Material: Bi-metal (white metal laurel wreath and crown, gilt brass rose)
Size: 42mm w × 45mm h
Description: This item is a British Army East Lancashire Regiment cap badge. The die-struck bi-metal construction features a central white metal Egyptian Sphinx resting prone upon a rectilinear plinth inscribed with the battle honor "EGYPT". This central motif is superimposed over a beautifully detailed, gilded brass representation of the traditional Red Rose of Lancaster. The entire emblem is securely enveloped by a sweeping white metal laurel wreath, which is surmounted at its apex by a traditional Tudor King's Crown. The lower border is completed by a graceful, integrated white metal scroll bearing the unit title "EAST LANCASHIRE" in clear, uppercase serif lettering, while the reverse holds a unmarked long, flat brass mounting slider.
Circa: 1902 – 1952
Notes:
The unique juxtaposition of Egyptian and Lancastrian imagery on this crest honors the dual lineage of the regiment's ancestral units. The Sphinx and accompanying "EGYPT" plinth were originally awarded to the 30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot following their successful campaigns against Napoleon's forces at the Battle of Alexandria in 1801. When they amalgamated with the 59th (2nd Nottinghamshire) Regiment in 1881 to form the East Lancashire Regiment, the unit adopted the Red Rose of Lancaster to firmly ground their new regional identity. This badge accompanied Lancashire soldiers through intense combat operations across the Western Front in World War I, as well as the fighting in Dunkirk and Burma during World War II.