Acting ranks with rank badges

[Eassierider]

Hello all, this is a preliminary question as I embark on an attempt to trace someone from a photo I've got (in fact, it's the one I use on here). It shows four men of the Howe Battalion, RND, one of whom is my great-uncle. One of the others is wearing a Leading Seaman rank badge and I wondered if he might be a certain "Henderson" who is referred to in one of my great-uncle's letters home as doing the job of leading seaman. The only Henderson of Howe Bn I can find on Ancestry who joined at the right time (the letter is from Sept 1915, written from Gallipoli) was one TZ2266 John Barton Henderson of Maryport, Cumberland- who is listed as Acting Leading Seaman. So my question is- were acting ranks allowed to wear the rank badge of the rank they were acting as? I.e., could the man in the photo be John Henderson, wearing his LS badge even though he was only acting as LS? Incidentally, this man is considerably less tanned than my great-uncle and John Henderson came out to Gallipoli in July 1915, while my GU had been out since February, so if it is him it helps pin down the time of the photo quite nicely. Well, you never know! Stranger things happen at sea...

[pebbles]

I would suggest it would be normal to wear the acting rank badge as you are carrying out the job and others need to know your status, if lucky may even be paid for the rank as well.

[horatio2]

In general, a man wore the badge of the acting higher rate - if there was one available; perhaps not so at Gallipoli.

That said the photo does not look like a Gallipoli group. I think the uniforms and caps are all wrong for 1915. I think it may be a group photo taken after the RND joined the BEF in June 1916..

[Muerrisch]

Yes, most certainly acting rank attracted the badge. It had to, to make the system workable, otherwise any olfd Tom Dick or Harry could lay claim to giving orders.

The only obvious twist to this is saluting/ giving compliments to officers in plain clothes either known to be such, or clearly wearing the prescribed clothing such as Brigade tie and the rest of the mufti.

[Eassierider]

"That said the photo does not look like a Gallipoli group. I think the uniforms and caps are all wrong for 1915. I think it may be a group photo taken after the RND joined the BEF in June 1916.."

That's what I originally thought too- but then I was informed (I think it was on here, actually) that the bundles of provisions they're holding are typical of a snap from the mid-east/Med, intended to suggest abundant rations etc and arranged by the photographer. And it appears that the "gor blimey" cap was worn at Gallipoli as the weather turned colder- not sure how cold it was by September, but still...

One detail that suggests it might be earlier than mid-1916 is that my great-unc is wearing a Howe Bn shoulder flash in place of a cap badge- the official Howe cap badges weren't issued until mid-16, as far as I know anyway.

Thanks for all the replies.