Help identify uniform please

[Les Horn]

Rather puzzling.

Judy says her uncle was born in 1901 and served in WWI.  He looks about 40 here and would, I think, have been called up at the outbreak of WWII.  In which case, as has been previously said,  why is the junior rating wearing a cap tally for "HMS Centurion."  During the war only "HMS" cap tallies were worn.  Jolly Jack should certainly be getting a bollocking for wearing his cap flat-a-back.

HMS Centurion was built as a Thunderer Class warship in 1912/13 and was converted to look like a King George V Class Battleship, to confuse the Germans, in 1941 for blockade duties at Tripoli. This URL gives details http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/21/a6354821.shtml .  The name HMS Centurion was from 1956 applied to the shorebase at Haslemere of Commodore Naval Drafting and from 1970 to the Drafting and Pay section in Gosport.

Judy's Gt Uncle was certainly a PO and his branch badge (right arm) looks like that of a Naval Airman although it is too blurred to be absolutely sure.

This URL may be useful in searching for her Gt Uncles records
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/news/stories/78.htm   

[scrimnet]

Rather puzzling.

Judy says her uncle was born in 1901 and served in WWI.  He looks about 40 here and would, I think, have been called up at the outbreak of WWII.  In which case, as has been previously said,  why is the junior rating wearing a cap tally for "HMS Centurion."  During the war only "HMS" cap tallies were worn.  Jolly Jack should certainly be getting a bollocking for wearing his cap flat-a-back.

HMS Centurion was built as a Thunderer Class warship in 1912/13 and was converted to look like a King George V Class Battleship, to confuse the Germans, in 1941 for blockade duties at Tripoli. This URL gives details http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/21/a6354821.shtml .  The name HMS Centurion was from 1956 applied to the shorebase at Haslemere of Commodore Naval Drafting and from 1970 to the Drafting and Pay section in Gosport.

Judy's Gt Uncle was certainly a PO and his branch badge (right arm) looks like that of a Naval Airman although it is too blurred to be absolutely sure.

This URL may be useful in searching for her Gt Uncles records
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/news/stories/78.htm   

Glad the new Naval guru found this...Our old one Salty, has gone AWOL...Despite PMs!!

Thought I wasn't going barmy!

Gosport!!

I knew that name rang a bell....I was at Fort Blockhouse for a time...

[oldtimer]

Thank you Les and Scrimnet. Sorry to have you both scratching your heads 

The People at War story was really interesting - thank you!

I was sent the photo by his daughter - sadly now deceased - and she told me it was WW2. After WW1 Bert was a miner, and before and after WW2 he became a baker.

Thank you again for all your help.

Judy

Here he is in WW1 -

[scrimnet]

That is about 1917/1918 and he's in the Machine Gun Corps....

Can't be WW2 as they ceased to exist in 1922


You may find this of interest...(saves me typing it all out!)

http://www.1914-1918.net/mgc.htm

[oldtimer]

Hi Scrimnet 

Thank you for the link - fascinating reading.

I suppose he was old to go into the army in WW2?

Many thanks for all your interest.

Judy

[scrimnet]

He must have been in the Matelots for a while, as he has reached CPO!