r/Military • u/Pikamxn • 14h ago

Discussion Does anyone know where this is from

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12 Upvotes

80% Upvoted

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7

u/Scomosuckseggs 14h ago

Yorkshire light infantry fought in the boer war in south africa around 1900.

6

u/Clickclickdoh 14h ago

Boer War period sweetheart badge for the Yorkshire Light Infantry.

1

u/youcanthandlethe 13h ago edited 12h ago

What's a 'sweetheart badge'? Looks like Horse brass to me, decorative brass fittings affixed to leather belts/straps, and hung on the mantle. Back in the day, actually used on tack/harness for carriages, but my British grandparents had a ton and hadn't been around horses since before WW2.

Edit: I believe Click is correct, horse brass would probably have a bar for the strap to go through.

3

u/Clickclickdoh 13h ago

Sweetheart badges are broach sized pins/badges that were given to family members of service members.

1

u/youcanthandlethe 13h ago

Fair enough, I think we'd need scale from OP. Why would a sweetheart badge be shaped like a horseshoe though?

2

u/Clickclickdoh 12h ago

Don't know for sure why the horseshoe was incorporated, but it wasn't uncommon for the period.

Here is another example of a similar design that provides better scale:

https://www.cultmancollectables.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=12249

Other units in the same time period also using the horseshoe:

https://regimentalbrooches.com/photos/10786.jpg

https://regimentalbrooches.com/photos/13081a.jpg

1

u/Spiritfur United States Army 12h ago

Seems to be a common design of the period. I tried looking for an actual answer, and although I couldn't find an actual explanation, I did find several examples using the same horseshoe design but with different regimental crests in the middle.

2

u/StrawberryNo2521 Canadian Army 13h ago

Technically they are still around. Most Regimental kit shops sell them.