Trophy Belt badges

[Sonofacqms]

The Welsh Guards looks to me to have been re-lugged by the same person who repaired the RECCE, all others look fine.

Rob

[billy]

Here are a few more, so far they all seem genuine badges, thankfully! You have already seen the Reconnaissance Corps, these badges all look good, the Gem is in the last trance of 3 badges!

[Luke H]

Again all look good to me.

[billy]

Thanks guys, lastly and am confident in these, and from being slightly worried am happy I have only the 5th Royal Irish Dragoons with questionable thoughts!

The Grenadiers Sgt’s badge you have seen also the 5th Dragoons, the Military Police badge is wierd looking and Scots Guards badge looks bright in pictures but isn’t that bright?
Officers / SNCO’s badge is in good condition, it was this and the Grenadiers which caught my eye and glad these are not repaired badges!

Any thoughts on the Fife and Forfar badge? I still think the fixings are 1902 to 1908.

Many thanks to you for putting my mind to rest on this belt! Happy collecting for the New Year, am off to Malta 2nd of Jan, See what I can find? Doubtful but am hoping! Oh I have another Belt but it’s so full of grime you can see badges have not been removed- there is a nice badge on it I’ll post when I get back! All the best Billy

[Luke H]

The F&FY is not an early example.

Am quite certain I’ve seen a high resolution pic of that type with the void above the Thane’s helmet and plume being worn in WW2 on a beret.

[cbuehler]

The SG OR is a bit strange with those brass lugs and rather shiny appearance, but it looks genuine. A very nice SG officer badge by the way.

CB

[grenadierguardsman]

Guards badges are fine imho, nice too.
Andy

[Sonofacqms]

Billy, I reckon from my experience you have got a lovely belt of badges there, well worth keeping IMO as it has all original badges which have been given the "Thumbs up" by many different forum members (Including me), the fact that everyone says so is a big plus for this now historical item.

In the past many collectors have had souvenir belts and stripped the badges from them which has in effect ruined a historical item, I still have nightmares about a belt I bought some twenty five years ago that was put together at Gallipolli or soon after, I still have the three "T" RAMC titles and the photo album that came with it, but the rest I swapped for other badges.

An opinion only.

Rob

[orasot]

Well done Billy, I do like these belts mate, I'm pleased to say the one in this thread is still intact https://www.britishbadgeforum.com/fo...ight=hate+belt
Got yourself a lovely bit of history there,
All the best
Wilf

[High Wood]

Originally Posted by Sonofacqms

Billy, I reckon from my experience you have got a lovely belt of badges there, well worth keeping IMO as it has all original badges which have been given the "Thumbs up" by many different forum members (Including me), the fact that everyone says so is a big plus for this now historical item.

In the past many collectors have had souvenir belts and stripped the badges from them which has in effect ruined a historical item, I still have nightmares about a belt I bought some twenty five years ago that was put together at Gallipolli or soon after, I still have the three "T" RAMC titles and the photo album that came with it, but the rest I swapped for other badges.

An opinion only.

Rob

Rob,

I am of the same opinion. When I was a young lad one of the factors that got me into badge collecting, apart from my father giving me his brother's badges, was that every week the dustmen would come to empty the bins. Out of the crew of five or six, every one had either a leather army surplus jerkin or a trophy belt or both. As an eight year old I badly wanted a belt of my own. None of the dustmen, as far as I know, were badge purists but I would bet that the majority of their badges were genuine having come from reliable sources as ex servicemen or from army surplus stores. Mind you that was the mid sixties before the fakers took over and spoiled the hobby.

Simon.

[Alan O]

The belts and badges probably came out of the bins! There is a collection of unique 1915 London Scottish photos that even the regiment don't own that came out of a bin and now belong to the former dustman.

[denis pannett]

Originally Posted by Luke H

The F&FY is not an early example.

Am quite certain I’ve seen a high resolution pic of that type with the void above the Thane’s helmet and plume being worn in WW2 on a beret.

Here is a photo of my full size cast Gaunt badge with void over Thane's helmet. Denis

[Sonofacqms]

Originally Posted by High Wood

Rob,

I am of the same opinion. When I was a young lad one of the factors that got me into badge collecting, apart from my father giving me his brother's badges, was that every week the dustmen would come to empty the bins. Out of the crew of five or six, every one had either a leather army surplus jerkin or a trophy belt or both. As an eight year old I badly wanted a belt of my own. None of the dustmen, as far as I know, were badge purists but I would bet that the majority of their badges were genuine having come from reliable sources as ex servicemen or from army surplus stores. Mind you that was the mid sixties before the fakers took over and spoiled the hobby.

Simon.

Simon, back in the mid 1950's our dustmen had on the radiator grill of their dustcart lots of cap badges, many Corps and some Infantry, but the one that impressed me most was a stag on a scroll, the Hunts Cyclists, I never had the courage to ask them for it and it took a long time to acquire a specimen.

I wonder what happened to those badges?

A friend of mine worked on the dustcarts in the sixties and used to find badges, he even picked up an officers picklehaube, those were the days!

Rob

[billy]

Hi all, many thanks for your thoughts on the badges, BELT IS NOT GOING TO BE BROKEN UP! This is the 2nd of two I acquired in December 2023, there are a few nice badges on the 1st I’ll post when I get back from Malta (found some badges here but mainly only copies and really high prices on all, Durham Light Infantry £35 but a good badge! )

if I see a Belt on EBay and I can afford it I try to acquire them but am finding these offer an opportunity to being full of copies! So with having a few concerns about this Belt you have completely blown those away!

Thanks Luke for the Fife & Forfar confirmation & Dennis that is a Cracking badge you have shown, could this be Silver?

Wilf read your link and I totally agree on the threads comments, that is a Belt! a real beauty! Regarding belt bought and broken up I would be gutted to see this happening in front of my eyes! (As a Postman I miss-delivered a letter and within a minute of doing so went back and knocked on the door to retrieve it, the two little old ladies opened the door - smiled and opened the letter in front of me and read it, I couldn’t cross the threshold and to this day still Rankles!

Thanks Rob, Alan, C.B. and everyone else appreciate your help, maybe I’ll find one like Wilf’s? I do have some that are close!

All the best Billy

[denis pannett]

Originally Posted by billy

Hi all, many thanks for your thoughts on the badges, BELT IS NOT GOING TO BE BROKEN UP! This is the 2nd of two I acquired in December 2023, there are a few nice badges on the 1st I’ll post when I get back from Malta (found some badges here but mainly only copies and really high prices on all, Durham Light Infantry £35 but a good badge! )

if I see a Belt on EBay and I can afford it I try to acquire them but am finding these offer an opportunity to being full of copies! So with having a few concerns about this Belt you have completely blown those away!

Thanks Luke for the Fife & Forfar confirmation & Dennis that is a Cracking badge you have shown, could this be Silver?

Wilf read your link and I totally agree on the threads comments, that is a Belt! a real beauty! Regarding belt bought and broken up I would be gutted to see this happening in front of my eyes! (As a Postman I miss-delivered a letter and within a minute of doing so went back and knocked on the door to retrieve it, the two little old ladies opened the door - smiled and opened the letter in front of me and read it, I couldn’t cross the threshold and to this day still Rankles!

Thanks Rob, Alan, C.B. and everyone else appreciate your help, maybe I’ll find one like Wilf’s? I do have some that are close!

All the best Billy

Hi Billy,
Sadly the Gaunt badge is not silver but the pin back one and FSC are silver
Regards Denis