Shoulder button, Malay State Guides, 1896-1919 (brass)

Shoulder button, Malay State Guides, 1896-1919. Circular brass button made by V and R Blakemore, Birmingham, with crossed kris daggers within circlet, inscribed with the unit title, ‘Malay State Guides’ and half wreath. The Malay State Guides were formed in 1896 from the 1st Perak Sikhs, a paramilitary unit that evolved from the Perak Armed Police. Under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Sandilands Frowd Walker (1850-1917), the unit included infantry and artillery companies led by British and Sikh officers. During World War One personnel from the Guides served with the Aden Field Force and as reinforcements for Singapore. The Guides were disbanded in 1919. From the Field Marshal Sir John Chapple Indian Army Collection.