Machine Gun Guards collars & shoulder titles - but Welsh Guards Ca

[sw63]

Hi, searching on Ebay and came accross this photo...

Item number 120644903266 (http://cgi.ebay.co.u...=item1c16ff2162)

Is this common for Machine Gun Guards?

Simon

[Richard Fisher]

Good Morning Simon,

I can't quote authoritative official references; however, I have seen this practice in a number of photos to make me believe it was commonplace to wear the 'parent' cap badges with MG Guards insignia.

Stephen Chambers' book on Uniforms and Equipment of the British Army in World war 1 shows a group photo of the 2nd (Life Guards) MG Bn of the G.M.G.R. It shows Life Guards cap badges alongside Machine Gun Guards shoulder titles. There are no collar dogs in this photo but I have seen others that show that mix.

Regards

Richard

[Staffsyeoman]

A similar question came up in the British Military Badge Forum earlier this year - I think the general view was thisa may represent an 'interim' period before the GMGR cap badge came widely into use, so it may be rahter closely dated.

[FROGSMILE]

Hi

I posted this one of a Grenadier in the GMGR recently, he wears the GMGR cap badge but wears the Grenadiers shoulder title on the arm. So I guess it is in the early days.

regards

John

Really interesting pic. I've never seen the brass 'shoulder titles' piercing the upper arm of the tunic like that, perhaps reflecting the Guards 'habit' at that time of wearing cloth shoulder titles in that position. Interestingly the Guards reverted to metal titles on shoulder straps for circa 1960 No2 (SD) Dress, only to change back to the cloth titles when rifles were returned to carriage "at the slope" in the late 80s/early 90s.

It is indeed early days, because he is wearing the Guards Machine Gun Battalion (GMGB) badge, the unit that was formed from Guards infantry MG Coys, rather than Guards Machine Gun Regiment (GMGR), which was a later innovation that incorporated the Household Cavalry MG Squadrons, thus forming a combined infantry/cavalry 'Regiment'.

[Wardog]

Anyone have pictures of the Other Ranks GMGR badge in use? I've seen plenty of the 'Battalion' badge. Regards, Paul.

[Richard Fisher]

I too would be interested if anybody has photos of the GMGR cap badge in use. The photo in Chambers' is cited as December 1918 and no cap badges are in use by either Officers or ORs.

Regards

Richard

[Wardog]

Great pictures have been added to this thread. Regards, Paul. http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=161341&st=0