Description
Physical description
Bi-metal headdress badge to officers of The Royal Anglian Regiment, being an eight-point rayed star over the centre of which a castle of three turrets (Gibraltar) with depending below the central gateway a key, below which a downward scroll on which embossed ROYAL ANGLIAN. Star silver plate, remainder gilt. Two loops to reverse. Captioned: "Cap Badge, Old".
Physical description
Box 46. Mounting card captioned "The Royal Anglian Regt. Officers" with 6 items, one of which a pair (10614-10619). Reverse with a large deposit of green sealing wax on which an oval seal, MINISTRY OF DEFENCE / PATTERN ROOM with in the centre ARMY / OFFICERS. On the white cotton retaining tape a small lead disc. Top left, a red oval stamp "Q (MAINT) 2 / MINISTRY OF DEFENCE" with in the centre "15 JUN 1970".
History note
The Royal Anglian Regiment is (as of 2018) a Regular regiment of the British Army. It was created on 1st September 1964 from the battalions of the three Regiments of the East Anglian Brigade.
History note
The East Anglian Brigade had been created in 1948 as an administrative unit for the six regular regiments of East Anglia, the Royal Norfolk, the Suffolk, the Royal Lincoln, the Northamptonshire, the Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire, and the Essex. Between 1958 – 1960 these six single-battalion units were reduced to three by amalgamations, each amalgamation creating a short-lived one-battalion East Anglian Regiment, 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Each Regiment became a numbered battalion within the East Anglian Brigade and bore heritage sub-titles. Thus "1st Battalion (Royal Norfolk and Suffolk) East Anglian Brigade", "2nd Battalion Royal Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire", and "3rd Battalion (16th / 44th Foot)". In May 1961 2nd Battalion was re-designated "2nd Battalion (Duchess of Gloucester's Own Royal Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire)" when the Duchess became Colonel of the Regiment. In 1963 the Foresters Brigade was dissolved, the Royal Leicestershire Regiment of that Brigade being transferred to the East Anglian Brigade and designated "4th Battalion (Leicestershire)".
History note
The Royal Anglian Regiment was formed on 1st September 1964 by the re-designation of the East Anglian Brigade battalions as "1st (Norfolk and Suffolk)", "2nd (Duchess of Gloucester's Own Royal Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire)", "3rd (16th / 44th Foot)" and 4th (Leicestershire)", all "Battalions The Royal Anglian Regiment".
History note
The Royal Anglian Regiment was the first of the "large" regiments to be created as a result of successive defence reviews and initially comprised seven battalions, the four Regular listed above and three Territorial battalions. The Regiment subsequently lost two of its Regular battalions, 3rd and 4th (sources give significantly different dates) and as of 2018 the Regiment had two Regular and one Army Reserve battalion.
History note
In 1968 the heritage sub-titles of the Battalions were discontinued. However, in 1995 Companies within Battalions were named to perpetuate historic lineages, as follows: 1st Battalion Companies - A (Royal Norfolk), B Suffolk), C (Essex) and D (Cambridgeshire). 2nd Battalion Companies - A (Royal Lincolnshire), B (Royal Leicestershire), C (Northamptonshire) and D (Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire). 3rd (Reserve) Battalion Companies - HQ (Suffolk & Cambridgeshire), 1 (Norfolk), 2 (Leicester), 3 (Essex & Northamptonshire) and 4 (Lincolnshire).
History note
The cap badge of the Royal Anglian Regiment is the same as the East Anglian Brigade with the difference that EAST ANGLIA on the scroll now reads ROYAL ANGLIAN. The badge design draws on the cap badges of four of the predecessor Regiments, the star from the Beds. & Herts. and the Castle and Key of Gibraltar from the Suffolk, Northampton and Essex Regiments. Symbols from badges not represented in the new cap badge were initially accommodated primarily through collar badges. Thus 1st Battalion had the Britannia figure from the Royal Norfolk's seated in front of the Gibraltar castle, 2nd Battalion had The Royal Lincoln's cap badge Sphinx on a tablet marked Egypt with the battle honour TALAVERA on a scroll below, 3rd Battalion had the Beds. & Herts' Garter enclosing the Eagle previously worn as a collar badge by the Essex, and 4th Battalion had the Royal Tiger, but enclosed in a laurel wreath, from the cap badge of the Leicester Regiment. At some date, probably as early as 1968 when the Battalion heritage titles were dropped, the distinctive collars were discontinued and the same design, and size, as the cap badge adopted by all Battalions.
Embossed
ROYAL ANGLIAN