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Re: Natal Police 11 years 9 months ago #4017

  • Frank Kelley
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Hello Brett,
I love those victorian Natal Police buttons, lovely examples! I believe some NP slouch hat badges were made in the war by Wade's in PM Burg and List Brothers in Durban, Colin Owen did not have any shown in his book though.
Kind regards Frank.

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Re: Natal Police 11 years 9 months ago #4030

  • Brett Hendey
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Frank

I wonder if the badges you referred to are in fact the ones shown by Owen numbers 1890, 1891 and 1892? They are similar in design to those of the Natal Carbineers numbers 358 to 361, which are also likely to have been made in Pietermaritzburg.

I do not know why Owen believed 1890, 1891 and 1892 were collar badges. I have seen no evidence for that conclusion.

Regards
Brett

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Re: Natal Police 11 years 9 months ago #4041

  • Frank Kelley
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Hi Brett,
I don't much like or use Owen's book, anyway, just found my copy and the badges at 1890,1891 and 1892 are British made.
Boer War Natal made badges would be more like 1893!
The Natal Carbineers badges at 358-361 are also British made, the example at 355 is the only Boer War item there that is not British made and that would have been made in Pietermaritzburg or Durban but it is not marked as such.
I'll take a look at what I have and post some photo's in your Carbineers thread.
Best regards Frank

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Re: Natal Police 11 years 9 months ago #4050

  • Brett Hendey
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Frank

I appreciate all your informed comments about Natal badges. Have you recorded the signs and other evidence for the dates and places of manufacture? It would be very helpful to people with a superficial knowledge of the subject (eg me), and it would certainly make badge collecting more interesting and rewarding.

Regards
Brett

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Re: Natal Police 11 years 9 months ago #4052

  • Frank Kelley
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Hello Brett,
The badges that you mentioned in Owen are all struck from a die, there were many companies here that made such items, Firmin, Gaunt, Woodward, Hobson's etc, the Natal Police buttons are made in the same way, both the Victorian and Edwardian examples that you show in this post have a manufacturers name on the back do they not?
I would be amazed if they were not made in Britain, The Victorian Natal Carbineers buttons were made by Hobson and Son's in London for example and not just the officers buttons!
I have for many years now, believed that many early badges of the British Army were actually made in Germany, because Britain did not have the industry to do it, just as South Africa did not have the industry to make them at the end of the 19th century.
There were however a number of early silversmiths and jewellers in South Africa, (Many in Kingwilliams Town) who did make many badges during the Boer War, List Bros had premises in J'burg and in Durban, on West Street, I believe!
They made the slouch hat badges for the Natal/Imperial Guides, some are marked as such, others are not, all are made in the same way, out of the same materials and finished in the same way.
Wade's in Pietermaritzburg made a number of badges for the Natal Carbineers, they just made a copy of the existing badges, that had been issued before, in silver, hand made (maker marked) and exquisite, as you would expect of a good jeweller, but this was a cottage industry and I would say these were for individuals and not the corps as a whole.
I have seen more than one Natal Police slouch hat badge that I would place in this latter category. NP in interlaced script with an applied crown.
Kind regards Frank

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Re: Natal Police 11 years 9 months ago #4057

  • Mark Wilkie
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Brett, these are superb. Thanks for posting these.

Cheers,

Mark

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