An interesting photo KOSB

[3dg]

Hello all
Found this interesting photo on eBay, a KOSB cap badge worn on the peaked cap.
Would this badge be the KOSB badge with the slider do people think,?
Cheers

Chris

[Alan O]

The hat is not a KOSB hat but the badge clearly is. Could he be a hospital case? Although he is not blues photos do exist of hospital cases wearing their cap badge on the peaked cap as that's what the hospital gave them rather than their regtl hat.

[cbuehler]

Certainly not a cap the KOSB wore as Alan mentioned. For some reason there was not a proper Glengarry or Tam available for this man in the circumstances of the photo.

CB

[3dg]

No TOS available is probably right.
Is that just a mark on the shoulder strap, or a shoulder title of some description?

Chris

[Scottish Borderers]

Another one, I've had this postcard photo in my collection for a number of years, interestingly he is wearing a tartan shoulder flash instead of a metal or cloth shoulder title.

[cbuehler]

Could this be a result of wartime shortages and pressing into use what ever was available? Both photos do not seem to suggest hospital cases. Another strange feature is the blue cap and shoulder titles in the second photo. Wartime tends to present many strange anomalies indeed!

CB

[3dg]

Originally Posted by Scottish Borderers

Another one, I've had this postcard photo in my collection for a number of years, interestingly he is wearing a tartan shoulder flash instead of a metal or cloth shoulder title.

Great photo Gerry
Very curious indeed, never seen tartan shoulder flash before.
Is this photo pre war?

Chris

[Toby Purcell]

Originally Posted by Scottish Borderers

Another one, I've had this postcard photo in my collection for a number of years, interestingly he is wearing a tartan shoulder flash instead of a metal or cloth shoulder title.

He’s quite a mature man and yet without any ribbons to bespeak earlier service and he’s also wearing an obsolescent waistbelt. I think it’s possible (likely even) that he’s a member of the resurrected “Volunteer Force” that evolved from the Volunteer Training Corps in 1917 and, subsequently reorganised into Volunteer Battalions of the local regiments midway through 1918. At that point the general service badges** initially decreed in 1917 were replaced by appropriate regimental badges. There does not seem have been widespread organised provision of Scottish dress for these very late war units and the Armistice took place before they had all been fully equipped with new insignia, etc. They were intended to be administered by the Territorial Force.
**the insignia sequence for these units was:
1. 1915. Discrete VTC badges of varied design.
2. 1917. General Service badge upon formal adoption by the War Department.
3. 1918. Regimental badges of their local regular unit.
NB. There is a good explanation of this sequence of events at this link relating to the Royal Scots under the WW1 section (unfortunately as yet nothing similar has been produced for the KOSB): https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List...he_Royal_Scots

[Mike_H]

The attached photo of 7th KOSB transport section shows a variety of caps and Glengarries, most caps are without badges. The most likely reason for this variety and the use the caps is the shortage of correct uniform on the formation of these Service Battalions.
The 7th and 8th Service Battalions amalgamated in May 1916 and wore a rectangle of Leslie tartan under their shoulder titles as a battalion distinction. I have no information to say if this was carried over from the 7th or 8th Battalion but is is interesting to see it in post #5. The subject of that photo appears to have been from a transport section as he wears his puttees tied at the ankle,
the style used by men involved in mounted duties.

M

[Toby Purcell]

Originally Posted by Mike_H

The attached photo of 7th KOSB transport section shows a variety of caps and Glengarries, most caps are without badges. The most likely reason for this variety and the use the caps is the shortage of correct uniform on the formation of these Service Battalions.
The 7th and 8th Service Battalions amalgamated in May 1916 and wore a rectangle of Leslie tartan under their shoulder titles as a battalion distinction. I have no information to say if this was carried over from the 7th or 8th Battalion but is is interesting to see it in post #5. The subject of that photo appears to have been from a transport section as he wears his puttees tied at the ankle,
the style used by men involved in mounted duties.

M

That seems like a distinct possibility Mike and even shows the dark cap mentioned earlier in the thread. I think that you’ve probably cracked it, because the Volunteer Battalions formed in 1918 had relatively up-to-date service dress and equipment in the photos that I’ve seen.

[gb64]

Off topic a bit but I’ve seen a picture of the KOSB in WW2 wearing the beret with cap badge, got a feeling that was the 7th battn, I’ll try to find it again.

Gerard

[Alan O]

Great piece of research. The answer to the original question is only if they ahd old stock fitted with sliders that had been amde for FSH. they were unlikely to be bespoke badges with sliders commissioned for peak caps when they clearly were using up old stock of hats and belts and presumably badges too.

[Scottish Borderers]

Originally Posted by gb64

Off topic a bit but I’ve seen a picture of the KOSB in WW2 wearing the beret with cap badge, got a feeling that was the 7th battn, I’ll try to find it again.

Gerard

Gerard,

You are correct the 7th Bn wore a maroon beret, strangely I was carrying out conservation work on an original 7th Bn beret this morning.

Gerry

[Borderer]

The first photograph is of my Brother-in-Laws father Jock Skeldon who landed with the 7th (Galloway) Bn The King's Own Scottish Borderers as part of 1st British Airborne Brigade at Arnhem, he fought in the grounds of the White House famous to the regiment during the Battle of Arnhem, he was mortar platoon and told me that they were still firing their mortars 30 minutes before the withdrawal to the Rhine, however, he was captured and ended up in Stalag XIIA near Wiesbaden Limburg, the transferred to Stalag XIB in Fallingbostel, the camp was near Belsen Concentration Camp, which he escaped from during the long march. The second photograph illustrates soldiers of the 7th Galloway Bn The KOSB in there maroon berets with regimental cap badge, and other units of 1st Airborne Division at Buckingham Place 1944.

Cheers
Hiram

[Borderer]

Here is a photograph of the maroon beret held in the museum which Gerry was working on and the insignia worn on the sleeves of the battle dress by members of the 7th (Galloway) Bn The King's Own Scottish Borderers, 1st British Airborne Brigade, close eyed observers will note that it is a Victorian Crown Regimental Cap badge on the maroon beret, which not unusual and unique to the regiment as all ranks can ware relatives cap badges, for example a private soldiers can and did wear an officers pattern full fretted cap badge with no questions asked, and being a family regiment it was quite normal to see this unique tradition in practice, while serving in the regiment right up until our demise in 2006.

Cheers
Hiram