Michael Pegum Posted 9 January , 2011 Share Posted 9 January , 2011 I put this on the 'Miscellaneous' thread, with only one reply. It was suggested it may be French. Maybe the experts on artillery cartridges and badges will have a look: Trench art Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodB Posted 10 January , 2011 Share Posted 10 January , 2011 I put this on the 'Miscellaneous' thread, with only one reply. It was suggested it may be French. Maybe the experts on artillery cartridges and badges will have a look: Trench art Michael That looks like the badge of the Royal Artillery, or at least the central part - see the following for the full badge : Seems odd that it would be based on a French 75 cartridge case though, when there was no shortage of British cartridge cases to use for a British artillery souvenir. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 10 January , 2011 Share Posted 10 January , 2011 Seems odd that it would be based on a French 75 cartridge case though, when there was no shortage of British cartridge cases to use for a British artillery souvenir. There were American M1917 18pounders an ammended version of the British design to take a French 75mm round (over two and a half thousand). Could some have ended up in British service? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Pegum Posted 10 January , 2011 Author Share Posted 10 January , 2011 That looks like the badge of the Royal Artillery, or at least the central part ... So it is! I didn't recognise it with the bits cut off. Thanks, Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyE Posted 10 January , 2011 Share Posted 10 January , 2011 See my reply in the original Miscellaneous thread. We also had French 75s in service as well that came from the Portuguese. According to Joffre's memoirs France also supplied 1.2 million rounds. Regards TonyE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Upton Posted 10 January , 2011 Share Posted 10 January , 2011 So it is! I didn't recognise it with the bits cut off. It's not a trimmed cap badge, but the seperate gun worn by senior Artillery NCO's above rank stripes. They were worn in matched pairs, one facing left to be worn on the left sleeve, the other facing right to be worn on the right sleeve (so that when worn both guns pointed forwards): http://cgi.ebay.com/ROYAL-ARTILLERY-GUN-SERGEANTS-BRASS-ARM-BADGE-LEFT-/120669883159?pt=UK_Collectables_Militaria_LE&hash=item1c187c4b17 http://cgi.ebay.com/ROYAL-ARTILLERY-GUN-SERGEANTS-BRASS-ARM-BADGE-RIGHT-/200563666493?pt=UK_Collectables_Militaria_LE&hash=item2eb286ae3d Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodB Posted 16 January , 2011 Share Posted 16 January , 2011 See my reply in the original Miscellaneous thread. We also had French 75s in service as well that came from the Portuguese. According to Joffre's memoirs France also supplied 1.2 million rounds. Regards TonyE Also some lorry-mounted AA guns in London. Were they manned by the RA ? If this is the badge of an RA sergeant of one of the few units using 75s, it may be possible to use the cartridge details to come close to identifying the unit or perhaps even the individual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 16 January , 2011 Share Posted 16 January , 2011 Whoever made it had access to some basics metal working tools including a bench drill and vice, brazing equipment and a riveters block. However judging by the riveting and brazing which is neat but not to professional standards I'd guess that this wasn't his trade. He could lay his hands on a sergeants sleeve badge but one shouldn't automatically assume that he was an RA Sergeant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodB Posted 16 January , 2011 Share Posted 16 January , 2011 Whoever made it had access to some basics metal working tools including a bench drill and vice, brazing equipment and a riveters block. However judging by the riveting and brazing which is neat but not to professional standards I'd guess that this wasn't his trade. He could lay his hands on a sergeants sleeve badge but one shouldn't automatically assume that he was an RA Sergeant. The very non-professional quality of the work seems to point to its authenticity. Would this have been put together by or for a demobbed serviceman who wanted a memento of his service based on stuff he had used and brought back ? Human nature indicates it would only have meaning and hence value for a person if it was made from artefacts he had used himself or personally captured. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyE Posted 16 January , 2011 Share Posted 16 January , 2011 Also remember that a large amount of the trench art that came out of France was made by the Chinese Labour Corps and sold to soldiers as souveniers. Regards TonyE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piorun Posted 16 January , 2011 Share Posted 16 January , 2011 plus ca change! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 16 January , 2011 Share Posted 16 January , 2011 The very non-professional quality of the work seems to point to its authenticity. Would this have been put together by or for a demobbed serviceman who wanted a memento of his service based on stuff he had used and brought back ? Human nature indicates it would only have meaning and hence value for a person if it was made from artefacts he had used himself or personally captured. More likely made by someone in a rear area who had access to the materiel and the tools (eg a divisional workshop) or possibly an ad hoc souvenir factory (see Tony's post); money can have a very real meaning! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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