Badge query

[Chris Foster]

Can anyone provide an answer to this query a friend of mine has raised. He's pondered on it for sometime and this is the best place I know to get a potential answer.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

This is the email he sent me.

When T. F. Yeomanry regiments were amalgamated with infantry battalions (see below for examples) in the Great War which cap badge would be used?

1/1st Fife and Forfar Yeomanry became 14th (Fife and Forfar Yeo.) Bn. The Black Watch.

South Irish Horse became 7th (S.I.H.) Bn. Royal Irish Regiment.

1/1st Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry became 12th (Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeo.) Bn. Manchester Regiment.

1/1st Yorkshire Hussars Yeomanry became 9th (Yorkshire Hussars Yeo.) Bn. West Yorkshire Regiment.

[pbrydon]

The Lancashire Hussars "amalgamated " with the 18th Bn Kings Liverpool Regiment in late 1917 and became the 18th (Lancashire Hussars ) Battalion The Kings ( Liverpool Regiment ) - Graham Maddocks "Liverpool Pals" page 169.

He ( Maddocks ) says some of the former Lancashire Hussars were still wearing the rose ( i.e Lancashire Hussars ) cap badge well into 1918 when most of the Hussars had changed to the Eagle and Child cap badge of the Liverpool Pals.

P.B.

[Guest]

Generally speaking it was not too much of a challenge and many Regiments had TF battalions with different cap-badges to the 'parent' regimental cap badge - a legacy from the Volunteer Battalions and the Rifles Volunteers before them. ....One Scottish Yeomanry regiment did retain its cap-badge for sure - the 13th (Scottish Horse Yeomanry) Bn The Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) (TF). From page 294 of the History of the Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) in the Great War 1914-1918 Vol III.

"It should be specially noted that when the Scottish Horse became affiliated to The Black Watch, permission was given them to retain their uniform, badges etc., and throughout their connection with the Regiment - except for correspondence and records - they were always known as the Scottish Horse Battalion"

The book also covers the 14th (Fife and Forfar Yeomanry) Bn The Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) (TF) which makes no mention of retained badges. Separately - Page 201 of "The Yeomanry of Devon 1794-1927 by Freeman:

"The 16th (Yeomanry) Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment with the 12th (West Somerset) Bn Somerset Light Infantry, the 14th (Ayrshire and Lanarkshire) Bn Royal Scots Fusiliers and the 12th (Fife and Forfar) Bn Black Watch formed the 229th Infantry Brigade, which was the senior brigade of the 74th (Yeomanry) Division. .....Each of the amalgamated regiments still continued to wear its own regimental badges and the divisional sign was the appropriate one of a broken spur. All NCOs and men were transferred to the Devon Regiment and new regimental numbers were given to them. Officers however continued to belong to their respective regiments and wereattached to the 16th Battalion Devon Regiment; they therefore continued to wear their respective regimental badges. At first no distinguishing badge was worn by officers and men of the battalion but subsequently a "flash" of red, purple, and gold ribbon was adopted and worn by everyone on the point of the left shoulder: this badge was also painted on every battalion bicycle and transport vehicle above the sign of the broken spur"

Given a number of Yeomanry battalions were formed from two separate Yeomanry Regiments (including the 16th (Royal 1st Devon and Royal North Devon Yeomanry) Bn Devonshire Regiment (TF)), I suspect that in these cases the badge of the Infantry Regiment was adopted for the ORs and the Officers kept their badges. The Cheshire Yeomanry and Shropshire Yeomanry formed the 10th (Shropshire and Cheshire Yeomanry) Bn King's Shropshire Light Infantry (TF) for example and there is no mention of badges being retained in their history despite the opening lines of the Yeomanry of Devon on the subject.

Of course there is always the possibility that rules were completely ignored.

MG

[Chris Foster]

Many thanks P.B and Martin, I'll pass that info on.

Regards

Chris

[rolt968]

_{I don't think this quite answers your question. However!}

_{Ogivie's History of the F & FY is very interesting. They did not receive kilts (and presumably the rest of the BW uniform (with the exception of a few very large kilts) until 18 August 1918.}

_{I have seen a picture of a 14 Black Watch/ ex F & Fy with overseas service chevrons (no earlier than April 1918) wearing basically yeomanry uniform (including cavalry style puttees) except for a Tam o' Shanter instead of an SD cap.}

_{Unfortunately the left side of his Tam is not visible so I couldn't see if he was wearing a hackle or Black Watch cap badge. He is wearing RH shoulder titles.}

_R.