Stratton maker marked badges

[badger123]

Can anyone help with a couple of queries I have about this maker?

Firstly, does anyone know when this company started/finished making badges for the army? (I am aware of Ticker's great thread which confirms they made badges during WW1).

http://www.britishbadgeforum.com/for...light=stratton

Secondly, does anyone know when slidered badges were first maker marked?

Many thanks, Ivan

[Alan O]

Ivan,

It depends on the maker. Gaunt did not generally mark until post WW2 while other firms (Woodwards for example) marked badges in WW1. I have never seen a Stratton badge.

[badger123]

Thanks Alan, useful information and it at least confirms for me that maker marked badges were around in WW1 (albeit Woodwards).

I've seen a couple of Stratton marked badges knocking about (interestingly, the name always seems to be on the inside of the slider) and here's one from my collection.

The presence of this particular pattern of sweat holes says to me WW1.

Ivan

[KLR]

Gaunt did not generally mark sliders until after the 2nd WW - unless they were privately commissioned orders outside WO tenders ! A number of battalions did make private orders.

[mooke07]

Hi all,

Inspired by Ivan Machin's excellent "A Guide to the Badges of the York and Lancaster Regiment 1822 to 1968" my foraging brain was on point when I spotted this one.

A Stratton Birmingham makers marked badge to the inside of the slider as per page 51 of his book and earlier in this thread. Looks a nice aged WW1 badge with one large oval brazing holes and two smaller circular ones to the rear of the rose.

I should have photographed it at an angle but you can see the end of the makers mark in the vertical view.

Cheers and thanks for documenting these Ivan, cheers Dean.

[fougasse1940]

Stratton and Company started in 1912 and was sold in 1965 to the Marconi Company, part of English Electric Group. From the early twenties on the mainly made wireless components.

Rgds, Thomas.

[Rob Miller]

Is this the same "Stratton" that made General Service Buttons?

Rob

[badger123]

Dean,

Thank you for your kind comments, I'm glad the book has been useful!

Rob, yes I believe it is the same maker as your button.

I now have several of the Stratton marked badges and all have the makers mark on the inside of the slider. This must be unusual for any maker marked badge?

In addition, they all have the same crescent shaped sweat hole behind the coronet along with 2 small sweat hole behind the rose. I would be interested to know if anyone has any unmarked Stratton badges in their collection.

Ivan

[RSM]

Does anyone know whether Stratton only made the York & Lancs badge? Thanks.

[3dg]

An interesting thread.
There is no picture of a Stratton make badge in the 'makers mark' part of the forum,so it's good to see.
Did they make any other Regiments badges?
Cheers
Chris

[cbuehler]

This is very surprising and interesting. Strange that the marking was on the inside of the slider, and that so far they are seen only on OR badges to the Young and Lovely.
I too would be like to know if the mark is found on others.

CB

[RSM]

So far it appears that the Y&L is the only badge made by this company? Thanks to 'Ticker' it is known that Strattons received two WO orders for 'badge, metal',
one in May 1915 and the other in December 1915. I note that the Y&L raised the 3/4 and 3/5 battalions in March 1915, and it is tempting to speculate that the contract for May 1915 is the result of the regimental depot putting in an order to either give these 2 new battalions their cap badges, or to replenish the regimental stocks afterwards. A further battalion (15th reserve) was formed in July 1915, but its complement was made up of depot companies from three of the service battalions formed in late 1914, so all these chaps would, one assumes, have long had their cap badges?

The second order of December 1915 is a mystery, unless it was for more Y&L badges? Again, I can only speculate, but with just two orders it seems that Strattons were used as a stop-gap, as one can imagine all the dedicated badge manufacturers (Gaunt etc) plus the numerous smaller jewellery/fashion item makers turned badge makers (such as Lambourne etc) were already flat out fulfilling their many existing orders for the newly forming and rapidly expanding armed forces?

Anyway, just speculating in the hope it's of some interest. Cheers. Richard.

[Waterloo1815]

Some additional info on Stratton & Co from Graces Guide.

[RSM]

As per the examples seen above.

[RSM]

Variation of rear vent hole.