Richard Harvey Posted 18 January Share Posted 18 January Hello, My great-grandfather was an officer commanding the 16th Company of the Imperial Camel Corps in WW1, I have a badge attached among some of his things, but I am unable to find any reference to this version of a Camel Corps badge online. Is there anyone who might know more about this particular badge? Any help would be greatly appreciated, Thanks, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 18 January Share Posted 18 January (edited) 1 hour ago, Richard Harvey said: Hello, My great-grandfather was an officer commanding the 16th Company of the Imperial Camel Corps in WW1, I have a badge attached among some of his things, but I am unable to find any reference to this version of a Camel Corps badge online. Is there anyone who might know more about this particular badge? Any help would be greatly appreciated, Thanks, Can you show the back? It looks like it might be a collar badge. They were usually (but not always) smaller and often simpler than the headdress badge. Another possibility in some units is a badge for the pagri (turban) of native troops. These again, were generally simpler. However, most examples that I’ve seen have the camel standing on a ground. Edited 18 January by FROGSMILE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Harvey Posted 18 January Author Share Posted 18 January Thanks, I have included a photo of the back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 18 January Share Posted 18 January (edited) 14 hours ago, Richard Harvey said: Thanks, I have included a photo of the back. Unfortunately the full range of insignia that might have been worn by this corps is obscure because it had so many elements with companies formed by Australia, Britain, New Zealand and the British-Indian Army, with each seemingly sourcing their own badges. There was also the separate, but associated Princely States ‘Bikaner Camel Corps’. All the insignia recorded for the Imperial Camel Corps show the camel standing on a ground, but there is insignia recorded for the Bikaners without the ground, albeit the neck of the camel is outstretched. Looking at the back of your badge I think that’s it’s a simple and sand cast badge and so very likely to be associated with an Indian corps. See also: https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/199266-imperial-camel-corps-questions/ I have had a look in my most comprehensive reference on WW1 British Empire insignia by Cox and the only reference to the Imperial Camel Corps shows a line drawing of the badge, comprising a Camel standing on a tablet bearing the title, and surmounted by a crown. This was published well before the internet, but is still a useful point of reference for most insignia. Edited 19 January by FROGSMILE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Random guy Posted 19 January Share Posted 19 January Hey there, I don’t know much about the camel corps, except my great grandfather was also in it. I’ve done some digging and have sadly found nothing matching this badge although I reckon it could have been an unofficial badge is my best guess at it. If you want to know more about I suggest going to the link below and asking if someone could assist in finding more information, that’s all I can help with. https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/102148-imperial-camel-corps-1917-18/ Cheers, Random Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 19 January Share Posted 19 January (edited) 14 hours ago, Richard Harvey said: Thanks, I have included a photo of the back. Richard one thing I’ve noticed in particular is that the style of camel with its legs set close together is in every case the type used to superimpose onto an AIF style Rising Sun badge, so it looks to me like it’s probably come loose and separated from one. The remains of fixture on the back seems to bear that hypothesis out too. Edited 19 January by FROGSMILE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Harvey Posted 23 January Author Share Posted 23 January Thanks for your help and for posting the images, very interesting. I agree it does look a bit more like the AIF camels, maybe it was swapped at some stage, as he was definitely in a NZ company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 23 January Share Posted 23 January (edited) 6 hours ago, Richard Harvey said: Thanks for your help and for posting the images, very interesting. I agree it does look a bit more like the AIF camels, maybe it was swapped at some stage, as he was definitely in a NZ company. Maybe working alongside an Australian company. I don’t know much about the camel corps, but I expect that units were brigaded for operations, or in a rest area together some of the time. I imagine that he might have intended a purpose for it as it is after all just a part of a badge but embodies the purpose or nature of the unit. Perhaps he intended to fashion a lapel pin from it, but never got around to it. Edited 23 January by FROGSMILE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redman Posted 5 February Share Posted 5 February Dear Richard the badge you picture is an original and the first badge members of the early Camel Corps wore. very rare kind regards dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 5 February Share Posted 5 February (edited) 18 minutes ago, Redman said: Dear Richard the badge you picture is an original and the first badge members of the early Camel Corps wore. very rare kind regards dan It’s quite a reasonable representation of a camel and I’m not sure if it was sandcast from a master. Do you know whether the story of its creation (the badge’s) for the first members of the corps has been preserved Dan? Edited 5 February by FROGSMILE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenbecker Posted 6 February Share Posted 6 February (edited) These are some I have Most are non offical but made by the sub units (companies) of there own bat Not all soldiers worn them The standing camel badge came in two types the standing and running as shown below But as stated they were non offical badges, the only offical badge was not a badge but Colour Patches for the Bn's Edited 6 February by stevenbecker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redman Posted 13 February Share Posted 13 February Dear Richard the badge you picture is an original and the first badge members of the early Camel Corps wore. very rare kind regards dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redman Posted 13 February Share Posted 13 February Hi the above picture shows Lt Merlin Huth of the 2nd battalion ICC January 1917 in Abassia Egypt. It clearly shows the small right facing camel badge obviously mounted on cloth backing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redman Posted 13 February Share Posted 13 February Occasionally when the complete badge accumulation of a soldier of the ICC can be viewed one of these small camels is amongst them. I have seen one of these camel badges with the badges of a man with the Warwickshire Yeomanry who joined the ICC. I think many of these badges have gone unidentified over the years. dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 13 February Share Posted 13 February (edited) Thanks for confirming the origin of the badge Dan. Another mystery put to bed in the GWF 👍 Edited 13 February by FROGSMILE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redman Posted 13 February Share Posted 13 February Hi i believe this pyramid badge predates the running camel badge. Think it may have been meant to go on the triangle colour patch for the unit. Interestingly the info on attached says it was made in silver, yet the second badge is sand cast with added banners for the words with lugs and what appears to be the remnants of red backing. i have not seen one of these on a period picture, any out there?. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 13 February Share Posted 13 February 4 minutes ago, Redman said: Hi i believe this pyramid badge predates the running camel badge. Think it may have been meant to go on the triangle colour patch for the unit. Interestingly the info on attached says it was made in silver, yet the second badge is sand cast with added banners for the words with lugs and what appears to be the remnants of red backing. i have not seen one of these on a period picture, any out there?. I can’t help with photos, but I agree with you that the loops for a cotter pin and the remnants of a red felt backing suggest a prototype military badge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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