in the first place.

Years ago I was puzzling over the initials on a button and after a while I thought they could be H A N T S. Couldn't figure out what the initials meant and then someone said "they aren't initials, it spells 'Hants' for Hampshire"! It's not just me because recently someone was selling the same button on ebay as being for 'His Majesty's Troopships" - ie 'HMTS'.

Regards
Roger

[irish]

Hello David, in regards to post #18 it is an O. So Oxfordshire works.

Best
Jack

[davidwyke]

Hi Jack

Thanks for that. The button is definately Oxfordshire YC, with "O" it can't be anything else and they did wear that pattern.

Roger is right about the script initials, some people find them easy to work out but not me! The worst ones are many of the "mufti" buttons (regimental buttons worn in civilian dress), I find most of them impossible to decypher.

David

[irish]

Here is a button that is a little easier to read. It did come with a small tag saying Buckingham Palace Guard?? I will throw that in for a conversation starter. It appears to me to be a foot regiment.

I have been looking for a good book on British buttons through Amazon however at the moment no luck. So for now I am staying blissfully un-informed and relying on the good graces of my fellow forum members. Thanks Jack

[Cribyn]

Hello Jack

Your button seems to be for the 19th (1st York, North Riding) Regiment of Foot dating from around 1855 to 1881 if an officers' button and 1855 to 1871 if an other ranks' button. General quality and style of back and shank usually provides the answer to which is which.

Not sure why there should be any reference to Buckingham Palace Guard though!

The best book about British Army buttons that is still regularly available at a reasonable price is "Buttons of the Regular Army 1855-2000" by Howard Ripley and Denis Darmanin. Howard does sell this one himself from time to time on ebay. He has also written (again with Denis) books on Yeomanry Buttons, English Infantry Militia Buttons, Scottish, Welsh and Channel Islands Infantry Militia Buttons and Rifle Volunteer Buttons and Local Militia Buttons (with Bob Moodie). Most of these are still available new and again at a reasonable price (some from the Military Historical Society website and some from Howard himself (check ebay again but beware of paying well over the top!).

There are a couple of other specialist books out there but these have been out of print for a long time and can command quite high prices.

Regards
Roger

[davidwyke]

Hi Jack

I can't really add much to Roger's comments.

The button is definately 19th Foot and there is no connection to Buckingham Palace that I can think of.

David

[irish]

Here is another Cypher. Want to call this the Grenadier Guards Queen Victoria era. Please correct if I missed this one. Jack

[Cribyn]

Hello Jack

Grenadier Guards, Victorian, spot on.

There is a version of this in silver plate/white metal which still confuses many people (especially on ebay!) as they refer to it as "Volunteer Guards" or something similar! The silver/white metal version is for the infantry element of the Honourable Artillery Company.

Regards
Roger

[Peter Brydon]

The silver plated button attached is to the "Liverpool Press Guard " (80th Lancashire Rifle Volunteers ) and is based on the design of the Grenadier Guards button.

P.B.

[4966Ian]

Thanks Peter,

If I had acquired one of those buttons, I could have spent days trying to work out what "LPG" stood for and still not got anywhere.

Cheers

Ian