I.D. please

[Peter Brydon]

Picked a couple of buttons up at the local antique fair this morning,the right hand overpolished button is I think,the Scottish Company,Duke of Edinburghs Own Volunteer Rifles from South Africa.

Can anyone please remind me what unit the left hand buttons is from ?

Thanks

P.B.

[CftD]

Peter - You're right regarding the Duke of Edinburgh's. The other is Turkish armed forces (the ancient Ottoman crest). Regards. David

[Peter Brydon]

Thanks David,

Surprising ( to me anyway ) that the maker of the Turkish button is J.R.Gaunt and Son Ltd,London

( The South African button is by H.Gill and Whitehouse Ltd B.Ham )

P.B.

[Arthur R]

The Duke of Edinburgh's Own Rifles button dates from between 1913 (when the word 'volunteer' was dropped from the name) and the 1960s (when the regiment became the 'Cape Town Rifles'). It was worn by the whole regiment. In the 1990s it was still worn on officers', WOs' and NCOs' undress uniforms, and on the band's full dress, and this is probably still the case today.

The Scottish companies had existed 1859-61 and 1882-85, long before the regiment adopted the coronet-and-thistle pattern button (which was, IIRC, around 1898).

[Peter Brydon]

Thanks Arthur,
So not a scace as I thought it might be, but still a shame it has been polished to almost oblivion .

P.B.

[CftD]

Originally Posted by 8thfoot

Thanks David,

Surprising ( to me anyway ) that the maker of the Turkish button is J.R.Gaunt and Son Ltd,London

( The South African button is by H.Gill and Whitehouse Ltd B.Ham )

P.B.

Peter - The UK was the world centre of accountrement making of which buttons were no small part. Your button is post WW1 so commerce between the allies and Turkey had been resumed. David

[Sonofacqms]

Is the left hand button not Berkshire Yeomanry?

[Peter Brydon]

Rob,

My exact thoughts when I bought it ( not even sure why ) but not in Howard Ripleys button book nor, as far as I can see, in The MHS 2005 Special number "Yeomanry buttons".

P.B.

[CftD]

Originally Posted by Sonofacqms

Is the left hand button not Berkshire Yeomanry?

There is no evidence that this was a button worn by the Berkshire Yeomanry. There is much evidence, however, that it was worn by Turkish armed forces. The Armourer magazine has covered ths subject quite extensively in the last couple of years. David

[matti467]

I think that it is a button to the 'missing troop' of the Berkshire Yeomanry, formed by the Capt Carden and his work hands at Woolhampton in 1913 in anticipation of a looming conflict on Continental Europe. The 'missing' troop were last seen disappearing at full canter into a side alley in Cairo in 1917 towards a bright red light. The button was cast from all uniforms in memory of them at a ceremony in 1919 at the Woolhampton Arms and the Berkshire Yeomanry took on the more common pattern badge.
It is rumoured that there are many fair haired descendants of these brave men in the bazaars of Cairo and their arabic has a gentle almost Berksirelike burr.

[Tinto]

I like that, Matti!
Actually, a lot of these Star and Crescent buttons have made their way back to New Zealand. I have examples made by Firmin, and J. Compton and Sons as well as Gaunt. Although they are often described as Turkish I believe they were worn by Egyptians.
Cheers, Tinto

[matti467]

My pleasure Tinto. I think you might well be right as the star and crescent is featuring heavily on BBC news at the moment as it is in the middle of the new Libyan flag.
Matti

[btns]

One of these buttons is French Colonial North Africa (Algeria, Tunisia), the other one Turkish Ottoman Guard.

[CftD]

Originally Posted by btns

One of these buttons is French Colonial North Africa (Algeria, Tunisia), the other one Turkish Ottoman Guard.

I rather suspect that you are right about the Turkish Ottoman Guard - although I much prefer Matti467's idea - it has so much more colour ! David

[Rob Miller]

It appears in the Edwardian Gaunt catalogue; unfortunately I don't have a copy of the accompanying price list, which might indicate whom it was for.
Rob.