Regular Infantry of the Line 1914

[Si1964]

Jim,

Thanks for sharing the scans of your collection, very intersting thread

[Adrian Stevenson]

Great thread Jim. Thanks for taking the time to do this


Cheers, Ade.

[Frosch]

Jim,

Great thread and what a nice collection!

Assuming the only thing that can go wrong is a bit of tarnish, do you display them, and if so, how?

Thanks in advance.

/David (now also badly tempted to start collecting WW1 cap badges)

[Jim Maclean]

Thanks all,

David, the intention is to frame them in their order of precedence. At the moment the frame that I can get is a little on the large side so will possibly have room for the pre and post WW1 variations either side. Whatever happens I shall post the end result.

Jim

[leigh kitchen]

A nice collection - I'm sure you must have some badges that I need? I keep mine flowing, from about 1898 - 1990, rather than split them up into circa WWI, circa WWII etc. I found that the best way for me to "display" them (actually it's just a case of storing them in the garage) was to use paste tables as frames. Insert a piece of corrugated cardboard covered in white anaglypta wallpaer or similar, with an outer covering of beige hessian, this allows the badges to be fitted in such a way that if you move them around then you don't leave visible holes all over the place as you just poke the fittings through the weave of the hessian. I've got the majority of my main theme, regular infantry below the rank of sergeant, set out this way with the appropriate gaps for "missing" items left amongst the badges grouped under regimental headings according to seniority. The first "panel" shows examples of metals, crowns, fittings etc. My master plan includes putting headings & labels on one day. The paste tables protect the badges in storage & could be fitted with clear perspex to keep them safe when actually displayed, but as I've applied wood stain & varnish to the tables I suppose the storage conditions are'nt the best in terms of chemical reaction etc.
My current display method for cavalry, corps & duplicates is to throw them in a small case pending more paste tables or whatever, tho' I've swung around to the idea of putting them in glazed frames without leaving gaps, just as a way of doing something with them.

[Jim Maclean]

A nice collection - I'm sure you must have some badges that I need? ................

I may well have, but until you let me know what you need........... Going by K&K I'm only a few thousand away from the 'Whole set'.
I learnt many years ago not to swap a sole example for one I haven't got as that means no progress and sometimes is the opposite, but if I have a duplicate that you need, you're welcome, trades preferred.
As for the displays, I prefer them to tell some sort of story hence WW1 as a starting point. 69 cap badges plus the Glosters back badge, was a bit of a slog, but done. From there I feel I can work down and up the century. Infantry's easy, I suppose the Arms and Services aren't too bad but to pin down the Cavalry to a specific time and not leave the gaps I hate is very difficult.
Wouldn't worry too much about the finish you've used on frames, British badges were made to be polished. When I frame this lot it's going to be 'Silvo', not too clean so as to give some contrast and then a coat of Renwax to see how that works. I shall of course remove any of that nasty verdigris on them beforehand.

Jim

[Tony Farrell]

A top thread Jim. It makes me weep though to think what's around the corner for some of the present regiments. I can see a return to the Brigade system of '58 - with some TA units already having amalgamated titles with no regular counterpart. I've got a full collection of staybrites framed around the gaff - all 68-94 - when it went to ratshyte (The Highlanders? What the...? ). I await the next governmental dickdance with much trepidation.

[Greeves]

Fantastic thread, Jim! I've learned quite a bit from it.

[leigh kitchen]

The Kitchen preferred storage & display system - a refinement of my previous cardboard shoebox / knackered briefcase system. It's taken over 3 decades to develop. It's patent pending, so no imitators please, but I can reveal that the key is to spend many years & much money on researching, tracking down & aquiring the items concerned. You then carefully catalogue the item, carry it around & fondle it a lot, & then you lob it in the receptacle. Fortunately a lifetime of under achievement & blaming others means that I'm incapable of feeling embarassment or shame.

[Jim Maclean]

Cameron Highlanders, no scroll.

I'm posting this as I've never been able to compare it to another. Perhaps someone out there has one and can give me an opinion. Nothing tragically wrong to my eyes, but......

[Jim Maclean]

Reverse

[leigh kitchen]

Jim, my white metal Camerons with & without name scroll.

The without pattern is more delicate looking than the named, with a smaller slimmer St Andrew & less chunky thistle wreath. It's also of a more steely looking metal than the named version.

[leigh kitchen]

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[leigh kitchen]

...........& for your opinion, the Connaught Ranger's badges that we discussed.
The one on the left is a nicely made little piece with wire reinforced weak points where the crown joins the harp. To me, it's undoubtedly genuineThe middle badge is much like the one on the right, other than the unvoided strings to the harp, they are quite possibly from the same die, the one on the right was aquired during the early 80's, the middle badge about 20 years later.
The one on the right is of a more yellow metal than the others & the slider is affixed by means, I think, of silver solder. You may be correct when you suggest that it could be WWI brass economy issue, but I'm not convinced that it isn't fake.

[leigh kitchen]

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