The fascination of regimental crests—How to plan a collection of crests—The changes which crests undergo—The meaning of crests—Mottoes on crests, and their meanings

The crest or badge worn by a soldier is probably one of his most cherished possessions, for it is at once the symbol of his regiment and the mascot which urges him on to fame and victory. It is but little wonder, then, that such emblems, so jealously preserved, should prove of deep interest to the collector of military curios.

In our own case, and we suppose it was much the same in those of our readers, army crests fascinated us long before we had a clear perception of what an army really was. In our early school-days, buttons bearing the various regimental devices attracted us; later our collection extended a welcome to cap-badges whilst to-day it contains such treasures as the crests on waist-belts, crossbelt-plates, helmets, collar-plates, and even those on the metal flaps of sabretaches.

A collection of regimental badges should be planned on scientific lines, otherwise the treasured possessions will lose much of their interest. In the first place, the various specimens should be classified: buttons should be arranged in one group, cap-badges in another, belt-plates in another, and so on.

The second grouping should be based upon the standing of the regimental unit. All the buttons worn by the regular army, for instance, should be placed in one sub-division; all those of the territorial army in another; and, as obsolete specimens are still procurable, sub-divisions should be reserved for the volunteer force, the old militia, and special forces which have been raised on special occasions.

Of course the badges should be arranged according to the precedence accorded to the regiments for which they stand; thus, in the case of the regular army, the Household Cavalry should receive priority and be followed by the Dragoon Guards; then the Cavalry of the Line should take third place, whilst the fourth and fifth places should be given to the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers. The Guards should be placed sixth, and the Infantry of the Line seventh. Badges of each of these divisions should then be arranged according to the seniority of the regiment. The Army List and the chapter on "Regimental Nomenclature" will give valuable help on this point. Finally, where regiments possess various badges for the different companies, these must be arranged in numerical order.

In planning a collection, it is well to remember that badges are constantly changing their patterns, not in fundamental ways, it is true, but in ways which are quite sufficient to add zest to the hobby of collecting. Battle honours, for instance, have been frequently added in the past, whilst many changes are sure to take place in the future, on this score alone, as a result of the great war with Germany. After the Boer War, additions were made to the scrolls which encircle many regimental badges, and the same may be said of the Peninsular, Marlborough's wars, and every great campaign in which the British Army has figured. Thus it is clear that a collection of devices such as we have here in mind is full of interest, not only from the military and antiquarian but also the historical point of view.

In addition to the gradual changes which have arisen, it must be mentioned that in 1881 the names of many regiments underwent changes and the badges suffered material alterations in consequence. Before the year in question, each army unit was known by its number and the crests bore distinguishing numerals. Thus the Wiltshire badge, which to-day depicts the Duke of Edinburgh's monogram within a circle, bore the figures "62" instead up till 1881. The collector will find these early devices of much interest, but, as a rule, they are fairly hard to obtain.

Unless the collector has ideas of his own as to how the badges should be mounted, it will be a capital plan to cover a board with black velvet and pin the medal emblems to it. When complete, the board should be framed with a moulding having a fairly deep rebate. The effect will be pleasing; the frame can be used as a wall ornamentation, and, what is most important, the badges themselves will be protected, as far as possible, from the deteriorating influences of the atmosphere.

A study of the designs given on the crests forms, of course, an interesting pastime. Probably the first point which the student will notice is that certain specimens bear the King's sign—e.g. the King's Dragoon Guards and the Grenadier Guards—consequently, all such badges must inevitably suffer alteration on the demise of the reigning sovereign.

All royal regiments, with a single exception, bear the royal crown, though crowns of various types are borne by other units than royal ones.

Light infantry regiments invariably display a horn.

Grenades form part of the devices worn by the Grenadier Guards, the Royal Artillery, and the Fusilier regiments.

Most of the Irish units display the harp, and the Welsh the dragon, but in connection with this latter class, it must be mentioned that the Buffs (East Kent) are also proud of a dragon; this, however, was given them for services rendered in China.

Britannia, one of our most cherished allegorical figures, is seen on but a single crest: that of the Norfolks. It was awarded to this unit for gallantry at Almanza in 1707. The Spaniards in the Peninsular War nicknamed the men of this regiment the "Holy Boys," as they mistook the figure of Britannia for that of the Virgin Mary.

A castle and key figure on many regimental devices. All those which display them fought at Gibraltar and received permission to incorporate these objects in their crest in memory of the services which they performed there.

A striped rose forms part of a great many badges. It is a sign of the union after the War of the Roses.

Animals are favourite emblems. The lion, the symbol of our island race, naturally figures most frequently, but elephants, horses, tigers, and stags are great favourites.

It is not always possible to tell why such and such a regiment has chosen a particular animal for incorporation in its device, but, more often than not, the design may be traced back to the family escutcheon of a nobleman who had some hand in raising the unit. A case in point is the cat encircled by the motto Sans Peur, which the men of the 5th battalion of the Seaforth Highlanders wear on their caps. This creature has long ornamented the crest of the House of Sutherland, and the Sutherlands claim guardianship over this particular unit.

In other cases, an animal has been selected because it is specially appropriate. For instance, the Sherwood Foresters, soldiers who recall Robin Hood and the good old-fashioned chase, display an ambling stag, whilst regiments associated with long service in India have adopted an elephant or tiger.

But the most appropriate badge of all is that worn by the Royal Army Medical Corps. In this instance, we have a snake coiled around a rod. The snake, as every reader knows, was the particular mascot carried by Æsculapius, the god of healing, whilst the same reptile was used by Moses in the Wilderness to free the Children of Israel from the ailments which proved so troublesome to them.

The fleeting horse, borne by the King's Own Hussars, the Fifth Dragoon Guards, and the Royal Fusiliers, is the white horse of Hanover, and was incorporated in the crests to remind us of services rendered against the Jacobites.

The Paschal lamb on the "Queen's" was the badge of Catherine of Braganza, wife of Charles II.

The sphinx, as every one knows, indicates special services in Egypt.

The mottoes incorporated in certain of the regimental crests are not without interest. The following, with their English equivalents, are worth noting:—

Pro rege et patria—For King and country.

Quis separabit?—Who shall separate?

Quo fata vocant—Whither fate calls.

Spectemur agendo—Let us be judged by our actions.

Nemo me impune lacessit—No one provokes me with impunity.

Nec aspera terrent—Difficulties do not terrify us.

Mente et manu—With mind and hand.

PristinÆ virtutis memores—The memory of former valour.

Viret in Æternum—Flourishes for ever.

Quo fas et gloria ducunt—Where right and glory lead.

Vel exuviÆ triumphant—Arms surely triumphant.

Semper fidelis—Always faithful.

Virtutis namurcensis prÆmium—The reward of valour at Namur.

Omnia audax—To dare all.

Nisi Dominus frustra—Without God, it is vain.

Virtutis fortuna comes—Fortune the friend of valour.

Primus in Indis—First in the Indies.

Gwell angau na chyurlydd—Rather death than shame.

Aucto splendore resurgo—I rise with increased splendour.

Celer et audax—Swift and bold.

Cuidich'n Righ—Assist the King.

Faugh-a-ballach—Clear the way.

In arduis fidelis—In danger, faithful.