Knitted Garments for the Royal Navy badge.

[Duncan]

Can anyone tell me if this badge relates to WW2 or not please? Looked on Google and a few sites say WW1 and others WW2, or course it could be neither?

[Terry37]

I also have one of those and it is my understanding that is a WW2 Home Front pin. I haven't really done a lot of research though as I just picked it up for my Home Front collection that I occasionally add items too.

 

Terry

[Duncan]

17 hours ago, Terry37 said:

I also have one of those and it is my understanding that is a WW2 Home Front pin. I haven't really done a lot of research though as I just picked it up for my Home Front collection that I occasionally add items too.

 

Terry

Thanks for the info. Some websites I've seen say it's WW1 and others WW2. Think it must be WW2 myself.

[Terry37]

Hi Duncan, just seeing this and I cannot say for sure which war/period. Can you share a picture of the back as they help us?

 

Terry

[Farkas]

There is a really informative piece on this pinterest page..

 

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/14566398782740399/

 

I also found reference to the scheme starting in 1850 with volounteers sought and patterns being distributed at various times including campaigns run during Ww1 & Ww2.  

The badges i found looking like this are being described as WW2.

 

On 06/07/2023 at 01:59, Terry37 said:

Hi Duncan, just seeing this and I cannot say for sure which war/period. Can you share a picture of the back as they help us?

 

Terry

 

As Terry says, the back may hold the answer particularly if there is a makers mark. 

 

Cheers 

tony 🍻

[Gordon Craig]

Farkas,

Thanks for finding this article with the explanation of what the requirements were for awarding the badge and the time frame (1943).  Always great to see new badges I need to look for!

Regards,

Gordon

[Farkas]

9 minutes ago, Gordon Craig said:

Farkas,

Thanks for finding this article with the explanation of what the requirements were for awarding the badge and the time frame (1943).  Always great to see new badges I need to look for!

Regards,

Gordon

 

Yes interesting isn’t it, they wrote a good article. I knew people did it but I didn’t know it was ever an organised effort. 

I was totally unaware of the scheme. 

 

Some other interesting badges including one of these (warning Gordon : still for sale 😃) if you really want to tease yourself 👇

 

https://www.sallybosleysbadgeshop.com/shop.php?c=506

 

tony 🍻

[Gordon Craig]

Farcas,

Thanks for the link to Sally Bosley's site.  So far I've restricted myself to Canadian badges to women's groups (and yes men knit-my brother knit his own socks while he served in Europe in WWII) and I would have bought the Newfoundland badge if it were still available.  I might by it yet but there are so many things I want to buy right now!!!!!

Regards,

Gordon

 

[Farkas]

3 minutes ago, Gordon Craig said:

there are so many things I want to buy right now!!!!!

 

Ain’t there always 😊

[Gordon Craig]

Farkas,

While I'm willing to accept these badges existed in WWII I feel that they probably had a long history.  https://www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/651255/Women-sewing-circles-helped-Britain-win-WW2-war-UK  Possibly dating from WWI or even earlier.  There were many Women's Sewing Circles in Canada that came into being in 1914.  I am sure the same thing happened in the UK.  And not just for the RN.  Here is an example of one of the Canadian groups founded in WWI to knit for the troops.  Primarily for a specific and many of the wives became members of the sewing circle.

http://rhymeswithfyfe.blogspot.com/2013/06/westmount-soldiers-wives-league.html  I have a badge to this organization but unfortunately none on file that I can post now.

Do the search continues for more background on these badges.

Regards,

Gordon

 

Thomas Fattorini Ltd

• What I have posted below does not guarantee that theses badges were produced during WWI but an interesting fact about a factory that did produce Home Front badges during WWI.
• Regards,
• Gordon
•  
•  

 

•  

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Thomas Fattorini Ltd is a manufacturing jeweller and designer-maker of awards, trophies, ceremonial swords, civic insignia, medals and name badges. The company is located on three sites in Manchester, Birmingham and London with their head office in Skipton, North Yorkshire.

History[edit]

The company was founded in 1827 by Antonio Fattorini an Italian speaking immigrant who was born in 1797, from Bellagio near Como in the north of Italy and who settled in Yorkshire where he began to trade in jewellery, watches and barometers.^[1][2] He was one of many Italian immigrants who came to in England between 1790s and 1851 at the time when the Napoleonic wars left northern Italy with a destroyed agriculture and much hardship. The regional origins of most of the Italian immigrants were the valleys around Como, and Lucca with the people from Como being skilled artisans, making barometers and other precision instruments.^[3]

The first record of him trading was at Upton Yard off Briggate, Leeds 1826.^[4] The retail outlets that he established were consolidated in the first generation into three enterprises: Thomas Fattorini in Skipton established in 1827 with the assistance of his brother-in-law Baldisaro Porri who was also a barometer maker and merchant in Skipton, Fattorini and Sons in Bradford in 1829, and Antonio Fattorini in Harrogate in 1831.^[5]

During the First World War the company manufactured badges for the armed forces, including the Royal Flying Corps (R.F.C) badge,^[6] and Home Front badges for civilians.^[7]

Thomas Fattorini Ltd registered its punch at various Assay offices: Birmingham (1918),^[8] Edinburgh (date?), London (date?) and Chester (1898).

The British Hallmarking Council chose a new commemorative mark to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen's Platinum Jubilee 2022 which was designed by Thomas Fattorini. It depicts an Orb, and reflects the traditional fineness mark for platinum.^[9][10]

[Farkas]

The ones i’ve seen described as dating to ww2 had that same Regent Street B’ham makers mark. 

 

 

Fattorini relocated to the Regent Street factory in 1927, I think that is leading to the assumption of ww2 for those particular badges.

 

As you say though there are clear references to much earlier items both generally and by Fattorini in particular.

 

This different organisation dates from WW1...

 

This link unfortunately leads nowhere but it states 1850 so lots of history still to uncover...

 

tony 🍻

 

[Gordon Craig]

Tony,

Thanks for adding to the thread.  I was wondering if it would be possible to judge WWI and WWII badges like this by makers mark and your badge certainly lends credence to that theory.

Regards,

Gordon

 

[Farkas]

On 17/09/2023 at 14:00, Gordon Craig said:

Tony,

Thanks for adding to the thread.  I was wondering if it would be possible to judge WWI and WWII badges like this by makers mark and your badge certainly lends credence to that theory.

Regards,

Gordon

 

This metal detecting site has a great database for the backs of buttons, It’s a great help for dating bits of uniform…

https://www.ukdfd.co.uk/pages/button-makers.html

 

 

 

 

but there is such good details it helped me before with this badge coincidentally Fattorini & Sons also.

Cheers

tony 🍻