Queen’s Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry (QORGY)

[Luke H]

I recently purchased the below slidered QORGY badge believing the type to be post-WW1.

However, searching Queen’s Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry here and the web I was struck by just how many ‘collar’ type badges were in wear on the cap during WW1. Supposedly these were worn due to a shortage of the thistle spray type.

https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/...-in-gallipoli/

http://www.glesga.ukpals.com/folk/forces9.htm

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/434878907743951876/

The sheer number in wear and that even some NCOs wore them made me wonder if perhaps something else was going on.

The below two photos on eBay really peaked my interest. Both purportedly show the same man ‘Trumpeter John Purdie’ in a wartime portrait photo and a pre-war camp in full dress. Very interestingly he wears the collar type badge in the portrait.

Whilst the camp picture isn’t the best from the very square jawline and long flat smile I’m satisfied it’s the same man.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WW1-soldi...a8af%7Ciid%3A1

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WW1-soldi...a8af%7Ciid%3A1

This lead me ponder another aspect of the QORGY badges as a number, quite a large number really, are die stamped and found on N-S and E-W blades. More often than not the N-S ones have a blade removed to form a short slider.

I’m of the opinion that these are OR badges and intended for wear on the khaki cap. This may explain the otherwise very high number of ad hoc collars being worn in all these pictures. That’s not to say that some were not originally worn due to this reason. Rather I suspect the badge v’s cap relationship here may be more complex with the thistle spray type possibly preferred for full dress.

For some context to my picture the middle badge I understand was worn in WW2 on the fsc according to Gaylor.

Additionally from corresponding with Keith Hook I’m informed there was another cap badge design sealed in 1919 worn only very briefly until presumably 1921 when they converted to gunners. The Sealed Pattern card used to be displayed in Edinburgh Castle.

The 1919 badge has the ‘fat lion’ again not sat on a crown but his knife and fork don’t extend widthways to touch the circlet it’s more like the slidered/tang badge. This design was also reused again with a QC as a collar badge.

Yet another Scottish Yeomanry with an arcane sequence of badges.

I welcome others thoughts and comments.

[GriffMJ]

Luke

It was not uncommon for the Yeomanry Regiments to wear their collars ..... probably more a case of supply. In the case of the PAOLY, below, the collar was the pre 1908 Gm LIY collar that has the "I" removed. Funnily enough they only wore the white metal in Blues..... but didnt wear the Gm version as a collar.

2646 Tpr. T J Sheriff, Leics PAO Yeo, is seen here on the front row (2nd from right), he and others are wearing the smaller collar as a cap badge (x5 of them), this picture was taken on mobilisation.

[Luke H]

A good photo Griff. I’ve the WM cap badge with the I removed, still seeking the GM one. Not too long ago I found a Dorset IY badge which had received similar ‘I’ transplant treatment.

The point I was trying to make was those with the blade/tang fixings are certainly not collars. Rather was this the design of choice for the khaki cap during the war. The quantity of badges with said fixing plus prevalence of the type in wartime photos across several troops and encompassing NCOs and buglers may support this.

Moreover I don’t doubt collars were worn in 1914 (and before) as an interim due to shortages etc. but I wonder if in 1915/16 when several other Yeomanry changed their badge designs mid-war if the QORGY did the same and chose the collar style badge. This could and would account for the die stamped bladed badges, their regularly encountered conversion to a single North tang and the slidered versions.

Also if a pre-war trooper, a bugler no-less, has a thistle spray bridge on his blue cap then surely he would have been issued one (or more) for his khaki cap. I struggle to imagine a pre-war bugler being shortchanged with a collar badge for his khaki cap.