It is always nice to find another piece of crested china with a military association and I have a nice little collection growing. Crested china can be found either in the form of a military shaped piece with a civilian municipal crest on it, or in the form of a civilian shaped piece with a military badge or crest on it and it is one of these we are looking at today in the form of a miniature boot:

The toe of the boot has the badge for the 3^rd Dragoon Guards:

This was a cavalry regiment that had been formed in 1685 originally, it became the 3^rd Regiment of Dragoons in 1751 and the 3^rd (Prince of Wales) Dragoon Guards in 1765. The regiment served with distinction until it was amalgamated into the 3^rd/6^th Dragoon Guards in 1922. This then dates our crested boot to before 1922 and most likely it dates to the Great War. This particular piece was made by Aynsley and this firm’s marks are on the base of the boot:

The boot itself has suffered a little over the last century, having a crack and a chip, but as a cheap souvenir piece it is amazing it has survived at all and it has now joined my little collection of World War I china souvenirs on the mantlepiece.