Club History

In March 1982, during that heady time leading up to the centenary celebrations, Miss Muriel D. Ellis the Brigade Archivist and full-time Records Manager at BB HQ Parsons Green, wrote in the first edition of the "Badge Collectors’ Newsletter":

"The whole idea of this little publication is for the Badge Collectors to get to know, each other, to arrange swaps and ideas etc., but it is also hoped that each issue will contain information about new badges, news worthy items, Badge stories which will inform - or even amuse."

Contributions were 75p for three issues. There was, appropriately, advance notice of the forthcoming centenary buttonhole badge.

The Newsletter ran for over four and-a-half years and fifteen editions until Muriel, now "Mrs Gibbs" was made redundant from her employment with the Brigade in October 1986 after 31 years service.

In 1986, there was still no "Club" only subscribers to the "Newsletter". Ironically, a whole page in the final Newsletter was devoted to possible designs for a "club" badge, but it was not to be; at least, not for a few years. During her tenure as BB Archivist, Muriel had produced as part of an archive series, a booklet entitled: "Badges of the Boys’ Brigade" which, until 2000 when the new book "Badges of the Brigade" by Rob Bolton, Les Howie and Bob Mandry was published, was the standard reference work on the subject. We have Muriel to thank for her pioneering work in getting collectors together.

In 1994, after eight years without any real focus for BB badge collectors, Mr Bob Mandry from Southend (now in London) decided to fill the void and form a "BB Badge Collectors’ Club" taking up the reins where Muriel had left off. The new club was formed independently of the BB, but with the full approval and encouragement of the, then, Brigade Secretary, Sydney Jones O.B.E..

There are now quarterly Newsletters covering new badges, member profiles, sales, swaps and research into badges and memorabilia. There is much fellowship encouraged by the Club along with fund-raising events and sales. Thousands of pounds have been raised for church and BB appeals and membership is growing.

In 1998, the first Club badge, based on the famous eight-pointed star cap badge, was produced with distinct variations following in 1999 and 2000.

The Millennium year saw yet another change in direction for the Club with a name change to "Collectors’ Club" reflecting the diverse collecting interests of its members. Needless to say, the new name required a new membership badge - a competition was set for the club members to design a badge. The winning design was, like the first club membership badge, based on and older badge the 1899 Officers Field Service Cap Badge. Although the basic design remains the same the enamel colours change annually. In January 2005 Mr Kevin Aitchison from Edinburgh joined Bob Mandry as joint co-ordinator of the Club

(Extracted from "Badges of the Brigade - Volume I" by R.Bolton, L.Howie & B.Mandry, RB Publishing 2000)