Material: Brass
Size: 35mm w × 50mm h
Description: The item is an officially verified, standalone Welsh Guards military headdress cap badge, confirming the exact regimental designation of the previous 35mm by 50mm pressed brass artifact. Stripped of any surrounding wreath, crown, or circular garter, this pure heraldic badge depicts the national leek of Wales growing vertically from a textured root base into a sprawling spray of nine distinct, sharply pointed upper leaves. The obverse face demonstrates incredible die struck crispness, featuring fine grooved lines tracking along the center of each leaf body to simulate natural vegetation folds. The item acts as the primary visual signature for the senior Welsh unit within the British Army’s Household Division, designed for heavy daily active service.
Circa: 1915–1952
Notes:
The Welsh Guards were officially raised on February 26, 1915, by a Royal Warrant from King George V to complete the national representation of the Foot Guards regiments during the First World War. Lord Kitchener immediately ordered the newly formed unit to mount guard at Buckingham Palace just three days later, cementing their elite status from their very inception. The singular leek badge design was officially registered as Kipling & King catalog item 920, representing St. David’s leek, which Welsh forces historically pinned to their headgear for tactical battlefield identification. While other Welsh regiments historically paired the leek inside complex multi-piece designs or crowns, only the Welsh Guards are permitted to wear the bare vegetable as a standalone cap badge, representing their motto "Cymru am Byth" (Wales Forever).