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On the badge theme, I here submit a cut brass badge found here in an antique shop nearly twenty years ago. Later I became a little wary of paying too much for this type of badge; however this one was relatively inexpensive.




The badge is made of very thin sheet brass 25 thou. thick and has suffered a break just after the uppermost "R". Also shown is a view of the rear of the badge. The attachment loops are quite different to later (WW1) badges.
Regards to all
IL.

Hi Linney.......

Looks OK to me, just like the one that I have except for the break.....

It looks like it is #1697 in Owen's and is a slouch hat badge.......

There are two types this is the first one, the second one has thicker letters......

Mike

See: www.angloboerwar.com/forum/21-uniforms-b...t/3624-roberts-horse

Hello Ian,
SAMIF rank and file tended not to wear shoulder titles, Roberts Horse was a very sizable regiment that existed from the start of the new year in 1900, from memory, about the 20th of January 1900 and they did wear a quite interesting array of badges, their officers did wear shoulder titles, but, these were normally simply "ROBERTS" in gilt and they had their very handsome buttons made here, in Great Britain, too, finished in a very rich mercurial fire gilt, they remain fairly scarce.
Your badge is a good scarce example and would be earlier rather that later, I'm talking about the Relief of Kimberley/Paardeberg period, I would be happy with it if I were you.

(If, in the unlikely event, you are actually not, you can send it to me, I'll be very bloody happy for you!)

Regards Frank

Gentlemen
Thanks for that information about the badge being for a slouch hat. Frank, thanks for your really kind offer! Back in the 80's, I dropped in to a local militaria dealer and the subject of Boer War shoulder titles, etc., came up. He handed me a handful of cut brass badges; one which took my eye was a three tier type, viz:
NEW SOUTH WALES
3RD
IMPERIAL BUSHMEN

Looking well tarnished and with a lot of verdigris evident, the obvious question was put. To his credit, the dealer simply threw the lot into a drawer and said they were made in South Vietnam during the late 60's. They came from the estate of an Australian Army senior NCO who served in Saigon.
Please understand that I am NOT saying that all such badges are fakes. Doubtless, the 3NSWIB had a local craftsman make such badges for them back in 1901. But for the honesty of Ray, however, I would never have known that such modern "reproductions" existed.
Regards
IL.

Hi Linneyl,

I cannot add anything of value to the comments already ready made other than to thank you for sharing this splendid badge. I gather from the comments that it is early, so very nice to see this example. Yet another rare badge for me to look out for!
Cheerio,

Roy

Collecting/wanted ABW insignia if anyone has some spares?

My website: www.wilkinsonfscollection.com

IL
This is the first time I have read that badges were being copied in Vietnam, which must be bad news for badge collectors. I had heard about the industry in Pakistan, and that too was bad news.
Regards
Brett

PS As far as I know, the rot has not spread as far as Natal, so I will stick to this limit when I collect badges.