The Northamptonshire Regiment was the product of the 1881 amalgamation of the 48th & the 58th.
They joined The East Anglia Brigade in 1958, wearing the brigade cap badge & in June 1960 amalgamated with The Royal Lincolnshire Regiment to form the 2nd East Anglian Regiment (Duchess of Gloucester's Own Royal Lincolnshire & Northamptonshire), continuing to wear the brigade cap badge.
In 1964 they were further amalgamated into The Royal Anglian Regiment.
The Northants Regt were one of the four "Gibralter Regiments", having the battle honour & the castle representing Gibraltar as a central feature of their cap badge.
A War Office instruction of 30/1/1900 caused the castle displayed by these four regiments to be standardised on the that shown on the Great Seal of Gibralter.
For the Northants & the Suffolk Regiments, this meant getting rid of the flag on top of the central turret of their castles, the Suffolk Regiment had to add a central turret to their previously two turret castle, as did the Dorsteshire tle.
The Northants three turret version with flag is known to collectors as the "long key" version, because the key at the bottom of the castle extends down across the "Talavera" scroll. Id've thought that "the version with the flag on top" would have been a a more obvious descrition, but whatever.
My badges:
Top left is the "long key" version, flag on central turret version, bi-metal. This was replaced c 1901 by the version without the flag. K&K 666 refers.
Top right is the "short key" version, with no flag on the central turret, bi-metal. This was sealed for wear 15/10/1901. K&K 2008 refers.
For some reason, presumably accidental ommisssion, it does'nt feature in K&K Vol 1, which covers badges up until 1922, but it does feature in Volume 2, with the date of sealed pattern mentioned as 15/10/1901.
2nd row down, left, is the brass economy WWI economy 1916-19 version of the short key, the short key version being the correct version in wear by WWI. Gaylor page 135 refers.
2nd row down right is a yellow metal version of the long key. There is no obvious reason for this badge to have been produced in yellow metal, other than as a WWI economy produced on an obsoletye pattern die. I know of no reference to this badge, but I believe it to be genuine, produced in the circumstances as above.
Bottom badge of the five is the silver & gold anodised version, sealed 6/5/6.
K&K Volume 2 page 60 refers to this version.
As the old Northamptonshire Regiment had ceased to exist upon amalgamation in 1958, the anodised version of their badge was presumably worn only by Territorial Army elements.
As with some other regiments the regular battalions were forced to wear hybrid brigade insignia followed by the badges resulting from amalgamation, while TA units wore the old badge designs as used to be worn by their old regular battalions.
The badge missing from my collection is the WWII plastic economy version. K&K 2245 refers.
It was produced in light bronze colour, contract dates 28/10/43 - 5/9/45, 41,520 made, all by "JRL" (Militaria Magazine, issue 12).
They joined The East Anglia Brigade in 1958, wearing the brigade cap badge & in June 1960 amalgamated with The Royal Lincolnshire Regiment to form the 2nd East Anglian Regiment (Duchess of Gloucester's Own Royal Lincolnshire & Northamptonshire), continuing to wear the brigade cap badge.
In 1964 they were further amalgamated into The Royal Anglian Regiment.
The Northants Regt were one of the four "Gibralter Regiments", having the battle honour & the castle representing Gibraltar as a central feature of their cap badge.
A War Office instruction of 30/1/1900 caused the castle displayed by these four regiments to be standardised on the that shown on the Great Seal of Gibralter.
For the Northants & the Suffolk Regiments, this meant getting rid of the flag on top of the central turret of their castles, the Suffolk Regiment had to add a central turret to their previously two turret castle, as did the Dorsteshire tle.
The Northants three turret version with flag is known to collectors as the "long key" version, because the key at the bottom of the castle extends down across the "Talavera" scroll. Id've thought that "the version with the flag on top" would have been a a more obvious descrition, but whatever.
My badges:
Top left is the "long key" version, flag on central turret version, bi-metal. This was replaced c 1901 by the version without the flag. K&K 666 refers.
Top right is the "short key" version, with no flag on the central turret, bi-metal. This was sealed for wear 15/10/1901. K&K 2008 refers.
For some reason, presumably accidental ommisssion, it does'nt feature in K&K Vol 1, which covers badges up until 1922, but it does feature in Volume 2, with the date of sealed pattern mentioned as 15/10/1901.
2nd row down, left, is the brass economy WWI economy 1916-19 version of the short key, the short key version being the correct version in wear by WWI. Gaylor page 135 refers.
2nd row down right is a yellow metal version of the long key. There is no obvious reason for this badge to have been produced in yellow metal, other than as a WWI economy produced on an obsoletye pattern die. I know of no reference to this badge, but I believe it to be genuine, produced in the circumstances as above.
Bottom badge of the five is the silver & gold anodised version, sealed 6/5/6.
K&K Volume 2 page 60 refers to this version.
As the old Northamptonshire Regiment had ceased to exist upon amalgamation in 1958, the anodised version of their badge was presumably worn only by Territorial Army elements.
As with some other regiments the regular battalions were forced to wear hybrid brigade insignia followed by the badges resulting from amalgamation, while TA units wore the old badge designs as used to be worn by their old regular battalions.
The badge missing from my collection is the WWII plastic economy version. K&K 2245 refers.
It was produced in light bronze colour, contract dates 28/10/43 - 5/9/45, 41,520 made, all by "JRL" (Militaria Magazine, issue 12).
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