Middlesex Footballer?

[jim a]

Picked this up today at an antique store. Never seen one with the football attached below... any info appreciated thanks Jim [

[Tinto]

A beautiful badge, Jim. Well done. I can't tell you anything about the unit except that I believe the hat badge was often faked.
Cheers,
Tinto

[matti467]

Well discovered. This is the first 'football' Middlesex badge that can be accepted as pukka. Being a sweetheart it is belivable it was made during or after the Great War.
Matti

[Peter Brydon]

These badges were the subject of an exchange of correspondence in the Crown Imperial magazine in 1994.

I hope the attached are legible

P.B.

[rockape560]

hi jim,

a very nice sweetheart.would love to have that in my collection but at least the football on it is more belevable than on a cap badge

philip

[Neil Pearce]

Very nice indeed. Better condition than the one I have, and looks identical in every respect. The size is 38mm x 28mm .

PB. How on earth do you remember where to look for these gems of info? Have you got the CI magazines indexed somehow?

I have often wondered about these. I have heard they were occasionally worn as lapels, but no proof at all. There was one on sale at Bosleys last year I think, and it fetched crazy money. I think it was over £400, but am sure someone can confirm? Perhaps I am going senile.... again

There is also one for the 16th Battalion "UPS' - hallmarked Birmingham 1914. If this was produced in late 1914, then why not the footballers early in the war, rather than afterwards as Matti suggests?
Cheers, Neil

[Peter Brydon]

Neil,
I used to have a very good memory,it is starting to go a bit but if I have read something in one of the books or magazines I have, I am often able to remember roughly where it was and locate it fairly quickly.

Unfortunatly I only have a couple of dozen issues of CI ,and wish I had more.

Peter

[matti467]

Sweet heart badges are produced by a variety of outlets and to varying qualities. I have seen many over the years to my own regiment, Royal Signals, that have odd shaped crowns, odd 'Jimmies' etc. Some may even have been made at overseas locations to send home to wives and sweethearts. The football badge isn't seen in any of the Westlake books or any other pictures that I have seen of kitchener's Army. I find it quite plausible that it was produced post 1918 as an OCA badge.
Matti

[Peter Brydon]

Matti,

I also believe that the footballers badge was only ever a sweethearts ( but in the world of military badges my mantra is "never say never" )

The correspondence in the C.I. journal does however say that the design is shown in a WW1 wartime catalogue of badges and if this is correct it would have been produced pre 1918 .

Peter

[empiretocommonwealth]

Hi All,

I'd like t'ask a question if I may ....

Was it a common practice for sports or other items to be imposed upon a regimental badge, or sweetheart badge?

Or is this Middx Regt an odd one to a rule?

Many thanks,

+ Anthony

[High Wood]

I have just unearthed this from a badge manufacturers catalogue dating from the Great War. It seems that it was produced as a sweetheart badge and possibly in a full size, although unofficial, cap badge version, meant to be worn as a sweetheart badge.

[matti467]

As I have posted above I believe that there were sweetheart badges to this regiment. I am not surprised by catalogue dates for 1914. However, the larger cap badge sized versions I have the deepest suspicion of.

[Old Smelly]

Interesting that the catalogue states 'Special rates for badge collectors', and also gives a price for badges mounted on belts!
Lee