WW1 Brass Universal Pattern Pioneer Battalion Other Ranks Facing Pair of Collar Badges, various units

A pair of facing and matched brass collar badges, each with four original loops to the reverse of each and mounted on red felt cloth backings. They came like this. Both are in very good condition.

Introduced by sealed pattern in 1915 and marked obsolete in 1921. Worn in gilding metal (brass) for Other Ranks and OSD bronze finish for Officers. Some pioneer battalions differentiated themselves from other pioneer battalions in the same regiment by wearing either the pickaxe facing inwards or outwards from the collar. Colin Churchill's book on the subject of infantry collar badges illustrates the universal pattern pioneer collars as items 147 and 148 in the section concerning the Northumberland Fusiliers. As a result, most people associate this pattern with the NF pioneer service battalions the 14th, 17th (NER), 18th and 19th. The 7th Battalion NF (TF) at some time served as pioneers so they would also have worn them. Other units which Colin Churchill lists as having worn them are:

2/4th Somerset Light infantry (TF)
21st ( Wool Textile Pioneers ) (S) Bn The West Yorkshire Regiment
6th East Yorkshire Regiment (TF)
12th (Teeside Pioneers) (S) Bn The Green Howards
12th (Pioneers) (S) Bn The Cheshire Regiment
The Denbighshire Battalion, The Royal Welsh Fusiliers (TF) (Officers only worn with a 'T' below - item 654)
5th & 6th (S) Bns The South Wales Borderers
13th ( Forest of Dean ) (S) Bn, The Gloucestershire Regiment
14th (Seven Valley Pioneers ) (S) Bn, The Worcestershire Regiment
17th (Pioneers) (S) Bn, the Worcestershire Regiment
11th ( St Helen's Pioneers ) The South Lancashire Regiment
8th (S) Bn, the Welsh Regiment
19th ( Glamorgan ) (S) Bn, the Welsh Regiment
8th (Pioneers) (S) Bn, the Oxs & Bucks LI
12th ( Pioneers) (S) Bn, the Sherwood Foresters ( Notts & Derby)
1/5th Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry ( TF)
10th ( Cornwall Pioneers ) (S) Bn, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry
9th (Pioneers) (S) Bn, The Border Regiment
8th (Pioneers) (S) Bn, The Royal Sussex Regiment
11th (Pioneers) (S) Bn, The Hampshire Regiment
5th (Pioneers) (S) Bn, The Northamptonshire Regiment
12th (Miners' Battalion Pioneers) (S), KOYLI
17th/19th/26th (S) Bns of the Middlesex Regiment; the 1st/2nd and 3rd Public Works Pioneers respectively
24th ( Oldham ) (S) Bn (Pioneers) The Manchester Regiment
9th (S) Bn (Pioneers) the North Staffordshire Regiment
7th (Pioneer) Bn, The York & Lancaster Regiment
11th (Pioneers) (S) Bn, The Durham Light Infantry
22nd Battalion (3rd County Pioneers) (S) Bn, DLI
16th ( 2nd Glasgow ) (S) Bn (Pioneers), Highland Light Infantry ( HLI )
9th (S) Bn (Pioneers) The Seaforth Highlanders
9th (S) Bn (Pioneers) The Gordon Highlanders
16th ( 2nd County Down ) (S) Bn (Pioneers), the Royal Ulster Rifles

My thanks to Colin Churchill for his research in this respect. Some 40 battalions may have worn these but still quite hard to find.

Coll

Code: 67380