Merchant Navy uniform?

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 9:24 pm

Hi Tracey
Not based on anything other than a hunch - I think the syle of photos on thick card with the photographers name on the card in the style of the one you have here are a bit earlier than WW2.

I did find out about the studio but that was no help.

Do you know what years that photographer's business was running? That would give you a time period to work with perhaps, but you've maybe explored this option already.

Best wishes
Lesley

Post by **Tracey** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 9:27 pm

Do you know what years that photographer's business was running? That would give you a time period to work with perhaps, but you've maybe explored this option already.

Yep, see words above before "rant"

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 10:19 pm

Hi Tracey
This info may help date your photo:
http://www.rogerco.freeserve.co.uk/type/carte.htm
http://www.rogerco.freeserve.co.uk/type/cabinet.htm

Best wishes
Lesley

Russell · Post by **Russell** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 12:40 am

Hi Tracey

I know nothing about uniforms but the props, namely the chair, looks 1920's and the style of studio embossed mount is more like a surface printed name & address which would again be early 1920's. They were much cheaper to produce so more people could afford a studio photo.

Russell

StewL · Post by **StewL** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 2:48 am

DWW wrote that the chap in the picture did not have any rank or ratings badges on either arm. I did notice this, but did not include it in my post on the possibility that he was still a recruit/ordinary seaman, and was not rated or he hadnt completed his rate training. I didnt have any badges or such for quite a bit after I joined up

Although I ended up with crossed flags

and a good conduct chevron

.

Tracey wrote about his "scarf" we called them "silks"

this feature is intriguing because it possibly dates the picture during WWI or later. I am not sure when they changed over to the plain flat silks, but I have seen a picture of a WWI sailor with the bulkier scarf. As for him being a Sea Scout I have no idea what sort of uniform they wore so I will leave that option open.

Thrall · Post by **Thrall** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 3:10 am

As a former sea scout, I would tend towards RN as he looks quite old for a scout, is in a uniform "vest" of some sort and the neckerchief does not look scoutie. My feeling is also pre WW2.

Good luck, I´ve got plenty of totally meaningless but obviously meaningful at the time photos stacked away - don´t even know what country they were taken in! Some might even appear here some time in the future on TS, in desparation.......

Thrall

Don´t be discouraged by my waffling though!

Post by **Tracey** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 10:33 am

All the photos i have came from my grandparents house. There was never talk of anyone in the RN only the MN, so this one is a new one

I did have correspondence from Colchester or Chelmsford about the photographers studio but cant find it

I am assuming that (who ever he is and wherever he is from) he had this taken whilst in dock at Harwich.

Thrall, i too have lots of nameless photos but have managed to identify a few

The most suprising one i had was of a family, didnt know who but made a contact, mentioned the photos, i passed some on, he had the exact same family gathered in a wedding photo (only taken a few years later) which was recovered from a basement in Philadelphia. The family was from Whitehaven, Cumberland and turned out to be my gt gt grandmothers nephew ! Luckily a few of the letters i have have very good descriptions of some photos so can identify those people (my gt gt grandmother and daughters

), but not this one.

Oh well maybe this is another addition for the NMN (National Maritime Museum) file

Thanks to you all

Tracey

Thrall · Post by **Thrall** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 12:21 pm

One lives and learns - well sometimes a little! One rule in my family now, is to write on the back of every photo ever printed, and yes, we do try to print a selection of all the hundreds of digital pictures taken and saved on CDs.

Tracey, amazing for you to hit on a family group like that; one of the few such successes near me was my brother´s finding by chance a beach photo taken in 1912 and persuading our mother aged ninety to name those twenty involved, all relatives and the majority past middle age then. She died very shortly after and was definitely the only person alive who could positively identify more than two.

On a less positive note, I threw away all letters received after leaving home, when I got married, and have of course regretted it ever since......

Guid hunting,

Thrall

winslowsmom · Post by **winslowsmom** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 12:12 am

I have uploaded a photo of my mother's grandfather in his Royal Navy uniform. It looks a lot like your fellow's uniform, except Pop had a cap on. You can't tell from the file, but the cap says HMS Carmania.
He was a stoker. He served in the Boer War and in WW 1, but I don't think straight through. I think this photo was WW 1 because the Carmania built in 1905.
Hope this helps a little.

http://talkingscot.com/gallery/displayi ... p?pos=-906

revised image (jpg format)
http://talkingscot.com/gallery/displayi ... p?pos=-907

Cathy Hatfield

url added by Marilyn
revised image URL added - AndrewP

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 9:02 am

Which pushes me back towards RN..... compare everything around his neck, - lanyard, neckerchief or whatever it's called, the other bit - "flap" - (originally to protect the jacket from the tarred pigtail!) with the edging of 3 stripes, - all identical...........

See http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/server?sho ... ageIndex=9

David