The British African headdress and collar badges bear an ostrich with a background of mountains and a scroll at the base inscribed British African. In gilt, bronze and brass finish (KK 1372). This badge has a similar background design to the Australasian Squadron headdress badge.
The headdress badge and matching collar badges worn by ‘D’ Squadron (British African) are shown in the close-up image (Figure 244) taken from the group photograph of King’s Colonials (Figure 121).
Figure 244: Close-up image of the ‘D’ Squadron (British African) headdress badge (KK 1372) worn by several Other Ranks with the Private on the right hand end wearing matching collar badges.
The headdress badge shown in Figure 245 is a genuine Officer’s headdress badge which is a die struck in rich gilt with loops also in gilt positioned east-west which lack feet.
Figure 245: A genuine ‘D’ Squadron (British African) Officer’s headdress badge (KK 1372) in gilt.The headdress badge shown in Figure 246 is a genuine Officer’s headdress badge from the Firmin display set. It is a die struck badge in rich gilt with loops also in gilt positioned east-west which lack feet.
Figure 246: A genuine ‘D’ Squadron (British African) Other Ranks headdress badge (KK 1372) with matching pair of collar badges all in gilding metal. The pair of ‘D’ Squadron (British African) ostrich collar badges shown in Figures 246 are die-struck in gilding metal and were worn as a facing pair. They have copper loops which lack feet and are positioned east-west.
As with the bronzed OSD versions of the 'A' (British Asian), 'B' (British American) and 'E' (New Zealand) Squadron collar badges, in my collection I have a pair of bronzed OSD 'D' Squadron (British African) collar badges.
