Badge belt : Private J A Reid, 23 Battalion, AIF

Standard Pattern 1908 webbing waist belt with brass buckle, liberally decorated with cap and collar badges and shoulder titles. Reverse is stamped with manufacturer's mark and date 'ME 1911'. Identified badges are (left to right from buckle end of belt): 1/4th (Territorial) Battalion, Cheshire Regiment shoulder title; one cuff and one tunic brass Australian Military Forces button; Rising Sun hat badge; Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) shoulder title; one cuff and one tunic Australian Commonwealth general service button featuring the cipher of Edward VII; Dorsetshire Regiment cap badge; Border Regiment shoulder title; Sherwood Foresters (Derbyshire Regiment) cap badge; General Service pattern (Royal Arms) tunic button; Notts and Derby (Sherwood Foresters) shoulder title; The Queen’s Own Worcestershire Hussars cuff button; Royal Naval Division (Machine Gun Battalion) shoulder title; Royal Northumberland Fusiliers pre-war 'NF' shoulder title; Royal Northumberland Fusiliers post-1913 shoulder title with pointed flame grenade; Middlesex Regiment shoulder title; plain brass button; Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding Regiment) collar badge; South Nottinghamshire Hussars shoulder title; Turkish tunic button; Manchester Regiment cap badge on a green velvet backing; Royal Ulster Rifles cap badge; Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers 1914 issue shoulder title; Royal Marines collar badge; South Staffordshire Regiment cap badge and shoulder title; Northumberland Fusiliers collar badge; Army Cyclist Corps shoulder title; a Fusiliers plain grenade shoulder title; Scottish Horse collar badge; pre 1921 Royal Hampshire Regiment shoulder title; 20th County of London Battalion (First Surrey Rifles) collar badge; Essex Regiment 7th Territorial Battalion shoulder title; 10th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Hackney) shoulder title; Dorset Regiment shoulder title; Royal Engineers shoulder title; 5th Territorial Battalion, Bedforshire and Hertfordshire Regiment shoulder title.

Belt of military badges collected during the First World War by 226 Private John Anderson Reid during his service in Egypt, Gallipoli, France and England. John Reid was born in Subiaco, WA. He was an 18 year old engineer's apprentice living in East Malvern, Melbourne, when he enlisted in the AIF on 1 March 1915. He had previously served with the senior cadets for three and a half years. After initial training Reid was assigned to A Company, 23 Battalion, and left Melbourne for overseas service aboard HMAT A14 Euripides on 10 May 1915. Later in 1915 he joined his battalion on Gallipoli and served at Lone Pine. Reid survived the campaigns in France in 1916 at Armentieres, Pozieres and Mouquet Farm, which resulted in a 90 per cent casualty rate for his battalion, but received a gun shot wound his the forearm on 7 November 1916. He was evacuated to England and after a lengthy convalescence and further training only rejoined the battalion in January 1918. Reid took part in the battles of Hamel, Amiens and Mont St Quentin and returned to Australia on 13 April 1919. Although his casualty records do not mention what must at the time have appeared to be a mild case of gas poisoning, his service record notes that he died on 23 September 1923 from haemorrhaging of the lungs, that had been caused by wartime gassing.