Cavalry cap badges - spotting the fakes

[Alan O]

A common badge as design did not change.

Originally issued with 3 lugs (pic 1-2) and then a slider. (3-4)

It has been faked including a Gaunt restrike (pics 5-8)

[Alan O]

The Victorian era badge is on 3 lugs with a brasing hole. (pic 1-2)

This has been faked with a slider and no brasing hole but this is an obvious copy as originals were pre 1903 and always lugged. (pic3-4).

The second pattern is shown at pic 5-6.

Pic 7-8 is a fake with its distinctive shaped fake feathers.
9-10 is the 2nd pattern fake.

[Alan O]

The 13 Hussars has a Victorian badge on lugs (pic 1-2) and then a k/c version which was worn until 1922. (pic3-4)

In 1922 upon amalgamation the officers' pattern badge was adopted by ORs for cap and collar. (pic5-6) and this was replaced by the unpopular '5 bar-gate' (pic 7-8) which was worn as cap on slider and on lugs for a collar.

This remained as a lugged collar even after the cap badge changed in 1935 to new design (9-10). A q/c version was produced and the regiment wore these in a/a up to amalgamation.

The 1922 badge has been widely faked as a die struck badge. The 13/18th is also widely faked.

The fakes are 11-18.

fake with Gaunt

[Volunteer Soldier]

Well done Alan - enormously helpful and obviously appreciated.

[Alan O]

The 14th Hussars had a myriad of cap badges.

They had a love affair with the eagle. At the turn of the century they wore the blackened eagle which matched their collars (pic 1) in their caps and No1 dress white FSH whilst they did not wear cap badge on their khaki FSH instead opting for a dark square on the side of the pagri. The official badge was the eagle on an oval brass circlet which was issued on lugs and then a slider. These have been faked (pic 2 and 3) but they are crudely made compared to the originals and lack the brasing holes.

If I wanted an original I would be looking for the quality of the badge in pic 6 and 7 with the brasing holes to the reverse.

In 1915 the 'cartwheel' badge was introduced which was unpopular. Pictures of it in wear are very rare and the reduced sized badge was often worn. Pics 8 and 9. The cartwheel has been badly faked with a badly copied die and fitted with lugs or a slider as per pic 13-15. This picture is a large cartwheel worn alongside 2 x 20th Hussars NCOs/
This one is early 1920's and solid small badge. I think it is at Tidworth.

From about 1926 the 14/20th Hussars regiment unofficially adopted the eagle again (pics 12-13) again with the FR on the chest. It took a few years before they were officially approved when the plain eagle in pic 10 was issued circa 1931. It was in 1930 that the 20th Hussars Sqn title was dropped.

These 14/20th Hussars eagles were often heavily polished and worn up to a/a.

There was a voided collar which does appear on a sldier rather than lugs. In light of the use of the eagle I don't think these were worn and should be regarded as suspect.