The Essex Regiment was formed by the 1881 amalgamation of the 44th Foot & the 56th Foot.
The main component of their cap badge was the castle, representing the service of the 56th Foot at Gibraltar during the siege of 1779 - 82.
The castle changed as a result of the War Department instruction of 30/1/1900, to standardise with that portrayed on the Great Seal of Gibraltar.
Following that change, the badge continued unaltered other than in the material that it was made of until 1958, when the Essex Regiment merged with the Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Regiment, to form the 3rd East Anglian Regiment (16th / 44th Foot) wearing the cap badge of the East Anglian Brigade.
Further amalgamation in 1964 formed the Royal Anglian Regiment.
My badges:
To the left is the "regimental" castle" pattern, worn until circa 1901, when the standardised pattern repleced it - the obvious change to the badge was the removal of the flag from the top of the central tower. K&K 659 refers.
Second from left is the version with no flag on the castle, this remained in use until 1958, when the regiment was amalgamated.
Third from left is the same badge, but without the crossed stems of the laurel wreath under the base scroll. This is presumably merely a manufacturers variation, the badge is otherwise as K&K 660.
The badges of the Suffolk Regiment also show this variation of stems / no stems, they're variations that collectors seem to be genarally unaware of or disinterested in.
The right hand badge left is the chocolate brown WWII plastic economy, 70,848 of these were produced, all by A. Stanley & sons, Walsall, between 24/3/43 - 6/1/44.
Missing from my collection are:
The WWI brass economy 1916 - 19 version of K&K 660. Gaylor page 135 refers.
The bi-metal anodised version of K&K 659, this was sealed on 1/2/66, & K&K 660 refers.
It was presumably worn only by Territorial Army elements who survived following the amalgamation of the parent regular battallion.
Last edited by leigh kitchen; 09-19-2004 at 05:16 AM.
very informative. Are you still in the market for an anodised Essex badge? If so please PM me. Have you ever seen a TA 4-7th bn one with the SA Scroll and blank plinth. I only ask as I have a blank plinth one with brazing holes etc but have never seen one with the scroll attached and recently came across a seires of photos of the 4th Bn in france in 1915 and there is not a scroll to be seen, unfortunately the picture is too blurred to see the scroll.
TA badges are a bit of a mystery to me, as I always used to concentrate on regular infantry, it's only of recent times I've started hoovering up all manner of Brit badges.
Seems that most blank plynth regular pattern badges seen around now are regular badges with "EGYPT"' rubbed down - a local dealer's got a Dorset's one at the moment.
Ahem - would'nt happen to have a regular pattern WWI economy about your person would you guvnor?
You'd think they'd be a common badge, but i've not found one.
[quote=leigh kitchen]Seems that most blank plynth regular pattern badges seen around now are regular badges with "EGYPT"' rubbed down - a local dealer's got a Dorset's one at the moment.
Sent me scurrying to my Essex cyclists at lightning speed. Looks OK, has the framing around the blank plinth and the metal inside the framing is not smooth but mottled/pitted. I think the framing is the important thing to look for, it would be very hard to erase the inside lettering without damaging this also.
I've got a very strange silver badge with the SA scroll and the EGYPT honour, a real mystery one.
S'okay, I think it's just that some dealers have sexed up some badges for different units by this method, & sometimes it was done by the squaddie, i think Jim psoted something a while back about this being done to the Dorset's badge by the tA soldiers themselves.
I don't have any Essex oddities, but I've a white metal Middlesex with SA scroll & attached Middlesex scroll also in w/m, a pre 1908 volunteer Middlesex?
Also a 20th London with attached 20th scroll, strange - something for other threads I suppose.
Life's so much simpler when you stick to the regulars - as a rule.
I don't have any Essex oddities, but I've a white metal Middlesex with SA scroll & attached Middlesex scroll also in w/m, a pre 1908 volunteer Middlesex?
Also a 20th London with attached 20th scroll, strange - something for other threads I suppose.
Somewhere in Gaylor he states the w/m versions of the 7-9th (SA scroll) and 10th (Blank) as being NCO's versions. (Looks like brass in the pic but it is w/m)
With regards to the 20th London do you mean a tagged on scroll rather than the badge being a one piece stamping? I've had both in the past and only recently sold the very solid one piece one before wondering whether the version with the tagged on scroll has been attached to a doctored West Kent's.
TA badges are a bit of a mystery to me, as I always used to concentrate on regular infantry, it's only of recent times I've started hoovering up all manner of Brit badges.
Seems that most blank plynth regular pattern badges seen around now are regular badges with "EGYPT"' rubbed down - a local dealer's got a Dorset's one at the moment.
Ahem - would'nt happen to have a regular pattern WWI economy about your person would you guvnor?
You'd think they'd be a common badge, but i've not found one.
I have a genuine Essex economy that my grandfather gave me (he collected in the 1940s) send me you email address by pm and I will scan it front and back and send you a pic. It is a lovely deep brown brass coulour and age blackened unlike the modern yellow brass restrikes.
TA badges are a bit of a mystery to me, as I always used to concentrate on regular infantry, it's only of recent times I've started hoovering up all manner of Brit badges.
Seems that most blank plynth regular pattern badges seen around now are regular badges with "EGYPT"' rubbed down - a local dealer's got a Dorset's one at the moment.
Ahem - would'nt happen to have a regular pattern WWI economy about your person would you guvnor?
You'd think they'd be a common badge, but i've not found one.
I have a genuine Essex economy that my grandfather gave me (he collected in the 1940s) send me you email address by pm and I will scan it front and back and send you a pic. It is a lovely deep brown brass coulour and age blackened unlike the modern yellow brass restrikes.
Essex Regiment Badge Variations.
I think the framing is the important thing to look for, it would be very hard to erase the inside lettering without damaging this also.
Hybrid Mode
