Description
Physical description
Facing pair of collar badges to officers of "The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding)", being the crest of the Duke of Wellington, a demi-lion emerging from a Ducal coronet and holding a forked pennon on which the Cross of St. George, below which a three-part downward motto scroll embossed VIRTUTIS / FORTUNA / COMES ("Fortune the Companion of Honour", most often more loosely "Fortune Favours the Brave"). Captioned: Collar Badges / Embroidered for Mess Dress / (in pairs). Ms pencil notation adjacent: "New design pending". Two loops and cotter pin to reverse of each.
Physical description
Box 59: Mounting card captioned "The Duke of Wellingtons Regt (West Riding) Officers" on which 6 items, one of which is a pair (10794-10799). Caption bottom left: "54/Inf/8788 Box No. 72". Reverse plain.
History note
This form of collar badges dates to the period 1958-1969, the usual badge being an Elephant with howdah.
History note
The elephant collar badge derives from the headdress badge of a predecessor regiment, the 76th of Foot. The symbol was granted to the Regiment by George III in 1812, along with the sub-title HINDOOSTAN, in recognition of the unit's twenty years' service in India, 1787 to 1807.
History note
The Elephant and howdah collar badge was adopted by the amalgamated 33rd and 76th regiment in 1881. It remained in use until 2006 except for the period 1958 to 1968. During this time all regiments in The Yorkshire Brigade were required to wear the Brigade headdress badge and to differentiate itself from other units in the Brigade the Regiment adopted a new collar badge, essentially the Duke of Wellington's crest from their earlier cap badge, less the title scroll. When the Duke's crest headdress badge was re-introduced in 1969, it had initially to be worn with the cut-down crest collar badge for want of stocks of the Elephant badge. A new version of the latter was in wear "by mid-1970", despite an apparent official preference for retaining the existing Crest version, presumably "until existing stocks are exhausted".
History note
On the basis that these badges, although not specifically dated on the mounting card, are in association with others dated 1970, it would seem that the ms notation adjacent to the badge, "New design pending", refers to the new Elephant badge then in preparation.
History note
In either version, the Elephant and the Crest were worn facing inward. It usually has a red cloth backing.
Embossed
VIRTUTIS FORTUNA COMES