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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Unidentified WW1 Cavalry "Stirrup" Badge


Lyndale

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Dear Badge Experts,

 

Can anyone please identify these photos of a brass cavalry stirrup badge sized 5.5 cms wide x 4.0 cms high?

It was in a collection of badges a British officer in the Royal Engineers (who served with the Anglo-Indian 4th Cavalry Division) brought back from Egypt and Palestine, which included amongst his collection a Turkish belt buckle and an Australian Silver War Badge with prefix 'A', consequently it might not be a British unit badge?

 

Thanks in advance for any suggestions,

Lyndale

Army Stirup Badge front.JPG

Army Stirup Badge back.JPG

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If you turn it the other way up it is a bit like the Skill at Driving badge - but that has two whips crossed,  Having said that I don't actually know anything about the Skill at Driving badge!

 

Roger M

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Lyndale,

 

Your metal badge matches an Australian Army's Artillery Driver's Badge ( Horse Transport ) made up of a spur and horsewhip, see attached cloth version.

 

Regards,

LF

GWF spur & whip aussie.jpg

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Dear LF and Roger M,

 

Many thanks for your quick responses. The sample badge depicted from LF is not quite the same, but allowing for it being cloth and mine being a brass version, I agree the likeness is there and I'm not surprised it's Australian. I think we all agree that it's not British.

 

Cheers Lyndale.

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Dear LF & Roger M,

 

Further to your helpful replies and my thanks yesterday, knowing what I was now looking for I successfully Googled the trade/skill badge and it appears in my brass version at this website about WW1 Australian trade badges. Scroll a little way down and it appears on the right http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-badges/metal.htm

This now confirms it exactly.

Cheers Lyndale.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have the same badge but doubt that it's first war period, more likely 1920s or 30s. I've only ever seen the AIF use the regular British drivers badge throughout the war.

 

Still a nice badge all the same

 

Dan

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Some misinformation above. Amongst others, the site at #5 is not accurate in several respects.

 

This is a British Army badge which might have been used by the Dominions but definitely British.

 

The early Driving Prize badges usually featured crossed whips from at least 1877. These were provided in various worsteds and bullions until the radical changes around 1906 when gilding metal [brass] was perceived as cheaper and was favoured for the drab "khaki" service dress.

 

The early badges were for Drivers of the Royal Artillery [Gunners had separate badges for Gunnery Prizes] , but they became available, by annual competition, to almost any Corps with horse drawn transport ........ even infantry in the Great War.

 

The records are vague as to the introduction of your badge [single whip ......... incidentally your illustration defies gravity!] but I have photographs of versions of it in worsted being worn by the drivers of British infantry battalions.

 

My earliest trace of its official issue is 1926. The badge continued in  existence up to 1936 at least, and was probably knocked on the head by World War II. It was also issued to Indian Army units [in addition to British Army in India].

Edited by Muerrisch
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