Liam Posted 29 May , 2008 Share Posted 29 May , 2008 I have in my collection a brass and copper bugle with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers emblem and the number 23 on the front. I always assumed that it dated to WW1 but there are two on Ebay at the moment with exactly the same badge on the front. Are these modern copies as I suspect and why this particular unit? Liam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 30 May , 2008 Share Posted 30 May , 2008 I have in my collection a brass and copper bugle with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers emblem and the number 23 on the front. I always assumed that it dated to WW1 but there are two on Ebay at the moment with exactly the same badge on the front. Are these modern copies as I suspect and why this particular unit? Liam Liam, I suspect that the badge on the bugle is a 'representation' of a Glengarry Badge from around 1874 (a grenade/flaming bomb with the number 23 cut out in the centre of a circlet inscribed ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS (RWF)? If so, these badges were re-struck using original dies but often misplaced securing lugs in I think the 1970s. The bugles have become popular and there is a significant industry in making them in India/Pakistan using sand cast badges made by impressing the re-struck badges in a crude, but effective cast. As a result they are very common on e-bay. I served with RWF for well over a decade and have visited the regimental museum and other collections many times. To my knowledge the regiment never soldered or affixed glengarry or any other badges to its bugles. If embellished at all it was more usual to engrave them so as not to alter their balance, or risk any alteration in sound quality. They are without doubt fakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wainfleet Posted 30 May , 2008 Share Posted 30 May , 2008 Liam I think these crop up to all sorts of units - you just happened to see the same one twice. I suppose that because the RWF is considered a high-status regiment, it's a popular choice. As for originality, these bugles - like so much else on eBay - are every bit as original as the Hitler diaries, if you remember those. Regards W. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil B Posted 30 May , 2008 Share Posted 30 May , 2008 About 8 or more years ago whilst in Enniskillen (NI) the musuem curator was sitting polishing his copper & brass bugle with the badge of the skins on it.....when I said it wasn't a good idea to polish the copper, his remark was it cost so much for the musuem to buy it (1,000's) he felt duty bound to keep it sparkling. Did'nt have the heart to tell him it was a fake....you can see this where the mouth piece chain clips on below being usually a triangular brass part soldered on along with the light weight of the copper & so on. ASH's RASC they're all about, as someone mentioned above the only bugles usually eadorned with creats etc were the silver ones bought by the officers and so on, the copper being G10 issue were not to be messed about with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
west coast Posted 30 May , 2008 Share Posted 30 May , 2008 i came across one of these bugles named to the r.w.f in dublin a month ago, i had a good look and couldn`t see any stamping or inscription. i nearly bought it [ if it had a been a r.d.f badge o.k] . i don`t recall what number was on the badge. o.k for a r.w.f buff. mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liam Posted 31 May , 2008 Author Share Posted 31 May , 2008 Thanks everyone. I paid £12 for mine around 10 years ago so it wasn't so bad. Liam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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