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Irish Guards insignia queries please


museumtom

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Hello guys and gals.

Could I please ask the following questions. What are the differences in the Cap badges of the Irish Guards? What cloth/divisional patches would the IG have worn during ww1? and finally are there images on the net of them? Were black hobnailed boots worn by them in ww1? Any help in this matter would be very much appreciated.

Thanking you in advance.

Kind regards.

Tom.

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Tom

The Irish Guards would have been dressed and equipped the same as the rest of the foot guards, in service dress with brass GS buttons, and either brass shoulder titles, white on khaki cloth slip ons, or white on red curved titles with square ends, at the top of the arm. The battalion number was usually shown by one or two vertical red bars worn on the upper arm - I doubt the 3rd reserve bn. would have worn them. Boots would have been as in the rest of the army, ie. officially brown, but may have been made black or blackened. I think they would only ever have worn 1908 patt. webbing. I have never seen a photo of a guardsmen wearing 1914 patt. leather equipment, which would not fit the elite image.

There are certainly images of WW1 guardsmen on the Net, and there must be plenty of pics of the cap badge. A search should find them easily.

The divisional troops of the Guards Division may have worn the div sign, I am not sure, but the infantry didn't. Steel helmets occasionally turn up with guards badges painted on them.

Regards,

W.

Add: it sounds as if you intend making a model?

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The Irish Guards have never worn white on scarlet titles; always white on green.

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The Irish Guards have never worn white on scarlet titles; always white on green.

Like these :thumbsup:

(Have no idea of the period)

Ken

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Thank you for all the replies. My project is to 'badge' a GS repro tunic to the Irish Guards. I have the brass shoulder titles and GS buttons. What I wondered is what the shoulder cloth title would be to, say, the 16th Irish division. Did the ww1 cap badge differ from ww2 IG Badges. They all look the same to me is that because they are all the same? .I did not know the cloth titles with Irish Guards was also used in ww1, I learn something every day. I thought it was just IG in brass. Did the brass cap badge have a green backing and if so what shape and colour of green was it. Did the LG forearm badge mean for light Machine Gun or Lewis Machine gun?

Sorry for all the questions guys and gals but who else can I ask and know that it will be the right answer?

Thanks for bearing with me on this.

Kind regards.

Tom.

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Didn't know the titles were green, thanks Phil!

Here is a link to a photo of an Irish Guardsman killed in 1918. It shows the brass title in use.

http://ahoy.tk-jk.net/MoreImages6/CharlesQ...Patrick1918.jpg

Another wartime photo, a few down:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12...om-auction.html

A couple of wartime ones on this page, not great quality:

http://www.irishwolfhounds.org/mascots1.htm

A couple from a familiar source:

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/l...hp/t128128.html

There is a wellknown series of photos of Guards taken at Poelcapelle in Oct 1917, can't find them for the moment - may include Irish Guards?

Best wishes,

W.

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Thank you Wainfleet.

Kind regards.

Tom.

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Ken,

The ones you show in Post #5 are current issue. The pattern hasn't varied much apart from manufacturing variations.

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Thanks guys. Is there any difference with the cap badge used by the Irish Guards during ww1 and the present one?

Kind Regards.

Tom.

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Thanks Max.

So let me get this straight in my mind, the ww1 badges are the same as all the other brass Irish Guards badges, Victorian, ww1, ww2 the brass badges never changed at all?

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Thank you Max.

All cleared up now.

Regards.

Tom.

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