Bucks shoulder title from the Somme - WW1?

[Simon127]

Hi all,

I have started going through some of the various bits that my father collected over the years - he got me into this collecting lark. He went to France a lot in the 70s doing alot of walking around Normandy but also on the Somme and Verdun. He picked up several shoulder titles and buttons etc after ploughing and I am trying to find out a bit more about them. Unfortunately documenting these things was not his strong suit but I know that the shoulder title fragments came from the Somme.

I am interested by this Bucks shoulder title. It does not appear to be an Ox & Bucks shoulder title as has the hexagonal lugs at both sides (I would expect it to have only one if it was a broken Ox & Bucks example) but I have not found a Bucks shoulder title like this in any of my google searches. Can anyone help?

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Cheers,

Simon

PS - I will post the other shoulder titles (most are broken) if people are interested.

[1st east yorks]

Sorry i cant help with the shoulder title but to answer your second question;Yes,i'd like to see your other items.

Anthony.

[high wood]

It appears to be a Bucks battalion shoulder title but it shoud have a T above as in Westlake (1185). This shoulder title was listed in the 1920 P.V.C.N. so would not be Great War. Is there any sign of the T being removed?

It is possible that it is piece from a T4 Ox & Bucks shoulder title, Westlake (1184) but I think that this is unlikely unless it was cut down and relugged by its original owner as an unofficial shoulder title.

[Simon127]

Thanks Gents. I also sent a message to Stephen Berridge (www.lightbobs.com) who is something of an authority on the Ox & Bucks Regiment who kindly sent me this response. It would seem that this title was indeed worn during the Great War although I have never seen it.

The Bucks Battalion wore the T both attached and seperate but not any numbers.

I must admit that in the photos that I have see of the battalions during the first world war the curved BUCKINGHAMSHIRE is usually seen though most of the photos ar 1914-16

In Ray Westlakes Collecting Metal Shoulder Titles book he mentions that the BUCKS title was taken into use during the first world war, this would probably date to post 1916 as from that date I believe that the war office took over responsibility for the supply of shoulder titles from the county TA Associations and BUCKS would take less brass than BUCKINGHAMSHIRE !

Also the lack of T may also date to this phase as I read somewhere that with the increased numbers of non TF soldiers ending up in Territorial battlions they objected to wearing the T. This would account for the war office supplied title being manufactured without an attached T.

Post 1920 when the TA was reformed the T/BUCKS (attached T) title was taken into use.

Anthony, no probs will post the other odds and sods over the next few days.