Identifying a cap badge and maybe the medal ribbons too!

[Geoff Culbertson]

My maternal grandfather Herbert ’Nobby’ Hall was a Merchant seaman in the 1910s & 1920s, before he took up the post of Port Pilot in Vizag, India. He later I believe set up and ran the Sailor's Home in New York, USA with his wife Simonne. I have just been uploading many photographs to my family tree website and noticed a photo of my grandfather in uniform wearing a cap with a badge of laurel leaves around the Union flag. He is also displaying some medal ribbons and maybe Lieutenants arm band. The photo canoe seen at

https://www.glio.me.uk/Genealogy/fam...dialinkID=1128

Can anyone confirm that this is a Merchant Navy uniform? and if so, maybe what company he worked for?

Many thanks

Geoff

[Ivan Cloherty]

photo of my grandfather in uniform wearing a cap with a badge of laurel leaves around the Union flag. He is also displaying some medal ribbons and maybe Lieutenants arm band.
Geoff

The photo depicts a Merchant Navy company livery rather than a Board of Trade MN uniform. The badge is probably a Hong Kong company, probably Swires or Harley Mullion, there were many others such as China Navigation (a British HK company). The sleeve stripe is that of a third mate if a navigator or a fourth engineer if an Engineer. The collar pin is in unusual touch as most of us would not have had time to fix it.

Just thinking aloud.

Just another thought, could be Strick Line because at first glance their cap badge was pretty much like the Union Flag

[Doc Vernon]

Pretty hard to see the inner ID, but does look a lot like Strick Line as Ivan suggests
Cheers

Strick Line Shipping Officer Cap Badge - Search Images

Mind you there are several Companies depicting similar Cap Badges ??

Sally Bosleys Badge Shop | Australind S.S. Co. Ltd Steam Shipping Line Company officers cap badge

Harley Mullion Line Shipping Officer Cap Badge - Search Images


Just resized and cropped also Colour Corrected to try and make it easier to ID.

Hall Herbert 1920s uniform.jpg

Looks like Port Line without the Crown ???

[Geoff Culbertson]

It appears (from another forum - British & Commonwealth Military Badge Forum) that this may well be a Port Line badge. Port Line was established in 1937 from the old Commonwealth and Dominion Lines. The old badge did not have the crown. The Union flag is also the same shape as on the Port Line badges with a crown.
Thank you for your hints and knowledge. I had not been able to find anything on the internet.

[Doc Vernon]

Hi Geoff
Well from what you have read seems that it is the Cap Badge of the Port Line , minus the Crown.
I thought so, but was not quite sure!
Think it cannot be any other really
Cheers

Yep just looked in on that site Geoff!
Cheers

My research shows that Port Line was established in 1937 from the old Commonwealth and Dominion Line. They used the old badge. At least in 1930 the badge is depicted without a crown (B A T card series Ship's Flags & Cap Badges).

My research is also asking when the Bibby Line got their crown. The original house flag was red, then in 1926 an armoured arm with dagger in yellow was added, but when was the crown added?