The Regimental Replicas Story, by Susan O'Neil Roe

Bill Baddeley, by trade a printer, founded the company in the late 1960's because of his long standing military connections. Bill joined the TA (Territorial Army) as a boy soldier in 1937, with pay of one shilling a day (5 pence in today's money!). In 1938 he received his only 100% payrise, when he became an adult soldier on two shillings a day! Bill served throughout World War Two and continued as a TA soldier afterwards, returning to his original trade. In the mid-60's defence 'cuts' were announced, including the amalgamation of many of the South East's regiments (The Buffs, The Royal West Kents, The Royal Sussex, The Middlesex, The Queen's Royal Surreys and the East Surreys) to form 3 regular battalions of The Queen's Regiment.

The Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment is the oldest regiment of foot in England followed by the Buffs - East Kent Regiment, and thus the second oldest regiment of foot in the British Army, the senior being the Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment), raised in 1632 in Edinburgh, one of their nick-names being "Pontious Pilate's Bodyguard"!

Bill formed part of the Board of Officers tasked with the disposal of the Regimental property of the Royal West Kent Regiment and many friends who had served with them rang him to ask if there might be and old drum 'going spare' and needing a good home! Eventually the Regimental Council decided to give all the drums to an Army Cadet Force for their Corps of Drums - but the seeds of an idea were sown in Bill's mind.

Full-size drums, traditionally emblazoned by hand, are very expensive, because of the hours it takes a painter to emblazon one with paint and with gold and silver leaf. Bill experimented with miniature replica drums - and our proudest possession is the first one he ever made, and exact miniature replica of a drum of the Royal West Kent Regiment. This somewhat larger than today's drum ice buckets, made of plywood so that a plastic ice bucket would fit inside, and beautifully printed, using goldleaf.

Shortly afterwards, Bill came up with the design we all know, love - and still make today! In 1984 on retirement Bill sold Regimental Replicas and, in the next 11 years, it changed hands several times, with none of its owners having any military knowledge. Meanwhile myself (Susan O'Neil Roe) and Robert Janes, owners of a small specialist melamine laminating company, had long been customers of regimental Replicas, turning to them every time screen printed regimental badges or emblazons  were required for lamination into placemats, mainly for mess use. In 1994 the owner of Regimental Replicas suggested Robert and myself should buy the company and co-locate it with our melamine lamination company because he had neither the interest nor the specialist military knowledge required to ensure Regimental Replicas' survival in a changing world.

Regimental Replicas' move from Kent to Somerset took place in January 1995. We discovered that all the written records had been destroyed but the amazing Central Artwork Record was intact, enabling us to continue producing these detailed and accurately scaled drum emblazon designs.

We worked initially to produce the new emblazons resulting from Regimental amalgamations announced in the 1991 defence 'cuts'. Of particular interest was the emblazon for The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons) where I worked very closely with their Regimental Secretary in Inverness and the President of the Pipes and Drums, 1st Battalion, then stationed in Northern Ireland. The four antecedent regiments held, between them, a total of 91 emblazoned Battle Honours - a great many to fit into a small space! Full-size emblazons were printed first, to fit their side, tenor and bass drums and these were first seen by the general public at the Festival of Remembrance, in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen at the Royal Albert Hall in November 1996. The incredibly intricate design was then scaled down to fit the 6.5" high drum ice buckets!

Since then a number of emblazons have been revised, following the announcement of Battle Honours for the Gulf War in 1991, including the unique Battle Honour "IRAQ 1991" awarded only to the SAS. The only unrevised emblazon is that of the 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards who have yet to make the decision to instruct us, with its small cost implication!

We were also aware that a few of the emblazon designs were incorrect, although all would have been originally commissioned by the Regiment or Corps concrned. Work is currently underway to revise and correct the emblazon of the Army Air Corps where Regimental Replicas are working with their Regimental Colonel, following the decision of the Army Air Corps' Regimental Council that the design must be accurate!

We know that one other design was incorrect - The Royal Signals. Several years ago I was invited to Blandford, the Royal Signals 'home' to discuss March (backing) cards for the Corps Band. While there, I was able to study and photograph one of the Band's side-drums and immediately spotted a couple of major errors in the emblazon. Mercury, known to the Royal Signals as the Jimmy, was painted in skin colours, instead of the correct silver and the background colour to the emblazon was wrong. Letters went to the Royal Signals Regimental Colonel, regimental Secretary and their Museum Director and, finally, in December 2001 all the corrections were made and approved, Drum Ice Buckets were delivered to the Museum Shop and one miniature emblazon was given to the Regimental Secretary to be placed on file as the Corps of Royal Signals 'sealed pattern', for reference when the Band's drums were next re-furbished and re-emblazoned, to ensure absolute accuracy.

With all the present-day Regiments and Corps of the British Army included in our list of designs (with the exception of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps), we look abroad for further commissions and challenges. Regimental Replicas' old-fashioned screen printing skills must be retained, to enable us to continue these unique items. As example, we screenprint the Royal Marines emblazon in 14 colours to fit their Bands' side and tenor drums, and we then scale down the emblazon to just 6" x 4" to make their Bandsmens' March (backing) Cards, seen on their instruments to hold their music in place. Earlier this year we were proud to be commissioned by the Director of Music of the Brigade of Guards to make, for the first time, March Cards for all five Guards Regiments.

Regimental Replicas welcomes new commissions, prices and quantities by quotation.