History of the British Army Infantry Collar Badge is the standard reference book on the subject, containing detailed descriptions and variations of each badge worn, with the date when it was worn and on which uniform; with mention of metals and the reasons why a particular design was chosen, together with explanations of battle honours and mottoes. Dates and details of Submissions, Approvals, Authorisations, Army Orders, Sealings and depositing at the Army Clothing Department etc. have been quoted, as well as relevant correspondence between the War Office, regiments and manufacturers. Collar badge backings and items worn as both a cap and a collar badge are covered in the text which is supported by over 2000 actual-size identifier photographs and line drawings covering some 800 units. These have been numbered so that each item can be recognised and referred to by merely quoting these numbers. The author has tried to standardise the many varied terms used to describe a collar badge, and the aim has been to contain in one book all the informaton required by a collector/researcher of the British Army Infantry collar badge. Therefore information is included on the evolution and construction of the item, and the uniform it was worn on; additionally the wider field includes sources of informtion, identification, the preservation and display of the badges.

This work looks at the history of the British Army Infantry collar badge, providing detailed descriptions and looking at variations of each collar badge worn with dates when it was worn and on which uniform. It also makes mention of the metals and reasons why a particular design was chosen, including explanations of battle honours and mottoes.

In their companion volume to British Army Cap Badges of the First World War, authors Peter Doyle and Chris Foster present an overview of the main cap badges worn by the British Army during the Second World War, which continued the rich and varied tradition of British regimental insignia. This book describes and illustrates, for the first time in high quality full colour, the main types of cap badge worn. With many amalgamations, war-raised units and special forces, British military insignia from the period have a surprising range that differs substantially from that worn by the soldiers of the previous generation. As in the first book, this volume contains contemporary illustrations of the soldiers themselves wearing the badges. Employing the skills of an established writer (and collector) and artist, it provides a unique reference guide for anyone interested in the British Army of the period.

Badges of the Regular Infantry, 1914-1918 is based on over thirty years research in museums, archives and collections. It is an exhaustive study of the development of the battalion, brigade and divisional signs of the twelve divisions that formed the regular army during the Great War. It also looks at the badges of those battalions left behind to guard the Empire. While the divisional signs are well known, there has been no authoritative work on the signs worn by the infantry battalions. The book will illustrate the cap and shoulder titles used, as well as cloth signs worn to provide easy recognition in the trenches. Each regular and reserve battalion of a regiment has a listing, which provides a brief history of the unit and detailed information on the badges worn. It is prodigiously illustrated and contains much information, like why a shape or color was chosen, when it was adopted, what size it was, whether it was worn on a helmet, what color the helmet was and even what colors were used on horse transport; the majority of this rich and detailed information has never been published before. What helps make the information accurate and authoritative is that much of it comes from an archive created at the time and from personal correspondence with hundreds of veterans in the 1980s, many of whom still had their badges and often had razor-sharp recollections about wearing them. The book also provides some comments from these veterans. Using the illustrations will allow many of those unidentified photos in family albums to come to life.

The fascination with the British involvement in the First World War extends to all aspects of the conflict. The battles and their outcomes; the armies and their leaders; the conditions of trench warfare; and the controversies form part of the growing literature examining every aspect of a war that was to cast a shadow over the rest of the twentieth century, the effects of which are still being felt today. For the British army, the cap badge is the most easily identifiable form of insignia. It represents a distillation of the pride of the regiment, its various battle honors and symbols borne proudly on the metallic emblem that was worn on all headdress, even within the trenches. Identification of the cap badge on old photographs is a first, important step in unraveling the military service of an individual. Cap badges have been collected avidly since they were first thought of in the nineteenth century. Cap-badge collecting is as popular now as it has ever been; yet with a growing number of fakes and forgeries, there is a need for a book that illustrates clearly the main types, and allows the collector and family historian alike to understand their meaning. Surprisingly, there are no real comprehensive web-based resources; and the available books (many of which are out of print), are often dull, arcane and poorly illustrated with grey, muddy images of otherwise spectacular badges. This book illustrates, for the first time in full color and high quality, images of the main types of badges used by the British Army in World War I. In addition, contemporary illustrations of the soldiers themselves wearing the badges, and the wider importance of their symbolism, is also included. Employing the skills of an established writer (and collector) and artist, it provides a unique reference guide for all people interested in the World War I.

The British Army has always set great store by its cap badges, which , in miniature, encapsulated the history and traditions of the units that wore them. They were worn with pride by the County regiments (that formed the bulk of the infantry) throughout the two world wars.Here is a comprehensive illustrated collection of the cap badges of the Second World War, the images taken from the author’s own collection. The commentary on each badge explains the joining together of battalions as the war progressed and a regimental index makes finding the badges easy. This is a complex subject clarified in one volume for the first time.

Brompton traces the life of a nineteenth century soldier who served in the British Army at the height of English rule. It interlocks with historical accuracy the story of Ireland, the formation of Englands Standing Army and life as it was in a Regiment. A mix of discipline, passion, struggle and personal triumphs. From Portugal to Australia to India with his regiment, William Smith endures campaign hardship, tragedy and tropical illness. He remarries and is repatriated back to Ireland, but his retirement coincides with Irelands crisis, the 1840s famine. Acceptance into the Royal New Zealand Fencible Corps offers a new life establishing the colony of New Zealand. His legacy to the country is found in the solid infrastructure that survives from Auckland and Onehungas humble beginnings and the meticulous genealogical research into Williams numerous descendants.