British Regiment buttons: 3rd Regiment of Foot (East Kent, The Buffs)
From Pintrest. Date unknown
Backmark Piit & Co, 31 Maddox St London W. dates this example to 1895-1976. The King’s Crown dates it post 1902.
The Queenslander, September 29th 1932 page 27. Two badges of the 3rd Foot.
This regiment left for Australia in 1821 guarding convicts (although it is quoted differently in many sources, including Cossum) and left for India in 1827.
See https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/buffs-royal-east-kent-regiment
Hobart Town and Van Diemen’s Land Advertiser, 10th August 1822 page 2. The earliest Newspaper reference to the Buffs in Australia.
Some images of their uniform button has the dragon facing sinister (left) and others dexter (right). Most don’t have a drooping tail like the one above. See Cossum page 64.
Colonel William Stewart from a 1822 oil painting held in the Mitchell Library, NSW. He commanded the Buffs in Australia and was also the Lieutenant Governor of New South Wales 1825-7. He returned from India in 1832 and retired near Bathurst.