5th (Buchan and Formartin) Battalion, Gordon Highlanders (T / 5 / GORDON, 1908-1922 Pattern) Brass Shoulder Title

5th (Buchan and Formartin) Battalion, Gordon Highlanders shoulder title in brass, produced in the three-tier Territorial Force pattern worn from 1908 to 1922 by other ranks of the 5th (Buchan and Formartin) Battalion, Gordon Highlanders, Territorial Force, of the British Army. This Scottish Highland infantry Territorial Force shoulder title is configured as three separate curved title bars worn in vertical sequence, reading from top to bottom: “T” (denoting Territorial Force), “5” (denoting the 5th Battalion), and “GORDON”, each bar struck in brass with raised block lettering on a flat ground. The three-tier construction is consistent with the standard Territorial Force shoulder title format introduced across all arms of the Territorial Force on its formation in 1908, in which the upper “T” bar distinguished Territorial other ranks from regular army personnel wearing the same regimental title below, with the battalion numeral bar providing the further distinction between the numbered Territorial battalions of the regiment.

The Territorial Force was established on 1 April 1908 under the Haldane Reforms, replacing the earlier Volunteer Force and consolidating county-based infantry, cavalry, and artillery units under a unified reserve structure. The 5th (Buchan and Formartin) Battalion was formed on 1 April 1908 as a direct successor to the 2nd Volunteer Battalion and the 3rd (The Buchan) Volunteer Battalion of the Gordon Highlanders, and was headquartered at Peterhead with companies and drill stations distributed across the district of Buchan in Aberdeenshire, including Strichen, Turriff, Longside, and Boddam. The Gordon Highlanders themselves had been formed on 1 July 1881 through the amalgamation of the 75th (Stirlingshire) Regiment of Foot and the 92nd (Gordon Highlanders) Regiment of Foot under the Childers Reforms, recruiting principally from Aberdeenshire, Banffshire, Kincardineshire, and Shetland. On the outbreak of war in August 1914, the 1st/5th Battalion mobilised at Peterhead and was assigned to the Gordon Brigade — subsequently redesignated the 153rd Brigade — of the 51st (Highland) Division, alongside the 1st/4th, 1st/6th, and 1st/7th Battalions of the regiment. The 1st/5th landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer in May 1915 and served on the Western Front throughout the war, taking part in the battles of the Somme, Arras, and the Hundred Days Offensive of 1918, including the attack on the Chateau of Buzancy at the end of July 1918. The Territorial Force was redesignated the Territorial Army in 1922, at which point the “T” bar prefix and associated three-tier shoulder title format were discontinued, with a simplified two-tier or single-bar title adopted in its place.

Manufactured in brass consistent with British Army Territorial Force other ranks’ shoulder title production of the First World War period, this three-tier title provides a well-defined representation of the battalion-designated Highland infantry shoulder title as worn by the Buchan and Formartin men of the 5th Gordons throughout the war. T / 5 / GORDON shoulder titles are collected as examples of First World War Territorial Force Highland infantry militaria, battalion-designated shoulder insignia of the Gordon Highlanders, and uniform hardware of the 51st (Highland) Division as worn during the Western Front campaign.

Dimensions Approx. 39mm x 48mm

Condition Very good