Royal Welch Fusiliers (RWF) gilt and enamel sweetheart brooch with forage cap suspender, featuring the distinctive insignia of this historic Welsh infantry regiment. This attractive piece of regimental sweetheart jewellery incorporates a miniature RWF badge with an attached forage cap suspender, making it an unusual and desirable item for collectors of British military badges, Welsh regimental insignia, and military sweetheart jewellery.
The Royal Welch Fusiliers were one of the British Army’s historic infantry regiments, tracing its lineage to the seventeenth century. The regiment was numbered the 23rd Regiment of Foot from 1751 and retained its distinctive Welsh identity throughout its long service. The spelling “Welch” forms part of the regiment’s traditional title and is an important feature of its historical identity.
The regiment served in numerous campaigns throughout the British Empire and in both World Wars. Its distinctive regimental traditions and insignia have made Royal Welch Fusiliers badges particularly popular among collectors of Welsh military history and British Army regimental memorabilia.
Sweetheart jewellery became especially popular during the First and Second World Wars, allowing servicemen and their families to display a personal connection with a particular regiment or corps. Miniature versions of official military badges were produced as brooches and other forms of jewellery and were worn by wives, fiancées, mothers, sisters, and other relatives while personnel were serving away from home.
This example is particularly interesting due to the inclusion of a forage cap suspender, incorporating a small item of regimental uniform equipment into the sweetheart brooch. The combination of gilt metal and enamel provides an attractive decorative appearance while retaining the distinctive Royal Welch Fusiliers insignia.
An unusual addition to any collection of Royal Welch Fusiliers insignia, Welsh military memorabilia, British Army sweetheart jewellery, or First World War and inter-war regimental collectables.
Dimensions
Approx. 41mm × 32mm
Condition
Good overall condition, with age-related wear consistent with previous use. The gilt retains good colour with some rubbing to the raised areas, while the enamel remains generally well preserved. The forage cap suspender is present and adds considerable interest to this unusual sweetheart brooch.
