Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) officer button (King’s Crown, 1902–c.1953 pattern), 26mm, an original example of British Army medical corps uniform insignia associated with the Royal Army Medical Corps.
Manufactured in gilt brass, this 26mm uniform button bears the distinctive badge of the Royal Army Medical Corps surmounted by the King’s Crown, identifying it as the pattern worn from the accession of Edward VII in 1902 through the reigns of George V, Edward VIII, and George VI, remaining in use until the introduction of the Queen’s Crown insignia following the accession of Elizabeth II.
Established in 1898, the Royal Army Medical Corps brought together the British Army’s medical services into a single professional organisation responsible for providing medical care to soldiers both in barracks and on active service. RAMC personnel served wherever the British Army was deployed, operating regimental aid posts, casualty clearing stations, field ambulances, military hospitals, hospital trains, and hospital ships.
This button pattern spans one of the most significant periods in the Corps’ history. During the Second Boer War, the RAMC gained valuable experience in battlefield medicine that influenced military medical practice for decades. Throughout the First World War, RAMC doctors, surgeons, nurses, orderlies, and stretcher bearers treated millions of casualties under often hazardous conditions on the Western Front and in numerous overseas theatres. The Corps again played a vital role during World War II, supporting Allied operations in Europe, North Africa, Italy, Burma, and the Far East while advancing modern military surgery, blood transfusion techniques, and battlefield evacuation procedures.
The King’s Crown pattern remained in service until the early 1950s, after which it was superseded by buttons bearing the St Edward’s Crown. Original examples from this long period of service are highly sought after by collectors of British Army medical insignia and military uniform accessories.
Manufactured in gilt brass and retaining its original reverse shank fitting, this example represents an authentic and collectable piece of British military medical history.
Dimensions
26mm diameter
Condition
Good overall original condition, with little to no gilt remaining. Light wear, minor surface marks, and signs of uniform use or storage may be present. The original reverse shank remains intact and secure. No significant damage or repairs evident.
