Help identify cap badge

[billwin]

Can anyone advise or confirm the cap badge in these photographs? 

The soldier is a family member, Thomas Hind, and we know he served in the Royal Inniskilling Fuseliers. He was discharged in 1917 with shellshock and died in an asylum four years later age 26.

The badge doesn't appear to have the outline of the Inniskilling Fuseliers but does look similar to the Royal Fuseliers badge I've found on line. Is this possible?

Also, Thomas was born County Durham and his only link to Ireland seems to be his grandfather who served the the British Army in Athlone, Roscommon in 1870. Would a more permanent connection be required?

[FROGSMILE]

It looks like a Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers collar badge pressed into use as a cap badge.  I imagine that cap badges weren’t available to him at that particular time that the photo was taken.  There was a shortage of insignia and uniform 1914-1915 into early 1916.  For each pair of collar badges two soldiers could be provided with cap insignia.

After 1916 in particular recruitment to the Irish regiments became more difficult, partly for political reasons, but much more significantly because Ireland alone of the then home countries did not have conscription.  As a result soldiers from all over the mainland were recruited or posted into Irish regiments, especially those men with Irish family origins.

Edited 5 September , 2022 by FROGSMILE

[billwin]

Thanks, that's very helpful.

[FROGSMILE]

3 minutes ago, billwin said:

Thanks, that's very helpful.

I’m glad to help a little and sorry to see what happened to him.  One tragedy in so many tragedies and one that reminds us of the human cost of world war.

Edited 5 September , 2022 by FROGSMILE