Since I am only an incidental collector of badges, I cannot necessarily judge their rarity. However, over the years I have got the distinct impression that badges of the Imperial Light Infantry are certainly not common, and may in fact be exceedingly rare.
Colin Owen's book records only two types:
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A third type was listed on Spink's ABW Anniversary sale in 1999:
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There may, of course, be others, and, if so, I hope that someone will post them on this thread.
The badges illustrated above are likely to have been made in Pietermaritzburg, where the ILI was raised in September 1899. The regiment was made up largely of refugees from the Transvaal ("Uitlanders"), and, like its mounted counterpart, the Imperial Light Horse, the men had scores to settle with the Boers. The regiment went on to exist only for the duration of General Buller's Natal Campaign. To its original enlistment it probably added more men during the war to fill the gaps left by casualties. Other irregular regiments raised in Natal (e.g. Imperial Light Horse, Thorneycroft's Mounted Infantry, Bethune's Mounted Infantry) served throughout the war, so far more men passed through their ranks than was the case with the ILI.
Another factor contributing to the rarity of ILI badges occurred to me a day or two ago when , after a long wait, I was finally able to add an ILH title to my collection:
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This one is evidently Owen's No. 2135. It is a surprisingly fragile badge made of thin brass. It has a single crosspiece curled in at the ends, which are perforated to served as integral lugs. The letters are soldered on to the crosspiece. This badge may well have been unable to stand up to rough treatment, and many could have been lost this way. Other titles made in Natal at this time were commonly of thick sheet brass, which is the case with the ILI title sold by Spink. Owen's No. 2136 also seems to be a sturdier type.
Like the ILH, the ILI acquited themselves well while on active service, particularly at Spioenkop and Tugela Heights. Major Tylden's book on the armed forces of South Africa records that the regiment lost 35 men killed and 95 wounded out of its initial enlistment of about 1000. Many of the men went on to serve in other units after the ILI was demobilised. The medals of one such man are shown below.
Brett
![]()
Colin Owen's book records only two types:
A third type was listed on Spink's ABW Anniversary sale in 1999:
There may, of course, be others, and, if so, I hope that someone will post them on this thread.
The badges illustrated above are likely to have been made in Pietermaritzburg, where the ILI was raised in September 1899. The regiment was made up largely of refugees from the Transvaal ("Uitlanders"), and, like its mounted counterpart, the Imperial Light Horse, the men had scores to settle with the Boers. The regiment went on to exist only for the duration of General Buller's Natal Campaign. To its original enlistment it probably added more men during the war to fill the gaps left by casualties. Other irregular regiments raised in Natal (e.g. Imperial Light Horse, Thorneycroft's Mounted Infantry, Bethune's Mounted Infantry) served throughout the war, so far more men passed through their ranks than was the case with the ILI.
Another factor contributing to the rarity of ILI badges occurred to me a day or two ago when , after a long wait, I was finally able to add an ILH title to my collection:
This one is evidently Owen's No. 2135. It is a surprisingly fragile badge made of thin brass. It has a single crosspiece curled in at the ends, which are perforated to served as integral lugs. The letters are soldered on to the crosspiece. This badge may well have been unable to stand up to rough treatment, and many could have been lost this way. Other titles made in Natal at this time were commonly of thick sheet brass, which is the case with the ILI title sold by Spink. Owen's No. 2136 also seems to be a sturdier type.
Like the ILH, the ILI acquited themselves well while on active service, particularly at Spioenkop and Tugela Heights. Major Tylden's book on the armed forces of South Africa records that the regiment lost 35 men killed and 95 wounded out of its initial enlistment of about 1000. Many of the men went on to serve in other units after the ILI was demobilised. The medals of one such man are shown below.
Brett
