British Army Cap Badges Of The First World War

Product Description

The fascination with the British involvement in the First World War extends to all aspects of the conflict. The battles & their outcomes; the armies & their leaders; the conditions of trench warfare; & 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 & 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 & forgeries there is a need for a book that illustrates clearly the main types & allows the collector & family historian alike to understand their meaning. Surprisingly there are no real comprehensive web-based resources; & the available books (many of which are out of print) are often dull arcane & poorly illustrated with grey muddy images of otherwise spectacular badges. This book illustrates for the first time in full color & 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 & the wider importance of their symbolism is also included. Employing the skills of an established writer (and collector) & artist it provides a unique reference guide for all people interested in the World War I.