Some Commonwealth Cap badges

[Laurence Strong]

I have got them all together (slim pickings)along with some new ones. if you have reason to suspect a repro please pipe up and let me know.

An Australian 3rd Pattern "Rising Sun" hat badge, different in that it has the slider bar as opposed to the lugs and pin that is more common.

it's not brass so it might be a private purchase

Edited September 15, 2006 by Laurence Strong

[Laurence Strong]

The reverse

I was not aware of how many different types there were till I started reaserching the hat badge

http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-badges/rising_sun.htm

Edited September 15, 2006 by Laurence Strong

[Laurence Strong]

I am probably going to get some nasty PM's for placing UK cap badge's in with the rest of the Commonwealth

North Staffordshire regt, this would be no later than 1959:

The Staffordshire Regiment (Prince of Wales') (or simply "Staffords" for short) is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. The regiment was formed in 1959 by the amalgamation of The South Staffordshire Regiment and The North Staffordshire Regiment (Prince of Wales'). The Staffords can trace their history back to 1705 when a regiment known as the 38th Foot was raised at Lichfield by Colonel Luke Lillington.

[Laurence Strong]

2 piece construction, nice looking, the rev

[Laurence Strong]

The Wiltshire Regiment (Duke of Edinbourough's)

The Regiment consists of two former Regiments of Foot, the 62nd and the 99th, which were linked together under the Cardwell system in 1881 as the Wiltshire Regiment, the 62nd becoming the 1st Battalion and the 99th the 2nd Battalion. The two Battalions were amalgamated in Germany in 1948 and in 1953 HM The Queen graciously gave permission for Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, to become Colonel-in-Chief of the Regiment, as the 1st Duke of Edinburgh had been for the 99th Regiment of Foot

They have "Louisbourg' on their Colors, thats on my side of the pond on the East Coast

http://www.louisbourg.ca/fort/

[Laurence Strong]

The reverse

[Laurence Strong]

Shown this one here:

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=10204

but I like it

[Avitas]

Nice cap badges Larry

I especially like the Wiltshire Reg't, very simple but effective, and I have seen a couple of yours at my "secret stash" of cap badges in Vernon (the place is a Canadian militaria goldmine). I have a question while we're on topic, do most Cap Badges have the attached pin coming off of the back with one open end? I noticed all of the ones you have posted have this feature. This attached hook like the ones posted earlier this thread is on my English and NZ cap badges, but all of my Canadian ones have the dual loop-one separate pin set-up. Maybe it is sorted out by country with England, NZ and Australia with the attached pin and the Canadians with the dual loops. I have quite a few (posted in this forum) and every one of the Canuck badges have that dual-loop set-up. Also a part B to the question, what is the easiest way to distinguish between true "cap badges" and "collar badges", as I for one have been guilty of lumping them all together, like many others. Here is an example of what I am talking about, the reverse of my RCEME Cap? Collar? badge with the two loops and the pin.

Cheers,

Pat

Edited September 15, 2006 by Avitas

[Laurence Strong]

Hi Pat

I think that was just the way they were made, I believe the sliders started appearing around WW2, though I could be wrong.

A new one today:

York and Lancaster Regiment

It was formed in 1881 through the amalgamation of two other regiments:

65th (2nd Yorkshire North Riding) Regiment

84th (York and Lancaster) Regiment

The title of the regiment was derived not from the cities of York and Lancaster, or from the counties. Instead, the name came from the fact that it recruited from, amongst other places, landed properties owned by the Duchy of York and the Duchy of Lancaster. The regiment's recruiting area was in fact wholly within South Yorkshire (an area known as Hallamshire). Indeed, the regiment's TA battalion dropped its number and was known simply as The Hallamshire Battalion from 1924.

The new regiment saw service in both Egypt and Sudan immediately after its formation, and also during the Second Boer War, when it took part in the Relief of Ladysmith.

First World War

The regiment raised 22 battalions for service in the First World War, of which 8 saw action on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. During the war it suffered 48,650 casualties out of 57,000 men serving, with 8,814 killed or died of wounds (72 out of every 100 men being either wounded or killed). The regiment won 4 Victoria Crosses and 59 Battle Honours, the largest number in any English regiment during the war.

During the Battle of the Somme the Yorks and Lanc's 8 battalions that went over the top on the first day suffered huge casualties, the three Pals battalions ; 12th , 13th and 14th Battalions, in particular suffering heavily. Eleven battalions of the regiment fought during the Somme campaign.

The regular 1st Battalion returned from service in India to be formed as part of the 28th Division which saw action in France from 1914 to 1915. It then was shipped to the Balkans as part of the British Salonika Army where it would remain until the end of the war.

The other regular 2nd Battalion arrived on the Western Front in late 1914 with the 6th Division and fought in most of the major battles of the war including the Battle of the Somme .

Second World War

During the Second World War, the regiment raised ten battalions and sent six battalions to serve in the Burma campaign in various roles.

Other units of the regiment saw service in Europe - both the 1st Battalion and The Hallamshire Battalion were involved in the Norwegian Campaign.

The 1st Battalion was carried to and from Norway by HMS Sheffield; this led to a bond of friendship between the regiment and the ship, and meant that when the Sheffield was adopted by its namesake city, the Yorks and Lancs was awarded the freedom of Sheffield soon after. This Battalion served in the 15th Infantry Brigade , part of the 5th Infantry Division and after being shipped around most of the British Empire was finally sent to Italy where they fought through that campaign from 1943 to 1945.

The 2nd Battalion (part of the 14th Infantry Brigade), before becoming Chindits, was involved in the defense of Heraklion, during the Battle of Crete in 1941 . Most of their casualties in this battle were suffered in the withdrawal by the Royal Navy which came under heavy air attack from the German Luftwaffe. On returning to Egypt they became part of the British 70th Infantry Division used in the breakout from Tobruk, where they suffered heavy casulties as one of the lead battalions. They were transferred, along with the rest of the 70th Infantry Division, to India and Burma where they took part in the 2nd Chindit Campaign and the Arakan offensive toward the end of the war.

The Hallamshire Battalion, after a brief fight in Norway in 1940, was landed in Normandy soon after D-Day and fought its way through France , Belgium (where Cpl.J.W.Harper won the Victoria Cross), and into Holland where they were part of the bitter fighting that led to the eventual capture of Arnhem in 1945.

Following the Second World War, the regiment saw service around the world, including participation in the Suez Crisis of 1956. With the reorganisation of the army in 1968, the Yorks and Lancs was one of two infantry regiments that chose to be disbanded rather than amalgamated with another regiment. However, although the 1st Battalion was disbanded in 1968, with the Regimental HQ closing in 1987, the traditions of the regiment were continued through the descendents of the Hallamshire Battalion, which was constituted as two companies in the Yorkshire Volunteers. This was reduced to a single company in 1992 before the Hallamshire lineage was ended in 1999.

Trivia

One of the characters in Alan Bennett's play The History Boys goes on from school and university to serve in the York and Lancaster Regiment. The film version is set in 1983, 15 years after the disbandment of the regiment's 1st Battalion.

[Avitas]

Thanks Larry,

I guess the easiest way to distinguish cap badges and collar badges is their size. The collar badges are pretty easy to tell from the cap badges if they are side by side, but some of them get tricky unless you have a detailed book if you have a smaller cap badge or a large collar badge. I would say about 95% of my badges are cap badges and the collar badges seem to be harder to find, what about your collection Larry (or anyone else)?

Cheers,

Pat

[peter monahan]

Pat

the badges with the single vertical "hook" - usually called a "slider" by the books/experts or for use ona beret, where the pin & loop system would stick into the wearer's head! (It does, I've tried.) The pin and loop is standard for both Canadian and British and Indian (and, I'd guess, everybody else) for earlier badges.

Pins are a very secure attachment, unlike the slider. In fact, some later sliders have a small "lobe" on the end: two indentations 1/4 inch up from the end, presumably meant to catch the fabric of the headgear and keep it from sliding out. Modern CF berets also have a re-inforced, padded slot sewn in which is a very snug fit for the slider and serves the same purpose. Wouldn't want the Sergeant Major dying of apoplexy on the parade square whyen some sprog shows up on parade without a cap badge!

Size is the principal determinate for collars. They should be rare too, not used for nearly as long in our army. Tell more abou the treasure trove!

Peter

[leigh kitchen]

Sliders were not used on badges purely for wear on the beret, they were in use prior to WWI, suggestions are that they came in about 1911, but I would have thought before that.

Edited December 5, 2006 by leigh kitchen

[peter monahan]

Sliders were not used on badges purely for wear on the beret, they were in use prior to WWI, suggestions are that they came in about 1911, but I would have thought before that.

Don't know exactly when Indian Army units began to use them, but they back a good long way. Not just for berets, as you say, but anywhere "soft" headgear would bring pins into contact with the wearer's skull: beret, turban...

Peter

[leigh kitchen]

Don't know exactly when Indian Army units began to use them, but they back a good long way. Not just for berets, as you say, but anywhere "soft" headgear would bring pins into contact with the wearer's skull: beret, turban...

Peter

I don't know about Indian Army units, but obviously long sliders were fitted (sometimes locally) to HP centres etc for wear with the pagri.

I don't really think that authority cared about the the comfort of troops in terms of loop fittings & foreheads & soft headgear - eg badges such as those of the RRF & RWF of the 1960's onwards - wide anodised metal "prongs" about 3/4" or an inch long on a badge only ever intended to be worn on the beret as OR's & Junior NCO's of the units only wear berets not caps.

As asides, some units had there loop fittings changed locally for sliders - my father as a WWII / Palestine era member of 1 WG states that their cap badges were altered by having the sliders fitted simply for convenience of removal for cleaning etc.

A WG officer by the name of Johnson I think - author of "Miracle on The Marne"? states that in his end of WWII Guards officer training squad, his Irish Sgt Major studied him closely on parade one morning before enquiring along the lines of "Johnson, phwhat is it that's wrong with your bog-brush?" as his WG badge was fitted with a slider & was wonky in his cap.

Not a lot to do with anything, but I like the story.

Edited December 6, 2006 by leigh kitchen

[Laurence Strong]

Scots Guards

The Scots Guards are a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division, and have a long and proud history stretching back hundreds of years.

The Scots Guards is ranked as the third regiment of Foot Guards; as such, Scots Guardsmen can be recognised by having the buttons on their tunics spaced in threes. The regiment consists of a single operational battalion, which is currently (2006) based in Germany in the armoured infantry role (due to move to Catterick by 2009). However, since 1993, the regiment has also maintained an independent company permanently based in London on public duties. F Company is the custodian of the colours and traditions of the 2nd Battalion, which was placed in permanent suspended animation in 1993.

Battle honours

Pre-First World: Namur 1695, Dettingen, Lincelles, Egypt, Talavera, Barrosa, Fuentes d'Onor, Salamanca, Nive, Peninsula, Waterloo, Alma, Inkerman, Sevastopol, Tel-er-Kebir, Egypt 1882, Suakin 1885, Modder River, South Africa 1899?1902

First World War:

Western Front: Retreat from Mons, Marne 1914, Aisne 1914, Ypres 1914 1917, Langemarck 1914, Gheluvelt, Nonne Bosschen, Givenchy 1914, Neuve Chapelle, Aubers, Festubert 1915, Loos, Somme 1916 1918, Flers Courcelette, Morval, Pilckem, Poelcapelle, Cambrai 1917 1918, St. Quentin, Albert 1918, Bapaume 1918, Arras 1918, Drocourt-Qu?ant, Hindenburg Line, Havrincourt, Canal du Nord, Selle, Sambre, France and Flanders 1914?18

Second World War:

North-West Europe: Stien, Norway 1940, Quarry Hill, Estry, Venlo Pocket, Rhineland, Reichswald, Kleve, Moyland, Hochwald, Rhine, Lingen, Uelzen, North-West Europe 1944?45

North Africa: Halfaya 1941, Sidi Suleiman, Tobruk 1941, Gazala, Knightsbridge, Defence of Alamein Line, Medenine, Tadjera Khir, Medjez Plain, Grich el Oued, Djebel Bou Aoukaz 1943 I, North Africa 1941?43,

Italy: Salerno, Battipaglia, Volturno Crossing, Roccheta e Croce, Monte Camino, Campoleone, Carroceto, Trasimene Line, Advance to Florence, Monte San Michele, Catarelto Ridge, Argenta Gap, Italy 1943?45

Post WWII: Tumbledown Mountain, Falkland Islands 1982, Gulf 1991

Edited December 12, 2006 by Laurence Strong

[Laurence Strong]

Some "sta-brite" hat badges, they sure ruined a good thing with these

My favorite British regt:

Royal Green Jackets

The Royal Green Jackets (RGJ) is an infantry regiment of the British Army, one of two within the Light Division (the other being The Light Infantry). It was formed in 1966 by the amalgamation of the three separate regiments of the Green Jackets Brigade:

1st Green Jackets (43rd/52nd Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry)

2nd Green Jackets (60th The King's Royal Rifle Corps)

3rd Green Jackets (The Rifle Brigade)

Their motto is Celer et Audax (Latin: "Swift and Bold"). As they were used as shock troops and marksmen, they had to get to the front line of battle as fast as was possible; as a result the RGJ marches at 140 paces per minute whereas other regiments march at just 120. Until recently no other regiment has devoted so much time to becoming highly proficient with the rifle, even though it has been part of standard army issue for 140 years; as a consequence, the RGJ's lowest rank (after 'recruit') is Rifleman (Rfn), rather than Private (Pte), as in other regiments.

The regiment is classed as a 'rifle' regiment, having its lineage in the regiments of foot that were equipped with the first rifles. Traditionally, rifle regiments wore rifle green tunics, an early form of camouflage, instead of the red jackets worn by line infantry, hence the regimental name. Also, the regiment carries no colours, as traditionally rifle regiments, being skimishers and sharpshooters, had no need to identify where their fellows were on the battlefield. So, the battle honours of the Royal Green Jackets are worn on the regiment's cap badge. Infantry in the regiment wear a beret with the badge behind the left eye towards the side of the head, traditionally to show that they don't need to hide behind their colours to show how good the regiment is. Green Jackets were issued with short swords instead of Bayonets as the Baker rifles of the past were shorter than the traditional musket, fitting the sword to the rifle made the overall weapon length the same as a musket with bayonet attached. The RGJ still refer to their bayonets as 'swords'. The Royal Green Jackets have won more Victoria Crosses than any other unit.

Amalgamations of 2005

As part of the 2004 restructuring of the infantry, the RGJ was scheduled to be largely unaffected. The regiment would have receive a new TA battalion through the grouping together of the various RGJ companies of the Royal Rifle Volunteers and the London Regiment.

However, on 24 November 2005 it was announced that after discussions between Light Infantry and the RGJ, the Royal Green Jackets regiment will be merged with The Light Infantry, along with the Devonshire and Dorset Light Infantry and Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry by the end of 2007 to form a single large regiment to be called The Rifles. The new regiment will contain five Regular Battalions and two TA Battalions. The amalgamation is expected to be completed in 2007.

The 1st Battalion Royal Green Jackets will become 2nd Battalion, The Rifles

The 2nd Battalion Royal Green Jackets will become 4th Battalion, The Rifles

The Royal Rifle Volunteers will become 7th Battalion, The Rifles

The Maltese Cross cap badge of the RGJ will be worn as the cross belt or waist belt in The Rifles and will carry the battle honours. The Rifles will be a Rifle Regiment and as such will not carry colours, also the title "Rifleman" will be used for Private soldiers, as it is today with the Royal Green Jackets.

Battle Honours

Louisburg, Quebec 1759, Martinique 1762, Havannah, North America 1763-64, Mysore, Hindoostan, Martinique 1794, Copenhagen, Monte Video, RoLica, Vimiero, Corunna, Martinique 1809, Talavera, Busaco, Barrosa, Fuentes d'Onor, Albuhera, Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajoz, Salamanca, Vitoria, Pyrenees, Nivelle, Nive, Orthez, Toulouse, Peninsula, Waterloo, South Africa 1846-47, Mooltan, Goojerat, Punjab, South Africa 1851-53, Alma, lnkerman, Sevastopol, Delhi 1857, Lucknow, Taku Forts, Pekin 1860, New Zealand, Ashantee 1873-74, Au Masjid, South Africa 1879, Ahmed Khel, Kandahar 1880, Afghanistan 1878-80, Tel-ei-Kebir, Egypt 1882-84, Buma 1885-87, Chitral, Khartoum, Defence of Ladysmith, Relief of Kimberley, Paardeberg, Relief of Ladysmith, South Africa 1899-1902.

The Great War: Mons, Le Cateau, Retreat from Mons, Marne 1914, Aisne 1914, 18, Armenti?res 1914, Ypres 1914, 15, 17, 18, Langemarck 1914, 17, Gheluvelt, Nonne Boschen, Givenchy 1914, Neuve Chapelle, Gravenstafel, St. Julien, Frezenberg, Heliewaarde, Aubers, Festubert 1915, Hooge 1915, Loos, Mount Sorrel, Somme 1916, 18, Albert 1916, 18, Bazentin, Delville Wood, Pozi?res, Guillemont, Flers-Courcelette, Morval, Le Transloy, Ancre Heights, Ancre 1916, 18, Bapaume 1917, 18, Arras 1917, 18, Vimy 1917, Scarpe 1917, 18, Arleux, Messines 1917, 18, Pilckem, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde, Poelcappelle, Passchendaele, Cambrai 1917, 18, St. Quentin, Rosi?res, Avre, Villers-Bretonneux, Lys, Hazebrouck, Bailleul, Kemmel, Bethune, Drocourt Qu?ant, Hindenburg Line, Havrincourt, Epehy, Canal du Nord, St. Quentin Canal, Beaurevoir, Kortrijk, Selle, Valenciennes, Sambre, France and Flanders 1914-18, Piave, Vittorio Veneto, Italy 1917-18, Doiran 1917, 18, Macedonia 1915-18, Kut al Amara 1915, Ctesiphon, Defence of Kut al Amara, Tigris 1916, Khan Baghdadi, Mesopotamia 1914-18.

Archangel 1919

The Second World War: Defence of Escaut, Calais 1940, Cassel, Ypres-Comines Canal, Normandy Landing, Pegasus Bridge, Villers Bocage, Odon, Caen, Esquay, Bourguebus Ridge, Mont Pincon, Le Perier Ridge, Falaise, Antwerp, Hechtel, Nederrijn, Lower Maas, Roer, Ourthe, Rhineland, Reichswald, Cleve, Goch, Hockwald, Rhine, Ibbenburen, Dreirwalde, Leese, Aller, North-West Europe 1940, 44-45, Egyptian Frontier 1940, Sidi Barrani, Beda Fomm, Mersa el Brega, Agedabia, Derna Aerodrome, Tobruk 1941, Sidi Rezegh 1941, Chor es Sufan, Saunnu, Gazala, Bir Hacheim, Knightsbridge, Defence of Alamein Line, Ruweisat, Fuka Airfield, Alam el Halfa, El Alamein, Capture of Haifaya Pass, Nofilia, Tebaga Gap, Enfidaville, Medjez el Bab, Kasserine, Thala, Fondouk, Fondouk Pass, El Kourzia, Djebel Kournine, Agroub el Megas, Tunis, Hamman Lif, North Africa 1940-43, Sangro, Salerno, Santa Lucia, Salerno Hills, Cardito, Teano, Monte Camino, Garigliano Crossing, Damiano, Anzio, Cassino II, Liri Valley, Melfa Crossing, Monte Rotondo, Capture of Perugia, Monte Malbe, Arezzo, Advance to Florence, Gothic Line, Coriano, Gemmano Ridge, Lamone Crossing, Orsara, Tossignano, Argenta Gap, Fossa Cembalina, Italy 1943-45, Veve, Greece 1941, 44,45, Crete, Middle East 1941, Arakan Beaches, Tamandu, Burma 1943-44.

I was not aware till I put this together that the regiment had "dissapeared"

Officers badge

Edited December 12, 2006 by Laurence Strong

[Laurence Strong]

Other ranks

[Laurence Strong]

Queen's Royal Irish Hussars

The Queen's Royal Irish Hussars, normally referred to by the abbreviation QRIH, was a United Kingdom cavalry regiment formed from the amalgamation of the 4th Queen's Own Hussars and the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars in Hohne, Germany in 1958. If I am not mistaken both these regiments served in the Crimean War

The regiment moved to Ipoh, Singapore in 1962, and returned to Germany in 1964. In 1974 it was deployed to Cyprus as part of the UN peacekeeping force following the invasion of the northern part of the island by Turkey. The regiment was sent to Munster, Germany in 1982, and was deployed to the Persian Gulf during the 1991 Gulf War as part of 7th Armoured Brigade.

The regiment was amalgamated with The Queen's Own Hussars on 1st September 1993, to form The Queen's Royal Hussars (The Queen's Own and Royal Irish).

Edited December 12, 2006 by Laurence Strong

[Laurence Strong]

The Queen's Regiment

The Queen's Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army.

History

The Regiment was formed on 31 December 1966 by the amalgamation of the four remaining regiments of the Home Counties Brigade as a consequence of further defence cuts were implemented.

The four regiments formed four battalions, retaining their previous names in the titles. These were:

1st Battalion (Queen's Surreys) -- formerly The Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment (2nd, 31st & 70th Regiments of Foot).

2nd Battalion (Queen's Own Buffs) -- formerly The Queen's Own Buffs, The Royal Kent Regiment (3rd, 50th & 97th Regiments of Foot).

3rd Battalion (Royal Sussex) -- formerly The Royal Sussex Regiment (35th & 107th Regiments of Foot).

4th Battalion (Middlesex) -- formerly The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own) (57th & 77th Regiments of Foot).

In 1967 the 5th (Volunteer) Battalion, a TAVR II (Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve) unit, was formed to be employed for use with NATO forces in West Germany during tense times in the Cold War. The following year, on 1 July, the battalions discarded their previous regimental identification when the subtitles were omitted.

During its existence, the deployments of the Regiment's battalions were primarily to Northern Ireland (NI), especially during the more turbulent times of the 1970s and 1980s, attempting to keep the peace between the opposing Catholic and Protestant factions, and taking part in anti-terrorist operations against the numerous paramilitary organisations: the Regiment lost 9 men during its many tours of NI; however, its battalions did deploy to many overseas postings during the Regiment's existence, including many deployments to West Germany as part of the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR).

In 1970 the 1st Battalion joined the Berlin Brigade in West Berlin, a small enclave in Communist-controlled East Germany, leaving in 1972. In October 1972 the 2nd Battalion arrived in Cyprus as part of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNIFICYP), a force intended to prevent conflict from breaking out between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. The Battalion returned to the UK in May 1973. The 4th Battalion was disbanded that year, as with every other 'junior' battalion of the new large regiments. Also that year, the 3rd Battalion arrived in Gibraltar where it remained with the garrison for almost two years. In 1977 the 2nd Battalion arrived in Gibraltar and the 3rd Battalion arrived in Belize, then a British territory, as part of the garrison there to protect it from the perceived threat of war with Guatemala, a neighbour of Belize, which was making claims that it believed Belize to be an integral part of Guatemala.

By 1978 the 1st Battalion had arrived in Werl, Germany but moved to Canterbury (the Regiment's home base) in 1980[1]. From there it undertook a 6 month tour of Belize before deploying in November 1982 to Omagh in Co Tyrone (the first infantry battalion in that station). It served there until January 1985 with south east Fermanagh as its primary focus. During this period all 3 battalions served in Ireland -2 Queen's in Londonderry, also on a 2 year tour, and 3 Queen's in Belfast on a 6 month tour. A freedom parade was held in Belfast in 1984 at which all 3 Battalions' Regimental Colours were paraded. In 1985 the Battalion moved to Gibraltar for two years before returning to the UK (Tidworth) in 1987 where it was to remain until 1990. During this period it undetook two 6 month tours of Northern Ireland - South Armagh in 1987 and Belfast in 1989/90. In 1990 the Battalion move to Minden in Germany. Whilst there the decision to amalgamate with the Royal Hampshire Regiment was announced. During the subsequent disbandment parade the CO directed that the Colonel's Colour was to be publicly paraded in defiance of instructions that it was never to be shown outside the Officers' Mess (the only previous occasion was in 1928 in Hong Kong - an act that earned the displeasure of the War Office).

In late 1981 the 2nd Battalion deployed to Cyprus on a 6-month tour-of-duty with UN forces. In 1985 the 1st Battalion arrived in Gibraltar on a 2-year posting and the following year the 3rd Battalion was deployed to Belize on a 6-month tour-of-duty. In 1990 the 3rd Battalion arrived in Cyprus -- its last deployment abroad -- and returned to the UK in 1992. The 2nd Battalion's last deployment was to Northern Ireland in 1992 before heading to Canterbury, England, while the 1st Battalion had returned to the UK after only a year in Germany. All three battalions were now in the UK, ready to be amalgamated with the Royal Hampshire Regiment, as a consequence of the Options for Change defence cuts, to form two battalions of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires).

[Laurence Strong]

Royal Engineers

The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army. It provides combat engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces.

The Regimental Headquarters and the Royal School of Military Engineering are in Chatham in Kent. The corps is divided into several regiments, barracked at various places in the United Kingdom and Germany

[edit] History

The Royal Engineers trace their origins back to the military engineers brought to England by William the Conqueror and claim over 900 years of unbroken service to the crown. Engineers have always served in the armies of the Crown, however the origins of the modern corps, along with those of the Royal Artillery, lie in the Board of Ordnance established in the 15th century. In 1717, the Board established a Corps of Engineers, consisting entirely of commissioned officers. The hard work was done by the Artificer Companies, made up of contracted civilian artisans and labourers. In 1782, a Soldier Artificer Company was established for service in Gibraltar, and this was the first instance of non-commissioned military engineers. In 1787, the Corps of Engineers was granted the Royal prefix and adopted its current name and in the same year a Corps of Royal Military Artificers was formed, consisting of non-commissioned officers and privates, to be officered by the RE. Ten years later the Gibraltar company, which had remained separate, was absorbed and in 1812 the name was changed to the Corps of Royal Sappers and Miners.

In 1855 the Board of Ordnance was abolished and authority over the Royal Engineers, Royal Sappers and Miners and Royal Artillery was transferred to the Commander-in-Chief of the Forces, thus uniting them with the rest of the Army. The following year, the Royal Engineers and Royal Sappers and Miners became a unified corps as the Corps of Royal Engineers. In 1862 the corps also absorbed the British officers and men of the engineer corps of the East India Company.

The Corps has no battle honours, but its motto Ubique (Everywhere), awarded by King William IV in 1832, signifies that it has seen action in all the major conflicts of the British Army. A second motto is Quo Fas et Gloria du###### (Where right and glory lead). Identical to the Atrillery

Thats all for now. Thanks for looking and feel free to comment.

[Jim Maclean]

As you like them so much here's an Officer's silver plate badge.

[leigh kitchen]

I'm not too clued up on anodised badges, but the Greenjackets badge in black is subdued either produced that way or spray painted black - it's proper colour is silver.

The QRIH badge is the second pattern, the first version being a one piece badge & the ends of the motto scroll hugged the name circlet.

[Laurence Strong]

Thanks for the photo and info

[Laurence Strong]

As you like them so much here's an Officer's silver plate badge.

It's a bit of a "Canadian" thing to do with their honors.

[JamesM]

It's a bit of a "Canadian" thing to do with their honors.

A bit of trivia, but they are also a sister regiment to the PPCLI!!

Cheers,

James