Posted 10 months ago
Militarist
(294 items)
Milwaukee Fire Department Badge Back Brace.
I am guessing that a badge like this one gets heavy when worn for long periods of time. Milwaukee gets some hot summer temp's almost every year so I am sure these badges were worn on shirts rather than the more sturdy uniform jackets. After a while the material weakens and the badge sags. That could mean that the badge is no longer flush and presents a snagging hazard. This badge shows evidence of that when one looks at the wings and finds that the tips have been clipped to prevent snagging. I am sure that clipping the wing tips was not enough so who ever wore badge number 682 or some one he knew invented this oval silver brace to help hold the badge in place. It must have worked since both the badge and brace are still together after all this time. Are there other similar items out there?
Interesting find... have you seen any other examples of these?
Thanks dav, no I have never seen any other back plates like this. The only thing that comes close would be some of the 1914 German First class Iron crosses.
Pretty cool, unique find then..