Shako Badge

[Killearn Kitties]

What a find! Congratulations.
Are you going to open your own museum soon.

[wombat2u2004]

What a find! Congratulations.
Are you going to open your own museum soon.

As soon as I get my Rifles Brigade sword I will

[lvpets2002]

WoW how so neat Wom.. What a great win.. Now you said you won it = was you gambling again??

[cassiesmom]

Two questions, Wom:
1- is it some sort of a medal? Your title says badge- would it have been pinned onto a uniform? Or maybe a hat, since it's a shako badge; correct me if I"m wrong, but I thought a shako was a plume-y thing affixed to a hat, like a marching band hat.
2- given its age - how do you store such a badge? Do you have it cleaned or polished or otherwise "touched up", or do you keep it as it is?

When you open your museum, I'll visit! Count me in!

[wombat2u2004]

Two questions, Wom:
1- is it some sort of a medal? Your title says badge- would it have been pinned onto a uniform? Or maybe a hat, since it's a shako badge; correct me if I"m wrong, but I thought a shako was a plume-y thing affixed to a hat, like a marching band hat.
2- given its age - how do you store such a badge? Do you have it cleaned or polished or otherwise "touched up", or do you keep it as it is?

When you open your museum, I'll visit! Count me in!

A shako is a cylindrical hat, usually with a small visor on the front. They wore them in the 1700's and 1800's.....the Napoleonic Wars etc etc.
The plume...y thing you talk about is called a "Hackle"
Regiments wore their badge on the front of the shako. This badge belonged to a soldier of the Rifle Brigade (95th Foot), and how it came to be buried in the ground in the Crimea is lost in time. The soldier could have been killed, maybe had his hat shot off his head, or maybe it fell off a wagon loaded with replacement badges....LOLOL....your guess is as good as mine.
No, the badge will be kept as is....I will display it in it's original as found condition.

Here is an artwork of the Rifle Brigade in the Peninsular Wars (Portugal) in action against Napoleons Army. You can see their badges on their shako's.
As for colour of uniform, most British line Regiments wore red, but the Rifle Brigade wore green, and were used mainly as skirmishers that fought in small groups. They also used the Baker Rifle instead of the Brown Bess Musket, and had a sword bayonet, which could be used as a sword OR bayonet.

[wombat2u2004]

WoW how so neat Wom.. What a great win.. Now you said you won it = was you gambling again??

Yes Helene, I admit, I was gambling....again !!!! (Wom hides his head in shame).
It's just that....I have to...I need to.....I need to win back my family, I lost them last week playing blackjack, and since then, I've had no-one to cook my din din