Dorset Regiment cap badge produced as a restrike of the pattern worn between 1951 and 1958 by the Dorset Regiment of the British Army. This British Army infantry cap badge displays the recognised insignia of the regiment in clear relief, incorporating the Castle and Key of Gibraltar as the central device, the Sphinx above the battle honour “Marabout” on a tablet, enclosed within a laurel wreath, with a lower scroll bearing the motto “Primus in Indis” (Latin: “First in India”) and a title scroll inscribed “Dorset”. The composition reflects the heraldic traditions of the regiment and the historic associations of its two predecessor units.
The 1951 pattern represents the final form of the badge worn before the regiment’s amalgamation, updated to reflect the regiment’s renaming from the Dorsetshire Regiment to the Dorset Regiment in that year. The castle and key device commemorates the regiment’s service during the Great Siege of Gibraltar (1779–1783), inherited from the 39th Regiment of Foot, while the Sphinx and “Marabout” honour derives from the 54th (West Norfolk) Regiment of Foot’s actions during the Egyptian campaign in 1802. The “Primus in Indis” motto references the 39th Regiment’s deployment to India in 1754, making them the first British regiment to serve there. The badge remained in use until the regiment’s amalgamation with the Devonshire Regiment to form the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment in 1958.
Manufactured in gilding metal and white metal in the bi-metal tradition of the regimental pattern, this restrike example provides a sharply defined representation of the final Dorset Regiment headdress badge. Dorset Regiment cap badges of the 1951 pattern are collected as examples of post-war British Army infantry militaria, regimental insignia of the West Country, and historic uniform hardware of the final years of the county regiment era.
Dimensions Approx. 46mm x 41mm
Condition Very good
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.