Tailors’ Buttons

B. Cornish, Gulgong

Britson Cornish ( 1874 – 1953) was a tailor in Gulgong for over 50 years. He appears to have been a well liked and well read gentleman.

Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative (NSW), 27th January 1938 page 18.

Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative (NSW), 8th September 1953 page 10.

Bond St Compy. Adelaide.

This was a company of tailors and shirt makers from around 1884 until the closed in 1890. They were located at Gawler Place until 1890, but that year relocated to King William Street. Therefore, despite the fact that there is a Bond Street in Adelaide, the name must reference the fashionable Bond Street of London, which is described thus in Wikipedia: “During the 19th century, Bond Street became less known for its social atmosphere but increased its reputation as a street for luxury shopping.”

D. Dunsmore & Co. Adelaide

Duncan Dunsmore was a tailor and ladies costumier in Gawler from around 1894 until he retired in 1925. Unfortunately he died suddenly soon after, aged 68 years.

Bunyip (Gawler, SA), 15th March 1907 p 3

The Register (Adelaide), 2nd February 1925 p 2.

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Uniform Buttons

These are the first generic governmental service buttons I have seen by Sheridan. I have similar buttons by Stokes. Other generic type buttons are found with a monarch’s cypher on its own or in a garter, surmounted by a crown.

If you are able to explain which were used by whom, I would be grateful!

Sydney Church of England Grammar School Cadets

Backmark Stokes & Sons Melb

See http://www.austbuttonhistory.com/uniform-buttons-2/school-buttons/#Sydney_Church_of_England_Grammar_School

The Sydney Morning Herald, 22nd August 1931 page 16.

The Sydney Morning Herald, 11th December 1933 page 12.

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New Finds

Unless you have ugly buttons, I don’t see the point. You have to remove them to get undressed. Why not just get nicer buttons? Or a brooch?? If you had 4-6 buttons down the front, it would get heavy and tiresome.

Variety Stores

Please sellers; don’t place price stickers on the front of the cards!!

A 1954 Beauclaire Rabbit on a 1970s Target card!

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New Finds

I have often mentioned that G.J. Coles & Coy. were supplied Embassy (a Coles home brand) cards of buttons by General Plastics, then by G. Herring. these two cards show the difference. The card without a  printed price, and  rounded corners was the last type of card used by General Plastics. The  card with a printed price, squared corners and added thread were supplied by G. Herring. For more versions of Embassy cards, see http://www.austbuttonhistory.com/australian-button-history/g-j-coles-embassy-brand-1929-1994/#Embassy_brand.

Target

Beutron stopped supplying “6 foot of thread” In the late 1960s, after 1967. This early 1970s Target card is an example.

This buckle may date from 1983-6, as the company name was Walkers’ fashion accessories during that time.

Beutron recycling Beauclaire designs.

Both these designs were originally used by General Plastics for their Beauclaire brand of buttons. The card with the rose buttons were sold during/after the 1980s, and do not have a bar code on the back, whereas the other card does, and probably dates between 1990-2001.

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Country Fire Brigades Board

Good things come in pair! Not only do I now have a CFBB button to add to my collection, but  two from two makers. They also came with a cloth badge, and a set of CFA buttons, so they must have belonged to a Watchem resident.

The CFBB was established in 1890, and superceeded by the Country Fire Board (CFA) in 1945. It had responsibility over all fire brigades based more than 10 miles from Melbourne, but  represented urban brigades in cities and larger towns like Ballarat, Geelong and Bendigo for the most part.

Watchem is a town in north-western Victoria. Watchem applied for affiliation with the CFBB in 1915. However, according to their Facebook page, the Watchem CFA had its 100th anniversary in 2020; perhaps, due to its small size, it did not qualify until 1920. This photo from Google Street View in 2008 shows it still has a small station.

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Machine Gun Corps

Backmark Firmin. This is a button of the British Machine Gun Corps, raise in October 1915.

I have been informed that the Australian Machine Gun Corps did not have a specific uniform button (wearing the AIF button), but that some members of this corps used/swapped/scavanged the British buttons. Their badges showed the crossed machine guns, but with the “Rising Sun” surrounding the Crown.

The corps was raised in early 1916 in Egypt before transfer to Europe and the Middle East. They were eventually disbanded in 1919 following the end of Hostilities.

Australian war Memorial. Officers undergoing mschine gun training in England, 1917.

Weekly Times (Melbourne), 18th May 1918 page 26. “An Australian Machine Gun Corps in position.”

From “Journal and Proceedings”, no.5 1919 supplement.

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Leda Buttons

These sample cards possibly all show polyester buttons, which started to be made in Australia around 1957.

Leda-Beauclaire was the hybrid name used as general Plastics Ltd transitioned from the Beauclaire branding to Leda branding, around 1957.

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Beutron Buttons

1949-1959

1960s

Circa 1970-mid 1970s

Cursive script up to July 1970. Block lettering post July 1970.

Late 1970s

Possibly late 1980s

Probably 1990s

For scrapbooking/quilting.

New Finds

Coronet

Coronet Button, Buckle and Novelty Co. (late Roger Berry P/L) were distributors rather than manufacturers. I currently have no information as to who the manufacturer(s) of Coronet buttons were, or even if some were Australians. None-the-less, it may be noted that the  flat casein buttons with pressed designs in 2 and 4 hole variations do not appear on “foreign” cards. I guess that buttons like those on this card were manufacturer locally for that reason.

I have variations of this design now found an advert showing a 4 hole version:

The Sun (Sydney), 7th November 1946 page 6.

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NSW Volunteer Artillery 1870-80

For more about this tailor, http://www.austbuttonhistory.com/branded-buttons/branded-buttons-tailors-buttons-a-h/#C

This button is listed on page 8 of “Buttons of the Defence Forces in Australia” by J.K. Cossum. The design is the same as for the Royal  Regiment of Artillery. The design with 3 field guns (canons) dated from 1831. (For more information visit https://www.britishbadgeforum.com/royal-artillery-uniform-buttons-regular-and-volunteer/)

After 1873 the design with one field gun was adopted.

http://www.austbuttonhistory.com/27th-november-2022/

http://www.austbuttonhistory.com/7th-january-2022/

Possible Government Service Button

Poor old Bertie had to wait until his Mum finally died after more than 63 years on the throne to take his place as King. Due to his short reign (9th August 1902- 6th May 1910), he left his mark on relatively few uniform buttons.

This is presumably a general government service button.   The ERI (for Edwardus Rex Imperator) is a less common cypher than ERVII. The latter cypher appeared on the uniforms of the Australian Commonwealth Military Forces, the Australian Commonwealth Cadet Corps, the Australian Corps of Engineers, and the Royal Australian Artillery.

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