WW1 Norfolk Regiment Cap Badge – FIRST PATTERN

Guaranteed original. Complete & intact. This is an original WW1 Royal Norfolk Regiment Cap Badge for sale. In good condition. Please see our other items for more original WW1, WW2 & post war British military cap badges for sale including other Royal Norfolk Regiment Cap badges.

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The Royal Norfolk Regiment, originally formed as the Norfolk Regiment, was an infantry regiment of the British Army. The Norfolk Regiment was created on 1 July 1881 as the county regiment of Norfolk. It was formed from the 9th (the East Norfolk) Regiment of Foot and covered the local militia and rifle volunteers. Battalions of the Norfolks fought in the First World War on the Western Front and in the Middle East. It became the Royal Norfolk Regiment on 3 June 1935. In the Second World War, the regiment’s battalions were in action in the Battle of France, the Far East, and then in the invasion of, and subsequent operations in, north-west Europe. The Royal Norfolks were amalgamated in 1959 with their neighbours, the Suffolk Regiment, to become part of the 1st East Anglian Regiment; this in turn became part of the Royal Anglian Regiment, of which “A” company of the first battalion is known as the Royal Norfolk.

The Norfolk Regiment entered the First World War with two regular, one reserve and three Territorial Force battalions (one of cyclists), with the regiment expanding to nineteen battalions. The total number of men raised during the war amounted to 32,375 of whom 5,576 were killed. In the Second World War the 1st Battalion of the Royal Norfolks was a regular army battalion and formed part of the initial landings on D-Day. They were part of the 185th Brigade originally assigned to the 79th Armoured Division but later transferred to the 3rd Infantry Division alongside the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment and the 2nd Battalion, King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. The battalion landed on Red Queen Beach (on the left flank of Sword Beach) at 07:25. On 6 August 1944 at Sourdeval, Sidney Bates was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. By the end of the war in Europe, the 1st Battalion had gained an excellent reputation and was claimed by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery as ‘second to none’ of all the battalions in the British 2nd Army. The 7th Battalion of the Royal Norfolks was part of the 176th Infantry Brigade of the 59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division, one of the follow-up units after D-Day. The division was disbanded in August 1944 due to a lack of infantry reinforcements and its units were used as replacements for other divisions. The dress worn by the Regiment’s predecessor units in the late 17th and early 18th centuries included orange and subsequently green facings.

In 1733,official permission was given to change from bright green back to light orange facings. By 1747, this unusual shade had evolved into yellow which was retained until 1881 when, in common with all English and Welsh regiments, the newly renamed Norfolk Regiment was given white distinctions on its scarlet tunics. In 1905, the traditional yellow facings were restored for full dress and mess uniforms. Another distinction of the Norfolk Regiment was the inclusion of a black line in the gold braid of officers’ uniforms from 1881 onwards. When the regiment was redesignated as the “Royal Norfolk Regiment” in 1935 it was specially permitted to retain the yellow facings instead of changing to blue. The figure of Britannia was officially recognised in 1799 as part of the insignia of the 9th Regiment of Foot. Regimental tradition claimed that it was granted to the regiment by Queen Anne in 1707 in recognition of its service at the Battle of Almanza. However there is no evidence that it was used before the 1770s, and it was not listed as an authorised device in the royal warrants of 1747, 1751 or 1768. It subsequently became a central part of the badge of the Norfolk Regiment. This led to the joke within the Army that the regiment was the only one to be allowed to have a woman (Britannia) in barracks.

Please see our other items for more original WW1, WW2 & post war British military cap badges for sale including other Royal Norfolk Regiment cap badges.