• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team
  • HI folks the server that hosts the site completely died including the Hdd's and backups.
    Luckily i create an offsite backup once a week! this has now been restored so we have lost a few days posts.
    im still fixing things at the moment so bear with me and im still working on all images 90% are fine the others im working on now
    we are now using a backup solution

Military Badges and Sweetheart Brooches

O

O.C.

Guest
I shall shortly be starting an article about Military badges and try to identify any you have and dont know what they are.
I also will be showing a few photos of Military Sweetheart Brooches of the Great War and before.
Sweetheart Brooches were a nickname for the type of badge locket or jewellery that a soldier either made himself in or out of the trenches or had made by a Jeweller which would be his regimental badge made out of Gold silver or gilt with diamonds or any precious stones or pearls, the range is vast.
Also what will come into the topic as well will be Battlefield Brooches, which were a soldiers way of getting round the censor
France 1915 all the mail was heavily censored and all a soldier could write home in a letter or photo was I am somewhere in France but he had a crafty way to get round this. He would buy a badge of Ypres, Verdun etc and then send that home.
Also being covered will be Military Tiepins and Bayonets badges or tiepins
So if you have any post them here 
 
This Badge has come from Rowan and I must say as its the first photo of a badge someone has sent me
good old genuine badge which is a shame that it has been broken,see bottom photo of a modern repro one it is Volunteer 8th batt Kings Regiment Glengarry Badge formed 1874 till 1881
 
Military or "Sweetheart  Brooches" were ornate copies of the real military badge of any regiment or branch of any service
Soldiers, Sailors or Airmen bought them to give to their Wives, Mothers, Fiance's or Girlfriends ..That is why they are called or became known as "Sweetheart Brooches"
They can be made from base metal, brass, silver,gold and platinum and diamonds.
The ones I am showing here are a small part of my collection
Second photo is of Regimental Tiepins of the Great War
 
Battlefield Brooches as they were  called started off just like you could buy a badge or brooch from Blackpool or Dartmoor.
Most of the French towns in around the 1900's onwards had little cottage industries making these small brooches with the name of their Town or village on.
When the Great war started "Tommy" was not allowed to tell anyone were he was, if he sent a postcard he had to put on it "From Somewhere in France" if he did not, it would be destroyed as censorship was strict (or so we thought it was)
"Tommy" use to buy these brooches as gifts to send  back home and old "Tommy" used them as a clever way to tell his folks where he was. "Remarkable!" the army let them do it
And as the war progressed the French started to make them with the names of the battles on, such as The Somme.
1 Amiens, 2 Albert, 3 Menin Gate handbag mirror, 4 Vimy, 5 Valenciennes, 6  Bethune, 7 Menin Gate, 8 Perrone, 9 Messines, 10 Verdun, 11 Mons, 12Rouen,
13 Amiens, 15 Armetieres, 16 Peronne, 17 Cambrai,18 Ostend, 19 Givenchy,
20 Arras,21 Bethune, 22 Abbeyville, 23 Normandy, 24 Calais, 25 Somme, 26 Popperinge, 27 Ypres, 28 Bapume, 29 War Souvenir 30 Ypres, 31 Le Havre
34 Cherbourg, 33 Le Havre
 
The little bayonet brooches or tiepins seen here in this photo were made just after the Great War (except the brass commando knife in the middle which is WW2) by the people who tried to make a living after the devastation with all the vast amounts of metal that was lying about
Names on the brooches are, Bruxelles, Hill 60, Blankenberge, Waterloo, Dixmude,Gte De Han, Yser, Belgiode, Bruxells, Ostende, Antwerp (All spelling is correct)

The Badges at the bottom were patriotic and made at the start of the war. the one bottom left I found on a battlefield at Givenchy France
 
Thanks Angie, A large amount of the "Sweetheart" Brooches were made by the soldiers during idle time when they were away from the trenches,Tunic Buttons were the favorite as they then put a photo inside, here is one which has been made from some kind of token or coin cut down and a button from a Royal Welsh Fusiliers officers cap fixed in the middle and it has been enamelled.
What a shame that I cannot I.D. the 2 men in the Button photo
Bottom pic is of one made from an old Penny but the date 1916 has been left on as well as the kings head on the other side
 
:angel: Oh my lord :smitten: what a great collection... I'd do anything to have just half of those in my collection. Tops again Crommie mate O0
 
As far as I know Chris I have the largest collection of Royal Welsh Fusilier Brooches in the country and I am a Brummie as was my Dad but he was in that Regiment and that started me off
 
Nice little Great War stick,hat or tie pin Postie sold in aid of the Birmingham War Relief Fund . Prince of Wales Feathers  O0

PS and I would like to thank ya for giving it to me "Ta Jim"
 
The only regiment that I know use that "nut" was the South Notts Hussars who were Yeomanry in the Great War and the Cheshire Regiment
But your badge looks like staybright so it must be quite modern
Badge below is Great War
 
I have in an original cap badge for The Essesx Regiment, originally belonging to my Great Great Uncle, Thomas Coulson. On the badge the regimental name is picked out (surrounded) in red and blue enamel.

As far as I am aware cap badges where not enamelled and someone I mentioned this too, said that if a badge was decorated in this fashion, then it was often referred to as a Sweetheart Broach. Am I correct in my assumption that badges weren't enamelled and are they correct in what they say??
 
If it is enameled it was very likely given to a wife or sweetheart (but he could have done it himself) the only time a cap badge was painted was in the Great War and they were painted Matt black to avoid reflection
A few years ago my son Pete picked a cap badge to the Kings Liverpool
Regiment up on the Somme which was black enameled, quite a rare item
 
The enameling is very well done, but that of course doesn't mean he didn't do it himself. The rest of the badge is as you would expect very dark, almost black, I wouldn't say it was painted though. It could be tarnishing, but the badge lay undisturbed in his wallet from 1934 until 2001.
 
I know this isn't a broach but it's what uncle Arthur brought home from Jerusalem of Davids Towerl for his mom Pem. She gave it me just before she died. Jean.
 
Hi Cromwell,
What a great collection of sweetheart badges. Thanks for sharing it with
us.
George
 
I had forgotten what a wonderful thread this was so many lovely brooches and badges. Thanks for sharing the photo's with us.
 
Tried again by clicking "insert image" icon then uploading but this does not seem to work. Will keep trying. Saved as web image to reduce size. Hows this
View attachment 46695Doug
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top