The British Legion Memorabilia Collectors Club
News: March 2008
 


British Legion Volunteer Police Force Badge and Shoulder Titles

British Legion Volunteer Police Force Cap Badge

 

Thanks to Mr Philip Wilson interim Club President, noted military historian and Chairman of Warwickshire County Royal British Legion we have at last been able find a badge of such outstanding manufacturing quality that fits the description below right down to the long thin slider!

 


Badge Description

The British Legion Volunteer Police Force cap badge comprises the British Legion silvered and enamel lapel badge, superimposed on a silver gilt metal star surmounted by a Victorian Crown. The badge has a very long, narrow slider fitted to the rear.

For the greatcoat a very much smaller version of the cap badge was designed and had for some inexplicable reason a Kings Crown atop the star, with two loop fixings to the rear. The normal standard membership lapel badge was worn in the left lapel button hole.

A version of the British Legion Volunteer Police Force cap badge was produced after WWII for use by British Legion members employed as Commissionaires, but the central device on this badge is much smaller than the larger version worn by the British Legion Volunteer Police Force, and the slider fitting is wider.

First published on the Royal British Legion in North Staffordshire's On-Line Museum exhibition of Cap Badges, Collar Dogs and Shoulder Titles

The Force was formed on the 6th October 1938, and was entitled The British Legion Volunteer Police Force. It was disbanded on the 15th October 1938, some ten days later. See George Murgatroyd's article on the Royal British Legion in North Staffordshire's Legion History pages - Volunteer Police Force.

Full size photo of badge and shoulder titles can be found on the British Legion Volunteer Police Force page. Click on the link to take you directly there.

This find does not necessarily degrade any of the badges previously attributed to the police force. What it does is enable us to correctly attribute more accurately badges already found and label them correctly.