campaign Posted 10 July , 2006 Share Posted 10 July , 2006 Can any kind soul help me with some info on these two items - I believe they are both WWII not WWI - is this correct? - and are they badges for lapels? thanks Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris mccarthy Posted 10 July , 2006 Share Posted 10 July , 2006 Lyn The one on the left is Home Guard, lapel and the one on the right is also lapel, for those engaged in war work, both Second World War. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrieduncan Posted 10 July , 2006 Share Posted 10 July , 2006 The one on the right is known as the Kings Badge for War Service, and was slightly similar to the Silver War badge of WW1 in that it was given to service personnel who had been invalided out of the services, and were not eligible for any of the WW2 service medals. There was also a South African version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 10 July , 2006 Share Posted 10 July , 2006 it was given to service personnel who had been invalided out of the services, and were not eligible for any of the WW2 service medals. Not quite "any". You could be eligable for some medals and the badge. An example would be a soldier who was wounded badly enough to have been invalided out and take no further part in the war in any capacity (such as my grandad) in a campaign such as the Battle of France 1940. They were entitled to the 39-45 Star, War Medal and the badge. The badge, in this case, basically replaced the Defence Medal which they had no entitlement to. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrieduncan Posted 10 July , 2006 Share Posted 10 July , 2006 I stand corrected Dave, I must have misread my medal yearbook Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryBettsMCDCM Posted 10 July , 2006 Share Posted 10 July , 2006 A bit of confusion here Chaps/Chapesses; the King's Badge was granted in similar circumstances to the Silver War Badge of WW1,therefore;providing the necessary time/theatre criteria had been fulfilled{& curtailment of Service due to service related Deaths,Wounds;Disability or Illness{or POW,{but not for DM},often completed WW2 entitlement to some Stars & The Defence & War Medals}there would be no reason why a Serviceman{or Woman} wouldn't qualify for any of the awards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffsyeoman Posted 11 July , 2006 Share Posted 11 July , 2006 Just to underline: my Uncle (who entered the war in the Operation Torch landings in November 1943) was severely wounded in mid-1944 in Italy and spent the rest of 1944 and some of 1945 in hospitals in Italy and the UK. He received both his medal entitlement (39-45, Africa w/1st Army, Italy, Defence, War) AND the King's Badge for War Service. This notion that the KBWS was ONLY awarded to those disabled and not entitled to medals (which is tosh, as wounds automatically qualified you at least for a War Medal 1939-45, whether or not you'd done the 28 days) seems to have originated, sad to say, in the Medals Yearbook. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
campaign Posted 11 July , 2006 Author Share Posted 11 July , 2006 Hi to all - many thanks for all the info, I see that reference to the defence medal: I was offered one of these recently at a local 'fair' but the guy insisted that they came as a pair ???????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Stewart Posted 11 July , 2006 Share Posted 11 July , 2006 Are we sure that the lapel badge on the right definatley originates from WWII? The reason I ask is because I actually collect soldiers service documents and earlier in the year I got a nice collection of them to L/Cpl Felix Thomas Jones, 6th R.Warwicks, who transferred to the Royal Defence Corps(23899). Jones was actually an old soldier having served with the 1st Life Guards from 7/5/1885 to 6/5/1897 of which I have his Discharge Certificate. I also have his Discharge Certificate from the Warwicks/RDC, which shows he enlisted on the 26th April 1915 and was discharged from the RDC 21st May 1918. He never served overseas and yet among all of these documents was the Minisrty of Pensions "Kings Badge", still in its box with a certificate, which I tried to reproduce here and failed. The certificate numbered 393732 & SB/37925 says "War Badge awarded to Felix T. Jones late No.23899 16th Bn, R.D.C. for "Services Rendered" in H.M.'s Military Forces since 4th August 1914". Which is signed and stamped by the officer i/c Infantry Records Office, London. Any thoughts? Graham. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Upton Posted 11 July , 2006 Share Posted 11 July , 2006 Are we sure that the lapel badge on the right definatley originates from WWII? The reason I ask is because I actually collect soldiers service documents and earlier in the year I got a nice collection of them to L/Cpl Felix Thomas Jones, 6th R.Warwicks, who transferred to the Royal Defence Corps(23899). Jones was actually an old soldier having served with the 1st Life Guards from 7/5/1885 to 6/5/1897 of which I have his Discharge Certificate. I also have his Discharge Certificate from the Warwicks/RDC, which shows he enlisted on the 26th April 1915 and was discharged from the RDC 21st May 1918. He never served overseas and yet among all of these documents was the Ministry of Pensions "Kings Badge", still in its box with a certificate, which I tried to reproduce here and failed. The certificate numbered 393732 & SB/37925 says "War Badge awarded to Felix T. Jones late No.23899 16th Bn, R.D.C. for "Services Rendered" in H.M.'s Military Forces since 4th August 1914". Which is signed and stamped by the officer i/c Infantry Records Office, London. Any thoughts? Graham. You've got your answer there - the Kings Badge is definately WW2, whilst the Silver War Badge is the WW1 version (as referred to in the text itself) - looks to me like someone mixed them up at some point, and matched it to the set (or could have been his sons, etc). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryBettsMCDCM Posted 11 July , 2006 Share Posted 11 July , 2006 This notion that the KBWS was ONLY awarded to those disabled and not entitled to medals (which is tosh , as wounds automatically qualified you at least for a War Medal 1939-45, whether or not you'd done the 28 days) seems to have originated, sad to say, in the Medals Yearbook. Succinctly put!,The MYB is renowned for its "Howlers",I dont know who does their research... "Tosh" is a lovely word! Graham, The King's Cypher "GRI"on the WW2 King's Badge is definitely that of George VI,which differs from that of his Father George V,"GRI",GVI's cypher is as that on the WW2 Stars,GV's on the SWB is the same as on the early MBE/OBE/etc; Reverse. Also the King's Badge WW2 was granted by the Ministry of Pensions,your Documents relate to an award of the SWB from Oi/c Infantry Records who issued these WW1 Badges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auchonvillerssomme Posted 11 July , 2006 Share Posted 11 July , 2006 To help identify the different cyphers of George V and George VI badges, buttons and medals. This is quite useful especially when dating items on ebay. Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auchonvillerssomme Posted 11 July , 2006 Share Posted 11 July , 2006 GVI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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