Prince of Wales Feathers Badge

[Monique]

Good Afternoon Gentlemen,

This artefact was deposited in a residential area of The Rocks, Sydney, Australia in the 1850s.

The design on it is the Prince of Wales Feathers.

I will have the artefact next week and I will try to get a better picture.

Is this from a Military Uniform?

Could it be from a cross belt (Sam brown belt), hat badge or other?

thanks

[Jerry B]

Sam Brown belts were not invented until much later.  It is possibly from a cross belt but a view of the back might help decide what it is and if it is military but it is likely to be military.

[Monique]

Thanks Jerry B. I was unsure of what the belts that crossed over the chest were called.

The back looks the same as this, there's no evidence of any tabs, loops or anything else, but I'll post the photo.

 

[Jerry B]

A hard one to be sure as to what exactly it is from, with no traces of fittings. Sorry I cannot be of much help.

[Monique]

Thanks Jerry B. We have decided not to use it in the exhibition now.

 

[jf42]

Monique, greetings.  I know you have decided not to use the artefact in your display but you may be interested to know that some infantry regiments did have non-regulation badges with regimental insignia attached to the flap of their cartridge pouches. The single cartridge pouch hanging from a shoulder belt on the right hip, was superceded in the mid-1860s by the Valise equipment (the first  integrated system of load-bearing equipment with twin waist-pouches) , although some regiments in India were still wearing the old pouch in the 1880s.

I wonder, given the trapezoid  shape, whether this might more likely than a shoulder belt plate.

It shouldn't be too difficult identifying regiments that used the PoW feathers insignia with those posted to NSW in the 1850s.

As you probably know, the 77th  East Middlesex Regt were briefly in NSW 1857-58. In 1810 the  PoW  feathers “used as regimental badge for sometime past ” were officially recognised. In 1854 the PoW feathers ornamented  regimental buttons and also the crossbelt plate with the motto  “Ich Dien.”                

Could  there be a connection with the name of the colony?

[Monique]

Thanks for all that information jf42. I hadn't considered a cartridge pouch, that seems much more likely.

The artefact is on display at the Sydney Harbour YHA which I built over the archaeological site where it was found.  There's no label or information in the case though.

The exhibition has been hung in The Rocks Discovery Museum and runs until Feb 2017.