75th of Foot or 14th of Foot Tiger badge

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[Toby Purcell]

Originally Posted by HAMMO2440

Hello all,

Are there any 75th of Foot/Gordon Highlander collectors on here that could help out with confirming wherever or not the 75th of Foot ever wore a pouch badge in silver of a tiger over India?

The first picture is the badge in question, approximate size 90x 60mm, the second badge is a post 1831 pouch badge to the 14th of Foot which is almost identical to the first badge other than the base metal and only having 3 loops on the rear vis 4 for the silver badge.

Whilst the tigers used in both the 14th and 75th if Foot's badges appear to be identical I know that the 14th of Foot were granted the addition of India but don't know wherever the 75th of Foot was as well.

Any help would be appreciated,

Cheers,
Marcus

Both regiments were awarded the exact same 'Royal Tiger', for "Service in India". The badge has the look of a drummers pouch badge, but I do not know for sure, or for which regiment it might be. Its design is the 2nd pattern Royal Tiger approved at Horse Guards (HQ), with its tail between its legs in supposed allusion to the defeat of Tippoo Sultan at Seringapatam. Drummers badges interest me greatly, as they are not well publicised and I am unaware of any publication that describes in detail the many designs that have existed.

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[GriffMJ]

Marcus

I have one of these in gilt and very well made (Obviously an Officers)..... with no INDIA scroll..... its back filled with wax with no visible attachments? I have not found a Regiment that fits it yet?

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[GriffMJ]

Marcus

I will dig it out and take a pic..... it will be for sale as soon as I can ID the sodding Regiment!!

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[Toby Purcell]

Originally Posted by HAMMO2440

Hi Tony,

As I said I know the brass badge to be to the 14th of Foot, the Bedfordshire Regiment, subsequently the West Yorkshire Regiment and then the Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire with the latter still retaining a number of original former West Yorks Tiger crested items including a very large Brass second pattern Tiger set on a plinth mounted on a large tripod outside the guard room kept highly polished by those soldiers either under close arrest or on restriction of privilege's, also the unofficial motto of the Prince Of Wales's Own was ''and one for the Tiger''

The question mark arises about the silver badge as silver as whilst the drummers pouch badge is brass who wore the silver badge, the Drum Major? or possibly the bandmaster assuming it was worn by the 14th and not the 75th off Foot, hence my original query as to if the latter wore a Tiger badge over India as opposed to the type of Tiger badge without India in the glengarry badge.

Cheers,

Marcus

Thanks for clarifying matters Hammo and especially for the details about the PWO, within which I had some friends during my own service. I was interested to read of the unofficial battalion motto and the brass tiger outside of the guardroom.

Returning to your badges, I personally do not think that it is a Gordon's item and I have had a good look through all of my Scottish reference material to check.

I rather suspect that it is more likely to be a drummers pouch badge from a Volunteer Battalion of the West Yorks, as between 1881 and 1908 their (i.e. VB) badges and insignia were required by regulation to be in white metal. Militia battalions were in reversed metals and regulars in the standard bi-metal finish as decreed by the 1898 sealed patterns.

[GriffMJ]

Marcus

Here you go..... somebody must know what this is?

[Toby Purcell]

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[Toby Purcell]

Originally Posted by GriffMJ

Marcus

Here you go..... somebody must know what this is?

The style and form of the Tiger is in this case that used by the Leicestershire Regiment since its adoption of a forage cap badge in 1898. A similar, but smaller Tiger has been annotated as unidentified by Colin Churchill, in his book on collar badges, but he has nonetheless placed it under the Leicestershire Regiment, as that is the Tiger pattern it is most similar too.

Because there is no direct evidence he comments that it 'might' also be related to the 65th, 67th and 75th Regiments (all with the Indian Tiger Honour), but there is no doubt that it is the Leicester's design of Tiger that it most resembles. As one of the regimental nicknames was 'The Tigers', it seems possible that it is a drummers pouch badge for the regiment.

[badger123]

Originally Posted by GriffMJ

Marcus

Here you go..... somebody must know what this is?

Griff, what is that substance on the back of the Tiger?

Ivan

[GriffMJ]

Ivan

Its wax....candle wax I think?

[badger123]

Thanks Griff.

Is it pliable or solid (e.g. could you dig your finger nail in it)?

Rather than hijack Marcus's thread, I'll start a new one as I want to explore this further.

Thanks, Ivan