Merchant Navy Wartime Cap Badge Question

[Shiny]

Hi All,

I've just started to look at the Merchant Navy and have seen the officers and petty officers cap badges that seem reasonable easy to get, but what cap badge did the OR's / ratings wear during WW1 and WW2?

I'm sure this is an easy question to those who know but I just can't find an answer.

Thanks a lot,

Michael

[sailorbear]

The answer is quite simple, in both wars MN ratings did not wear a cap badge, simply because I'm most companies, ratings did not wear a uniform, just civilian working clothes
I'm some companies, the quartermaster may have worn naval style square rig with a sailors cap and a tally, but mostly no uniform or cap badge was worn

Regards

Tony

[sailorbear]

The answer is quite simple, in both wars MN ratings did not wear a cap badge, simply because I'm most companies, ratings did not wear a uniform, just civilian working clothes
I'm some companies, the quartermaster may have worn naval style square rig with a sailors cap and a tally, but mostly no uniform or cap badge was worn

Regards

Tony

[Shiny]

Thanks very much Tony, that explains why I can't find anything. That's a great help.

Thank you.

Michael

[RBJ MIlitaria]

The city of Poona tally has be confused as I cant see why such a ship would wear a ratings cap. I’d date it from late 1940’s

[sailorbear]

Originally Posted by RBJ MIlitaria

The city of Poona tally has be confused as I cant see why such a ship would wear a ratings cap. I’d date it from late 1940’s

Merchant Navy uniform, particularly for ratings is a confusing subject, but it wasn't unusual for the ratings working on the bridge, or on deck ,if a passenger carrying vessel, to wear a cap with a tally, either worn with sailors square rig or working dress, which could be dark trousers (Levi's with P&O) and lighter blue denim type shirt or a sailors white front or blue seaman's jersey. As a practice this was common right up until the 1980's, though the Pakistani deckhands on P&O cruise ships, still wear ratings caps and tallies on the bridge, even today!

[sailorbear]

Some Merchant Navy Rating caps from my collection, the Oceana and Cunard ones I acquired onboard during my time serving in the MN.

[Home Guard]

SailorBear, That Uganda cap is a true gem!!! I have the cap tally, but love seeing it on he cap. VERY nice!!!

Terry

[sailorbear]

The cap was given to me by a fellow crew member when I was with P&O, he had been on the Uganda during the Falklands conflict! I also got the Cunard cap off another seaman, who had worked on the QE2 (P&O, Cunard and about 7 other cruise lines are all owned by Carnival, and moving around companies within the group is not unusual), the Oceana cap was given to me by a Pakistani Kasab (deck store keeper) when I was a CPO Coxswain on the ship. The Queen Mary cap, I found at a car boot sale, and having no provenance, I don't know how authentic it is?

[nbroadarrowz]

Hi All,
Petty Officers and ratings of the Merchant Navy did have a uniform available to be worn if the company wanted and many did.
Section B of the 1921 dress regulations for the Mercantile Marine details all the dress available to Petty Officers and Other Ratings. This included all the badges worn and the uniform for men dressed as seamen that was worn by Quartermasters.

These regulations should form the basis of any study and understanding of the uniforms of the Mercantile and Merchant navy.
Barry

[Rob Miller]

During wartime did Officers carry on wearing their Company badges or did they change to the generic Merhant Navy badges, or were these just for sailors in non Company ships?

Rob

[nbroadarrowz]

Companies had the option of their officers wearing the company badge or the standard MN pattern cap badge.
They did not change just because it was war time.
Barry

[Rob Miller]

Thank you Barry

It was the prisoner of war angle I most wondered about, so wearing an allied company or a British Government Merchant Navy uniform made no difference to your treatment or pay in a POW/internment camp?

Rob

[nbroadarrowz]

I don't think it would have made a difference.
Barry