Badge/brooch identification

[senteacher]

Could anyone give me some information about this badge/brooch please? There is a similar one on Heir Hunters but that has been enamelled. It has been in the family collection - probably since WW1 and I'm hoping to link it to a family member who is buried in Noyelles.
The writing across the top says 'Poperinghe.'

[t mo]

hello senteacher
go to this site www.ww1battlefields.co.uk/flanders/pop.html  and it will tell you all about poperinghe and then on the top heading of that page click on the somme and it will take you to bapaume , those brooches seem to have been made for all different areas of the first world war i,ve one that came from my grans sent home by my granddad for a different area of the war
hope this helps
trevor

[senteacher]

Thanks. I know a fair bit about Poperinghe as I researched it when the brooch came into my posession but I'll certainly give it a look.

[t mo]

so preaumably you are aware that noyelles is in the somme estuary where in that village is the cemetery for the chinese labour corps hence no doubt the connection to the brooch .
trevor

[senteacher]

I wasn't aware of the Chinese labour corps cemetery just the small one which contains my great uncle and his regiment (Royal Fusiliers). I'm afraid I must show my ignorance.  I know nothing about the Chinese labour corps. What do they have to do with the brooches?

[t mo]

like you i only know what i,ve looked up on google and that site i put you on to said about the Chinese lab corps , and like i say those brooches were sent or brought home by lots of soldiers from all areas of the war a bit like buying a keepsake from the seaside for want of a better explanation, same as the silk cards that were sent home to love ones .
trevor

[BumbleB]

I'm sure that someone will put me right BUT:

Noyelles (where the Chinese Labour Corps are commemorated) is Noyelles-sur-Mer, and I, personally, would not link that place with either Bapaume or Poperinghe, as I believe it is in Somme and not far from Abbeville.

Poperinghe and Bapaume are not too far apart and are both in the area of Flanders (French) and not far from Ypres.

Although the symbols are different, I wonder whether the badge perhaps had something to do with TocH which originated in Poperinghe.

BumbleB

[t mo]

if you check that site i gave to get from poperinghe to the section on bapaume you have to go into the somme sec and yes noyelles sur mer was what i found but it also says about the chinese lab corps cemetery in it , i don,t know france and don,t wish to  i only post what i believe is facts which i read , here endeth my sermon
trevor

[BumbleB]

Oops!  Must find the second brain cell again - it's very elusive at times 

Of course Bapaume is in Somme - my grandad died at Le Sars!!

I think I shall just go away and hide my head in shame     

But I do love France 

Unfortunately it hasn't solved the mystery.

BumbleB