stevem49 Posted 17 February , 2010 Share Posted 17 February , 2010 Has anyone an idea of what this badge is? The 'ypres' scroll was obviously added later. I cannot think of anything that had fir cones on it. It was kept in a box along with the bullet that wounded him. Well cared for throughout his life. It is approx one and a half inches wide. From a previous thread (on wrong place and useless photos!) it would seem that the middle is a French coat of arms. I have serached the web for two days but can find nothing like it. Is it German and from someone in the regiment who wounded him? Is it French or Belgian?. Is it an obscure British unit? More questions than answers! Thanks Steve I also have a photo of the bullet to ID - Any help gratefully received approx 1.5 inches long and qaurter of inch diameter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul21455 Posted 17 February , 2010 Share Posted 17 February , 2010 The badge with the castellated top and fleur-de-lys motif constitutes the Ieper coat of arms. Check here: http://www.ww1westernfront.gov.au/ieper/index.html I presume the name of Ypres is a later addition replacing what had been lost/damage. Can't explain the cones unless it's an earlier version of the design. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 17 February , 2010 Share Posted 17 February , 2010 Possibly not fir cones but hop cones. These are incorporated in a number of Flanders' flags, arms etc - see Popperinge. I'd suspect that it is a souvenir brought back by someone from a post WW1 visit to Flanders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 17 February , 2010 Share Posted 17 February , 2010 The badge with the castellated top and fleur-de-lys motif constitutes the Ieper coat of arms. It doesn't. That's the France Moderne Royal coat of arms. On the image in your link, the Ypres coat of arms is the one on the right. dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBrockway Posted 17 February , 2010 Share Posted 17 February , 2010 It doesn't. That's the France Moderne Royal coat of arms. On the image in your link, the Ypres coat of arms is the one on the right. dave ... and we covered all this in Steve's original Topic on this badge! See: Coats of Arms: Ypres, British Royal and France in original Topic I like the idea of the "spangles" (see other thread) being hops rather than pine cones. Cheers, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevem49 Posted 17 February , 2010 Author Share Posted 17 February , 2010 Not having seen hop cones, I would not be able to say either way. In fact i did not even know they had cones! It is though a cap or uniform badge as it has the pin attachments on the back (not sure if that is what you call them!) The old type of cap badge fittings prior to the single vertical connector (getting worse!) The man kept it with the bullet that hit him, so it must be one he brought back from WW1. I must have checked every website known to man but cannot see anything even like it. It is driving me mad I suppose it could be 'French Flanders'? Thanks for all the comments. Steve I had a look at the hop cones and think the badge has pine cones. I am also wondering if he added the french coat of arms to a badge as well. I may have to borrow it and strip it down! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 17 February , 2010 Share Posted 17 February , 2010 It is though a cap or uniform badge as it has the pin attachments on the back (not sure if that is what you call them!) The old type of cap badge fittings prior to the single vertical connector (getting worse!) Doesn't look military The man kept it with the bullet that hit him, so it must be one he brought back from WW1. Not necessarily I must have checked every website known to man but cannot see anything even like it. It is driving me mad I suppose it could be 'French Flanders'? Thanks for all the comments. Steve I had a look at the hop cones and think the badge has pine cones. I am also wondering if he added the french coat of arms to a badge as well. I may have to borrow it and strip it down! Ypres is surrounded by hop growing areas - it is not renowned for fir trees. Two municipal flags with femal hop flowers (cones) Alveringem 25 km NW Ypres http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/images/b/be-vwval.gif Poperinge 15 km West of Ypres http://www.fotw.net/images/b/be-vwvpp.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevem49 Posted 18 February , 2010 Author Share Posted 18 February , 2010 Next time I see him I will check the rear of the badge to see if the coat of arms has also been added! I agree that it does not look British Military but am not sure about other countries. I have also just realised that I put the photo on back to front It looks a bit like a bloomin birds neck behind the C of A Looks like a badge with two additions so must have meant something to him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBrockway Posted 18 February , 2010 Share Posted 18 February , 2010 Steve, If you get a chance to take another photo, could you insert a piece of card or similar between the badge and the fastener? That way it will be easier to see what is part of the sprig design connecting the hops/pine cones and what is part of the slider/fastener. With the pics so far, I've not been able to separate that detail. Also I think a rear view with and without a card insert would be very helpful. Not to mention a side-on view to give a better idea of the depth/structure. Cheers, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Wade Posted 18 February , 2010 Share Posted 18 February , 2010 For those curious about the 'cones', they could indeed be hop flowers. Which look like this: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBrockway Posted 18 February , 2010 Share Posted 18 February , 2010 I'm curious about the cones, but this is how I prefer to see my hops ... Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevem49 Posted 18 February , 2010 Author Share Posted 18 February , 2010 I shall take a decent camera and photograph it from every angle. At this rate I may need more than one Did the Belgian Army have hop badges? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angrybudgie Posted 25 February , 2010 Share Posted 25 February , 2010 There was a souvenir badge produced that incorporated the coat of arms (at the time) of the town of Ieper, France and Britain in the middle. The shield with crown looks a little like the old town coat of arms......could this be 'bodgied' up way of remembering? I'm certainly no expert, but it looks like a town or county badge.. And the Belgian Army badged similar to French units, letters and numbers... as far as my limited (the last 30 minutes) research tells me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevem49 Posted 25 February , 2010 Author Share Posted 25 February , 2010 Thanks. yes I am thinking it is a badge that he made up from several parts! He seems to have added the coat of arms and the Ypres scroll to some sort of badge. Hopefully I will get a better look in a couple of weeks when I see him again. Cheers Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 25 February , 2010 Share Posted 25 February , 2010 Just to make life more complicated, there seems to have been a major redesign of municipal coats of arms and flags in Belgium in the 1980s so that current ones don't always correspond with those in use in 1914 -18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevem49 Posted 25 February , 2010 Author Share Posted 25 February , 2010 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angrybudgie Posted 26 February , 2010 Share Posted 26 February , 2010 Went back and found a photo of the original souvenir badge......as you can see, the French coat of arms (on the left) looks similar to the one you have, although the crown doesn't quite look right.....a cheaper model than the one in the museum perhaps. That said however the rest of it is a bit unusual. As for what he added it to, I think perhaps a souvenir brooch of a coat of arms for another town - another one he had been to perhaps. Maybe he even had the original souvenir brooch from Ypres and it was damaged in some way......it does look pretty banged about. REL31795 Souvenir Brooch Ypres Australian War Memorial Collection Elizabeth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBrockway Posted 26 February , 2010 Share Posted 26 February , 2010 Went back and found a photo of the original souvenir badge......as you can see, the French coat of arms (on the left) looks similar to the one you have, although the crown doesn't quite look right.....a cheaper model than the one in the museum perhaps. Elizabeth Elizabeth, I'm afraid this is old news - see my Post #5 above and Steve's original Topic! Cheers, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angrybudgie Posted 26 February , 2010 Share Posted 26 February , 2010 Oops......I never saw the original, only this continuation.... Elizabeth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevem49 Posted 26 February , 2010 Author Share Posted 26 February , 2010 Sorry Elizabeth I should have closed the other thread. I will photograph it from every possible angle and report back. I am sure the rear of the badge had the British army pin type fastening but will check, He kept it in a box, so it must have had a special meaning to him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevem49 Posted 11 March , 2010 Author Share Posted 11 March , 2010 This the rear of the badge/brooch. It is a very thin metal badge and I should think the coat of arms was also added. Could be a badge/brooch he picked up in Pop as a souvenir. Higher resolution photos here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/gallipoli/4424919346/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/gallipoli/442...57623474804421/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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