Collectors show badges of honour

Badge enthusiasts are showing off their prized collections including some rare South Staffordshire Regiment insignia at a special exhibition in Wolverhampton.

Scores of people have been admiring the badges at the Civic Centre in St Peter's Square, some of which date back to the 1800s and represent the worlds of transport, speedway and the military.

The exhibitors, all members of the British Badge Collectors' Association as well as the Wolverhampton branch of the National Pensioners' Convention, were staging the event yesterday and today.

In some cases the collections have been built up over four decades and their owners say the fact each has its own story to tell is what makes them so interesting.

Exhibitor Derek Benbow, aged 76, who is showcasing around 200 badges from The Staffordshire Regiment, The Staffordshire Yeomanry, The South Staffordshire Regiment and The North Staffordshire Regiment, said they would always mean a lot to him.

He added: "I started collecting them while I was in The South Staffordshire Regiment. I think I like it so much because of the history behind them and the stories they could tell about soldiers from this area. My favourite is a badge from The King's Own (1st Staffordshire) Militia 1844-1855 because of the hallmarks on it."

Second World War veteran Horace Godwin, aged 87, was displaying scores of Army badges from a range of different regiments, including his own The Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. He said: "All of my badges are military ones except one which comes from Cape Hill Brewery, which I have because I just think it is a nice badge."

Event organiser Vic Cox, aged 80, has brought along badges from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and speedway supporters.