RN Silver Cap Badge
 

Hi All
I recently bought this full-size RN officers cap badge online, thinking it was a 'salty' regular cap badge but when I received it, it turned out to be silver-wire rather than gold-wire. Anybody know what this was for? Nurses?
Thanks, cheers,
Alex

not nurses ,sometimes the gold wire appears silver ,not aware of any silver wire badges for the Royal Navy.

Hi RBJ
No, I can't agree with that. I have well over 100 bullion badges in my collection and have handled many more times that number over the years, and this is definitely silver.
Cheers,
Alex

Thanks so what is is significance of the silver wire ?

I have the cap !
 

Alex,

It is interesting as I have what looks like an Admirals cap with silver bullion 'oakleaf' embroidery but no cap badge. I'm not able to get to it at the moment but will post a picture as soon as I can. It has a standard RN ribbed plastic top so I cannot understand how it can be anything other than a cap of one of the maritime organisations.I am aware that RNXS Officers wore a silver coloured rank badge but as far as I know they only wore berets with the metal officers cap badge of the RNXS.

Best wishes
fred

Thanks Fred. RNXS may be worth looking into. Maybe they use caps for certain occasions?
Cheers,
Alex

RN Silver Cap Badge
 

Hi Alex

Firstly, the RNXS was disbanded in 1994 as part of the 'peace dividend' following the end of the Cold War.

RNXS personnel (including officers) were originally issued with serge battledress and berets. Until 1984 officers rank insignia was in silver but in that year they switched to gold.

In 1979 RNXS officers adopted RN officers uniforms but retained the beret. This decision was made on the grounds of cost and practicability. The governnment claimed it couldn't justify the cost of issuing RNXS officers with caps. I have been unable to ascertain if officers were allowed to purchase caps privately.

However, I have heard many accounts from members of the RNXS that some officers in their units wore RN officers caps and cap badges. This must have been done unofficially and they must have been purchased privately. However, these accounts have never mentioned anything about the badges being in silver and always refer to 'standard' RN caps and badges.

Members of the RNXS were not members of the Royal Navy. They were unpaid civilian volunteers. As such they may have been a bit more 'flexible' as regards uniform regulations!

If your silver cap badge was purchased unofficially by an officer in the RNXS it must have been prior to 1984 when rank insignia switched to gold, and probably after they adopted RN officers uniforms in 1979. He would have had to have it made privately, which would have been rather expensive!

I should also state that I have never seen any photos of RNXS officers wearing caps. I'm not saying that your badge is RNXS but it is a possibility.

Pete

RN Silver Cap Badge
 

Hi all, what a very interesting post!

Pete's post is particularly interesting and informative, I've never been in the RNXS but did work with them frequently and never saw an officer wearing anything other than a beret with standard RNXS cap badge , I have never seen the officers version of the cap badge being worn in the flesh either, but have seen photographs of it being worn, so know it was!

I have seen (and may still have on my old pc) group photographs of RNXS units with officers in peaked caps but have been unable to tell if they are RNXS or visiting officers from the RN/RNR or even a Sea Cadet organisation.
Next time I fire up the pc downstairs I will see if I can find them and post them here


Tony

Hi Tony

That would be really interesting and much appreciated! Thanks!

Pete

Thanks Gents.

Prince Michael of Kent is the RNXS patron, I’ve seen an image of him with a cap - would he not have worn silver wire pre 1984?

RN Silver Cap Badge
 

Firstly, no-one is patron of the RNXS as it ceased to exist 24 years ago.

Secondly, the senior rank anyone in the RNXS could achieve was Command Naval Auxiliary Officer (renamed Auxiliary Captain in 1984). The senior officers of the RNXS were all from the Royal Navy and therefore wore Royal Navy uniform.

As patron Prince Michael of Kent would also have worn Royal Navy uniform - and would not therefore ever have worn silver rank insignia or a silver cap badge.

Pete

Hi Pete
Just to question that theory. If HRH Prince Charles is doing a function with the paras, he wears that uniform, not an RN uniform. As patron of the RNXS, would it not be possible that he would wear an RNXS uniform when attending functions on their behalf? I don'tknow much about these sorts of protocols??? :confused:
Cheers,
Alex

RN Silver Cap Badge
 

Hi Alex

Simple answer is no.

Prince Charles would not wear the uniform of a junior officer in the paras. He would wear the uniform of the most senior Para - which he is. In the same way Prince Philip (and now the Duke of Sussex) wears the uniform of the Commandant-General Royal Marines and not the uniform of a Major!

The most senior rank an Auxiliaryman (and that was the title regardless of gender) could reach was Auxiliary Captain. However, more senior RN officers were appointed above them within the RNXS chain of command. No member of the RNXS (unpaid volunteers remember) could become the senior officer within the RNXS organisation - that position was always held by a professional RN officer. Any patron of the RNXS wouid have had to, at the very least, be of equal rank to the senior officer within the organisation - an RN officer.

Pete

I hope that makes sense!

Hi Pete
Thanks for the explanation.
Cheers,
Alex