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Kings Own Scottish Borderers

Article about: I just added this cast unmarked silver officers badge with a much greater level of fretting than is usual. On older examples such as this the fretting is done by hand with very small piercin

  1. #1

    Default Kings Own Scottish Borderers

    I just added this cast unmarked silver officers badge with a much greater level of fretting than is usual. On older examples such as this the fretting is done by hand with very small piercing files and makes for a very smart looking badge when fitted to the headdress;

    Kings Own Scottish BorderersKings Own Scottish Borderers

    The Kings Own Scottish Borderers were formed in 1689 and served under several different names until they became The Kings Own Borderers in 1881 under the Childers Reforms of that year, subsequently being re-titled The Kings Own Scottish Borderers six years later in 1887.

    Throughout their history they endured fewer amalgamations than many regiments with the first being in 2006 when they joined the Royal Scots to form The Royal Scots Borderers. There was no badge created for this regiment as it had already been absorbed into The Royal Regiment of Scotland which badge it wore as 1SCOTS.

    Sadly, just seven years later in 2021 the Royal Scot Borderers were disbanded as a unit and were renamed 1st Battalion The Ranger Regiment under a hideous "pop art/sci-fi" stylised eagle cap badge which IMO looks like it came out of a Christmas cracker!

    However, As the KOSB like most regiments they had a few variation of the cap badge over the years so here are a few;

    Victorian Crown Helmet plate (two pieces).

    Glengarry and bonnet badges;
    Victorian Crown Other ranks (three loops),
    Victorian Crown Sgts three loops one deliberately cut off)
    Kings Crown silver standard fretting.
    Kings Crown silver extra fretting. (Silver badges worn by Officers and Warrant Officers)
    Queens Crown Stabrite anodised aluminium.
    Queens Crown white metal private purchase.

    There are other variations but this gives the general idea.

    Kings Own Scottish BorderersKings Own Scottish BorderersKings Own Scottish BorderersKings Own Scottish Borderers

    I hope this is of interest.

    Regards

    Mark
    Last edited by Watchdog; 12-02-2022 at 02:53 PM. Reason: typo
    "War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing he cares more about than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature with no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."

  2. #2

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    Ranger Regt, see what I mean? Hideous!

    Kings Own Scottish Borderers

    Looks like something from Marvel Comics or Flash Gordon!
    "War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing he cares more about than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature with no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."

  3. #3

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    I agree Mark, not even a nod to tradition and history in that design.

  4. #4

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    Similar style to Rhodesia’s Selous Scouts. 300+ years of building a tradition wiped away at the stroke of a pen. What must the senior hierarchy of the British Army be thinking of.

  5. #5

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    Quote by PembrokeYeo View Post
    Similar style to Rhodesia’s Selous Scouts. 300+ years of building a tradition wiped away at the stroke of a pen. What must the senior hierarchy of the British Army be thinking of.
    Yes, my first impression was that it is reminiscent of the Selous Scouts. That is fine for the Rhodesian (as was) Forces but this is totally out of keeping with the entire design ethos and symbology of British insignia. Perhaps that bird is not an eagle but a harbinger?

    I don't want to get political of course but just to explain what I think has happened here;

    1. The government perceived a requirement for the new regiment, correctly so in my opinion but did not feel it appropriate to increase the overall number of regiments in the orbat.
    2. The decision was made to convert an existing regiment though it could have been achieved by "Re-rolling".
    3. There is a perceived recruiting problem in Scotland (totally false in my opinion - the problem is with the ineptitude of the contracted "out of house" recruiting agency. Unbelievable right? There are recruits queued up who wait for so long that they are forced to take jobs elsewhere!).
    4. Now they can claim to have "Disbanded" another battalion which was no longer needed! If this is not becoming political I don't know what is!

    What in fact they have done is to eradicate the long life of two of the oldest and most distinguished regiments in the British Army. The Royal Scots were in fact the oldest (1633) and the KOSB the third (1689) with the second position claimed by The Queens Regiment but they were the result of multiple amalgamations.

    Maybe we should all be concerned by this apparent change in policy. As the saying goes "Those who fail to remember the mistakes of history are condemned to repeat them".

    Anyway, as I said, we shouldn't veer off into politics, I just wanted to give an idea of how significant this change seems to be.

    With the formation of the Ranger Regt which in itself stands to be a good thing, these two fine regiments have disappeared completely from sight. We shall see what traditions the new regiment will establish!

    We live in interesting times!

    Regards

    Mark
    Last edited by Watchdog; 12-03-2022 at 01:38 PM. Reason: typo
    "War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing he cares more about than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature with no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."

  6. #6
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    Very interesting topic Mark. Sadly this sees to be a a sign of the times in the Western hemisphere as well, ineptitude over tradition. BTW, vey nice collection of badges.
    Regards, Al

  7. #7

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    A Lovely collection of badges Mark, this is my O.R's badge... It belonged to Pte McDermont of 2nd K.O.S.B. He took part in the Christmas truce of 1914 and was then badly wounded and invalided out of the army just a few weeks later. Along with his cap badge, I also have his Mons Star trio and his Princess Mary tin. They came to me straight from the family via a dealer some time ago, and I've never shown them on the forum. Maybe I will closer to Christmas.

    Cheers,
    Steve


    Kings Own Scottish Borderers

  8. #8

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    Thanks Steve, I really like "Mons" trios. For me they say "In at the start".

    I think we have a thread on the Princess Mary tins somewhere but it would be great to have it as a "Christmas special" perhaps with all the associated ephemera of which I am sure members here have lots

    Regards

    Mark
    "War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing he cares more about than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature with no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."

  9. #9

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    Quote by Watchdog View Post
    Thanks Steve, I really like "Mons" trios. For me they say "In at the start".

    I think we have a thread on the Princess Mary tins somewhere but it would be great to have it as a "Christmas special" perhaps with all the associated ephemera of which I am sure members here have lots

    Regards

    Mark
    Hi Mark,

    What's nice about this badge is that it is highly likely that McDermont wore it in the trenches up to him being wounded in January 1915. There is a dent to the left part of the crown, the kind of dent that would be formed by a slender piece of metal hitting at a fairly high speed. I have always wondered whether it was a fragment from a shell.

    Cheers,
    Steve

  10. #10

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    Very interesting information.

    I served alongside the KOSB in Berlin. They replaced the Black Watch. I was able to get some great items (Brit Map case and PEAK stove from some of the lads) in a trade for some of my US Army gear. I still have my map case with all my Berlin Maps in it..

    Great times.

    Best regards

    Smitty

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