M.P.O. trade badge (photographer)

[Naaficook]

I've recently bought this 1944 "Womens Royal Canadian Naval Service" (WRCNS) jacket.

What is the meaning of "MPO" in this photographer trade-badge ?

[RCN]

The rate badge is the standard Photographer badge of 1944-45 period.

The letters MPO below the camera appear to have been added - that is hand stiched - by the recipient. I have never seen this before & have no real idea what the meaning would be, altho I could guess.....

P.O. could be Photographic Office, but M I dont know.

RCN Bryan

[Fatboy Ken]

What about;

Meterological PO ?

or

Martime PO ?

just thinking outside the box

FBK

[RCN]

Meteorology.

I dont think so Ken, Photographer would not have anything to do with Meterology.

RCN B

[Phil2M]

Media Photography Office(r) or Marine???

[SAS1]

I agree the letters have been added later. They are not uniform enough for them to be machine made.

Unfortunately I don't have an idea on the meaning outside what's been said.

[RCN]

Yes I agree, & something else concerns me about this tunic:

It should not (by all rights) have the gold thread embroidered badges which came out as an economy measure in 1944 - it should have the blue embroidered badges.

In 1944 the WRCNS for the ranks of PO & CPO began to wear the gold (thread/wire) embroidered badges in place of the blue badges.

Even if this tunic was circa 1944, which it appears to be from the makers label, it should still have the blue badges as this does not appear to be a PO or CPO ranked tunic.

Perhaps it has been "made up" but I cannot really tell from the photos. I would have to see it in "real life" to know for certain,

RCN Bryan

[RCN]

To revive this one, I was speaking to another RCN collector recently & mentioned this badge to him, he thinks the M.P.O. might be Maritime Photography Office, but not certain on that, so thought I might mention it,

B