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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Please can anybody identify this cap badge/uniform?


Siobhan Palmer

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I am trying to work out which member of my family this could be.  It was in a bundle of pre-1930 photos, so I am assuming it is from WW1.  I believe it is army as that was where I understand they all served, but the badge does look like it could be interpreted as an anchor.  The family were also musical, so there is a chance that it might have some link to thank.

 

Many thanks for your help...I hope I have posted this right!

Cap Badge.jpg

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I think he’s probably a member of the “Coastal and Marine Service” in the period of the Irish Free State in the early 1920s.

The badge looks like an oblique anchor inside a laurel wreath with crossed swords (?) beneath.  If so it is extremely rare as that Service was short-lived.  The uniform is definitely a maritime one.  I can only suggest that you enquire with any Irish maritime museum that exists.

Edited by FROGSMILE
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20 hours ago, EDWARD1 said:

Looks like Merchant Navy

 I agree that this is more likely to be a merchant shipping company. The crossed swords are actually the lower part of the branches crossed, to show this I have attached a photo of a Nelson Line cap badge. The button is also a generic shipping type.

ARABIS.

 

nelson.jpg

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Interesting, I can see now what you mean about the crossed branches at the bottom.  Merchant Navy seems most likely then. 

Edited by FROGSMILE
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Thank you all very much for your responses.  We did have family in the Merchant Navy - they served on ships belonging to Evan Thomas, Radcliffe whose flag was an oblique anchor, so it seems possible that this is an Evan Thomas, Radcliffe uniform, but I can't find anything to verify it online.  However, this is definitely not the member of my family who I know was in the Merchant Marine, so I am wondering if it is perhaps a member of his crew.

Again, thank you so much for your replies - very helpful. 

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The oblique anchor crossbar  for Evan Thomas, Radcliffe cap badge was made up with the letters T and R. On the post 1 photo you can see something other than a straight crossbar.

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Found it:  https://wikivisually.com/wiki/Category:Defunct_shipping_companies_of_the_United_Kingdom

 

2FB0DBCD-9C56-45CD-A517-DABA21C628EF.jpeg

 

Apparently they were a Cardiff based company: “At the outbreak of war in 1914, Messrs. Evan Thomas, Radcliffe were the largest of the Cardiff shipowners owning a fleet of 28 vessels. During the First World War the company was to suffer considerable losses, a total of 20 ships being sunk.”

Edited by FROGSMILE
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