WW2 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment Cap Badge Beds Herts Original*

Up for sale is an authentic vintage Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment Cap Badge. This striking military insignia features a centrally positioned hart (stag) crossing a ford, directly representing the heraldic crest of Hertfordshire. The central scene is framed by a circular Order of the Garter strap bearing the motto “Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense”. This central assembly is layered upon a crisp Maltese cross and a multi-rayed 8-pointed star, underscored by an elegant sweeping unit title scroll reading “BEDFORDSHIRE & HERTFORDSHIRE”.

Struck in solid white metal, the reverse side features its original brass flat vertical mounting slider. This original badge is an excellent piece for historical collectors, militaria enthusiasts, or display boards.

Used / Very Good Vintage Condition. This historic military insignia is in wonderful physical shape with completely straight star rays and no crushing to the design points. The white metal retains a sharp strike with excellent definition on the stag’s antlers and the text inside the scrolls. The reverse side clearly shows the clean, mirror-image die-struck indentations and displays a beautiful, uncleaned aged silver-grey patina with light authentic surface toning in the deeper recesses of the star rays. The rear brass slider is completely structurally sound, straight, firmly attached, and fully intact. Please thoroughly evaluate all included close-up photographs to inspect the quality before purchasing.

The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment was a storied line infantry unit of the British Army. Originally raised in 1688, the regiment was known as the Bedfordshire Regiment for centuries until 1919, when it was formally renamed to recognize the significant number of men from Hertfordshire who served in its ranks during the First World War.

The iconography perfectly merges the two counties: the Maltese cross and star originate from the old Bedfordshire Militia design, while the center features the famous “Hart in a Ford” punning crest of Hertfordshire. The regiment fought with immense distinction across both World Wars, including action at Dunkirk, the Middle East, and Burma. The vertical brass slider reverse setup was the standard military issue style for secure cap attachments during the interwar and WWII eras. The unit was later amalgamated into the 3rd East Anglian Regiment in 1958, making this specific dual-county badge a verified pre-1958 historical artifact.