Royal Newfoundland Regt.

[Voltigeur]

A photograph of Pte. Bernard Alexander,a Mi'kmaq, wearing a Royal Newfoundland Regt. badge (Mazeas M-178). Mazeas writes that the badge should be bronze but,this one looks like it's brass.
Jo
http://www.jasenbenwah.ca/img/benard_alexander.jpg

[boots and saddles]

Looking at mine here Jo I would have to say it's bronze although there is not much copper in it. but I think it is a little to pinky-orange to be brass. That was a home defence unit Jo.

[Voltigeur]

Well Ray,that's one thing I would like to cleared a bit.When in the RA they wore the RA badge but, did they wear that badge during 2ndWW as you say a Home Defence unit or some other badge else.Mazeas says it's pre-1949. Can someone be more specific.
Jo

[boots and saddles]

The Newfoundland Regiment of WW2 that wore the above badge did not go overseas & therefore had no connection to those units of the RA, nor did they have any connection with the Royal Regiment of WW1 & have no connection with the Royal Newfoundland Regiment of today. This is because during peacetime the Military was abolished in Newfoundland thus the service was broken, In 1939 a volunteer force was recruited in Newfoundland divided into two components called the Newfoundland Militia & the Newfoundland Auxiliary Militia or Home Guard, In 43 the active force was CALLED THE NEWFOUNDLAND REGIMENT & THE HOME GUARD THE NEWFOUNDLAND MILITIA.
They were a training depot for the RA units (that was the only connection) They did guard duty in Newfoundland as well as manning a Costal battery on Bell Island. So now Jo you should be really confused, but to answer your question ,yes they did wear that badge during WW2. Ray

[DavidS]

I would definitely describe mine as brass, not bronze (the badge is pictured in the CanBadge forum project).

[Voltigeur]

Thanks a million Ray for a clear and to the point explanation.Also,thanks David for pointing to me the NFLD badge,since I don't go there too often....brings back too many memories.....
Jo

[boots and saddles]

Well David after seeing your picture I would say mine is much the same,are you looking at the real thing or the picture? When I was thinking of brass I was seeing the yellow ones we see so much of today. Looked at it again this morning & still got my doubts as to it being brass. But certainly not as coppery as my bronze Royal NFLD Regt or 1st NFLD REGT whichever you prefer. Ray

[DavidS]

Sort of a 'one man's bronze is another man's brass' maybe? When I think of bronze, I think of a blackish-brown metal (the patination on cast bronze sculpture), or a dark yellow-red-brown metal like phosphor bronze. Thinking of brass, I think of either bright brass (say a N.B. Rangers badge) or 'old brass' like a Calgary Highlanders badge. Consequently, if someone describes a badge as bronze, I visualize something like the cast 1st APCR officer's badge, or a Sask. Border Regiment or Winnipeg L.I. badge.

Looking on the web, I see there is (to me) little apparent visual difference in pix of machined items made of bronze vs. brass, and maybe what I had assumed were brass thingies (e.g. electric motor bushings) are really bronze thingies, and not brass at all. I'll chalk this all up to learning something new every day.

All the asides aside , in hand my Nfld. badge looks the same as my 'brass' Calgary Highlanders badges and non-"TANKS" cast Argyll L.I. badge, and is more yellow than anything I formerly would have called bronze.

[boots and saddles]

Yes I do too, I think of bronze as brown, but that depends how much copper content it has. any amount of copper makes it brass or bronze, take the propeller of a marine engine I have never seen one that looks bronze in my opinion , but they are, just not so much copper content. Ray

[DavidS]

Umm, both bronze and brass are primarily copper, n'est? Bronze is copper and tin, brass is copper and zinc, in varying percentages & with some other metals on occasion, but 60%-95% copper. See copper alloys.

After all the Googling, I'm beginning to think 'bronze' vs. 'brass' with regards to the NFLD. badge may be a moot point, per this quote from Wikipedia (my italics): "Brass is any alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.[1] In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin.[2] Despite this distinction, some types of brasses are called bronzes."

[boots and saddles]

And that is why you see so many different brass & bronze badges, So now we can ask what is brass or what is bronze because you can't tell by looking at the badge if the additive metal was zinc or tin. We usually say a badge is brass if it is yellowish or bronze if it is copperish. But all we are seeing is the copper or the lack of it.

[ukbrits]

Hi Guys
Interesting thread, picked this badge up here in the U.K. It's definitely brass and appears to have the makers name of "scully ltd " beside one of the lugs.
Any info on whether it's the real deal or not would be appreciated.
Many Thanks in advance.
Colin