The following appeared in The Formation Sign Journal of the Military Heraldry Society in October 2010.
The badge is that worn by the crews of the General Post Office’s (GPO) cable laying ships, until 1969 known as His/Her Majesty’s Telegraph Ship (HMTS). The GPO, established in the seventeenth century had a monopoly on postal services and when telephones and telegraphs were invented in the nineteenth century they claimed a similar monopoly on those. Overseas communications required cable laid on the seabed and the GPO’s fleet was established to lay them. The central device depicting an hour glass in the hands of Old Father Time being shattered by an electrical discharge to symbolise the speed of the new communications, was granted to these ships in 1877 and was also carried on the blue ensign (technically ‘defaced’ the ensign) the recognised mark of ships in public service.
When the GPO split into Posts and Telecoms in 1969 the cable ships went to the latter, moving to the newly-privatised British Telecoms in 1981 and to Cable & Wireless (C&W) in 1994. When five years later C&W sold their Marine Division to Global Crossing Inc the ships became part of their cable fleet. Ships which came from the GPO still fly the defaced blue ensign, the remainder flying the Red Duster.
There are the badges for; Commissioned and Warrant Officers, Chief Petty Officers, Petty Officers and Leading Hands. All exist with both King’s and Queen’s crowns. below a naval crown.
Jon
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09-04-17, 03:19 PM
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