Liverpool Pals- sweethearts or mufti

[Peter Brydon]

Just managed to get hold of a much better example of this badge, the one I already had was missing a fair bit of enamel.

I have always thought that as this badge refers to a single City Battalion when in fact it became clear very early on that enough men had volunteered to form a number of battalions, it is either a very early sweethearts badge or a badge to be worn in mufti before uniforms were issued.

P.B.

[tonyb]

Peter I've no idea, but in my world the badge looks very Evertonesque in shape, Everton first division champions 1914/15, wonder if there was any connection? Probably not!
https://goo.gl/images/wlnv9o
Earliest image is 1920.
Tony.

[Paul Spellman]

Peter,
I would go with Mufti as it is not very feminite.
Tony, I go with your thoughts on it being a true scouser would be an Evertonian and not an artificial import
Paul

[Peter Brydon]

Tony/Paul,

The badge came with this one in the attached photo, after all this time they have probably only been together for a short time but it does perhaps show the colour and shape are probably a coincidence and nothing to do with EFC.

Peter

[Frank Kelley]

Very nice indeed, I have not seen one of those before and like Paul, I'd go with mufti, a really lovely piece, I would be absolutely delighted with that if I were you.

Originally Posted by Peter Brydon

Just managed to get hold of a much better example of this badge, the one I already had was missing a fair bit of enamel.

I have always thought that as this badge refers to a single City Battalion when in fact it became clear very early on that enough men had volunteered to form a number of battalions, it is either a very early sweethearts badge or a badge to be worn in mufti before uniforms were issued.

P.B.

[Mike B]

I always used to think the Liverpool City Battalion badge illustrated in this thread was Mufti rather than sweetheart - however, the Cheshire Regiment badge makes me rethink - surely more likely a sweetheart in that design. Also - the variety of Liverpool City Battalions badges suggests no approved standard style eg - round ones, shield shaped ones etc etc. Would this be the case with a mufti badge? or would you expect something more 'standardised/Official/consistent'? ... Perhaps not, ... and I am certainly no expert on this, - but I pose the question. Whatever their use the badges are both superb.
Mike

[Peter Brydon]

Thanks to Tony, Paul, Frank and Mike,

Looking at Maddocks book on the Liverpool Pals and Stanleys ( Lord Derbys brother) book on the 89th Brigade, it appears that the initial meeting to see what interest there was in forming a battalion of comrades was held at the Drill Hall of the 5th Kings Liverpools on 28th August 1914.

By Monday 7th September, Lord Derby had 3,000 recruits, enough to raise 3 battalions of Pals, so the time scale for a badge to be designed and made for a "City Battalion " was very short indeed.

Permission to use the Stanley family crest as the Pals badge was only given by the King on 14th October 1914, so there are a number of questions still to be answered as to why a badge bearing the "Eagle and Child" crest and referring to the "Liverpool City Battalion" exists, but it is the sort of thing that makes our hobby so fascinating.


P.B.

[redman]

Hi
Just to add this image to thread.
Kind regards
Dan

[redman]

And another.
Thinkin sweetheart not mufti

[Peter Brydon]

Thanks Dan,

Your other badges make me wonder if in fact the reference to a single battalion on the Liverpool Pals badge was an error by the manufacturer and that it may have been made well after the forming of the Liverpool Pals Battalions but there is another Liverpool Pals mufti type badge which also refers to just one" battalion" which is pictured below, so the mystery remains.

P.B.

[redman]

Hi
Here's another I found.
Dan