dog tag - official or unofficial

[Jim Strawbridge]

Trawling through eBay today I came across this identification tag being sold with a 1914/5 star trio. I was not aware that seamen were issued with these so perhaps some kind sole will advise me whether there was an official issue or if the man had this made up privately.

[seaJane]

I don't know about the tag, but this appears to be him: may be a Mercantile Marine issue?

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8461797

sJ

Edited 27 December , 2023 by seaJane

[Matlock1418]

HMS Macedonia seems interesting - Battle of the Falklands 1914

https://www.benjidog.co.uk/MClass/Macedonia1904.php

https://www.navyrecords.org.uk/magazine_posts/hms-macedonia-and-the-battle-of-the-falklands-1914

Etc., etc.

[Always assuming I've got the correct HMS Macedonia!]

M

[KizmeRD]

The army had been issuing tin metal identity discs ever since 1906, however the Royal Navy was slow to officially follow suit.

That said, individual sailors heading off on active service overseas certainly recognised the utility of having something similar to what the soldiers had, and so there are many (albeit unofficial) examples to be found of WW1 produced naval identity discs (often a non-standard pattern, manufactured in brass, or in some cases in silver metal, onboard of a sailor’s own ship).

The example that you posted is interesting (less common) in that it includes the ship’s name, but omits religious denomination - however there seems no apparent reason to doubt it’s authenticity.

As I understand it, the army started issuing standard pattern red vulcanised asbetos dog tags (in place of the earlier produced metal ones) from August 1914 onwards, but these were only for use by the military. Similar items weren’t generally issued to naval personnel on active service until many years later.

MB

Edited 27 December , 2023 by KizmeRD

[Andrew Upton]

On 27/12/2023 at 23:27, KizmeRD said:

..The example that you posted is interesting (less common) in that it includes the ship’s name, but omits religious denomination - however there seems no apparent reason to doubt it’s authenticity...

I took the letter A to be for the religion (ie Atheist), as it is in the dead centre which is usually where it goes.

[horatio2]

2 minutes ago, Andrew Upton said:

I took the letter A to be for the religion (ie Atheist), as it is in the dead centre which is usually where it goes.

The 'A' is clearly part of his RNR Official Number (ON) and signifies a seaman rating on his first 5-year period of enrolment, not a seaman atheist or a seaman agnostic for that matter.