any ideas on date of a photo of one of my Ancestors that served in the Navy?

[marymog]

Thank you Jebba and Scouseboy.  I now feel confident enough to place him in WW2. probably standing on a vessel which was moored in Malta at the time of the photo, hence the crooked land line.

cheers

mm

[Jebber]

It has changed a lot since your photo was taken, and since I lived there, but I think you man was on board ship roughly where the ship is in this picture.

[Jebber]

Malta  suffered from  heavy bombing during WW2   as it was so close to Italy,   and it played a key part in attacking  Axis powers supplies  to  North Africa.

That is why the Island was awarded the George Cross.

[marymog]

Thanks Jebber

it does look the same, thanks for taking so much time to help me, and this really has helped, its awful to have a piccy and not understand it. I found the background weird, so I thought it was a photographers backdrop in a studio, but now I see its Valetta. I really appreciate your help and expertise

regards mm

[q98]

Your man is definately Royal Navy, (note the untrimmed  beard, trimming was not permitted) Second World War, photo taken in Grand Harbour probably during Mediterranean winter as, in summer, he would have been wearing white tropical rig. During wartime, only cap-tallies (a band of cloth around the cap base) displaying "HMS" were worn; the vessels' name was not woven into the cap-tally so as to deny the enemy ANY intelligence if sunk and captured, etc.

Q98
Fremantle
Western Australia

[marymog]

Thank you for your reply Q98. Its a shame the records aren't  online like with WW1.


Cheers
mm

[q98]

On his left arm note the absence of a "killick" anchor (denotes a Leading Seaman or equivalent rank depending on Branch [i.e. Gunnery, Seaman, Signals, etc]) and any Good Conduct stripes, one of which is awarded for each 4 years of "undetected crime", to a maximum of 3 stripes (representing 12 years Good Conduct).

Therefore, we can assume your man was:
a. An Ordinary or Able Seaman equivalent rank
b. His length of service, at the time of the photograph, was less than 4 years.

Do you have any indication of his name, Service Number, Branch, etc?

Q98
Fremantle
Western Australia

[marymog]

That is very interesting, do you mind if I send you a PM?

[q98]

Please do but understand I'm not a military expert although I served for 25 years; 5 years in the Royal Navy (UK) and 20 years in the Royal Australian Air Force.

Jim