Description
Physical description
Rigid midnight-blue bodied cap with a black leather peak and chinstrap, fitted with a white removable cap cover. To the black mohair band is fitted a RN officer's cap badge, comprising a Crown above an anchor within a laurel wreath, all worked in gold wire and with a red velvet cushion to the Crown body.
Label
This cap was worn on active service by Lieutenant Peter Andrews, RN:
Peter 'Andy' Andrews initially began his war service by joining the Royal Engineers in September 1939 and was placed on the Army Reserve, however his career in khaki was short-lived as by August the following year he was released and commissioned into the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. He was first assigned to Whitehall in an Admiralty Department on miscellaneous weapons development, but by April of 1941 he was posted to Clydeside, where he undertook six months intensive naval engineering training at the John Brown Shipyard. There he gained his Watchkeeping Certificate and the authorisation to adopt straight gold rank stripes (by convention wartime enlisted, or "hostilities only" engineering officers were distinguished by wearing either RNR interwoven stripes (former merchant navy), or RNVR wavy stripes (ex-civilian).
In late October 1941 Sub-Lieutenant (Engineering) Andrews, RNVR, joined HMS EDINBURGH with the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow, then patrolling in northern waters, and later on with convoys to Russia (the ship was torpedoed by U-456 on 30 April, north of Murmansk, while part of convoy QP-11 and later attacked again on 2 May by three destroyers. The ship sustained a third torpedo hit and the damage was such that she was scuttled. The survivors were taken to Russia and later repatriated).
On 27 July Andrews joined the ship's company of HMS BELFAST, then refitting at Devonport (the ship had undergone extensive repairs since striking a mine in November 1939 and was fitted with improved weapons, radar and armour). In November BELFAST went back to war, escorting Arctic convoys to Northern Russia throughout 1943, and on 26 December participated in the sinking of the SCHARNHORST in the Battle of the Northern Cape. During Operation OVERLORD, Lieutenant (E) Andrews was on board when HMS BELFAST sailed for Normandy, a part of the supporting armada, bombarding German positions off GOLD Beach. Andrews remained with the ship whilst it remained off JUNO Beach following the landings and proceeded with her to Tyneside for refitting for future operational service in South East Asia.
History note
This cap was worn on active service by Lieutenant Peter Andrews, RN:
Peter 'Andy' Andrews initially began his war service by joining the Royal Engineers in September 1939 and was placed on the Army Reserve, however his career in khaki was short-lived as by August the following year he was released and commissioned into the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. He was first assigned to Whitehall in an Admiralty Department on miscellaneous weapons development, but by April of 1941 he was posted to Clydeside, where he undertook six months intensive naval engineering training at the John Brown Shipyard. There he gained his Watchkeeping Certificate and the authorisation to adopt straight gold rank stripes (by convention wartime enlisted, or "hostilities only" engineering officers were distinguished by wearing either RNR interwoven stripes (former merchant navy), or RNVR wavy stripes (ex-civilian).
In late October 1941 Sub-Lieutenant (Engineering) Andrews, RNVR, joined HMS EDINBURGH with the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow, then patrolling in northern waters, and later on with convoys to Russia (the ship was torpedoed by U-456 on 30 April, north of Murmansk, while part of convoy QP-11 and later attacked again on 2 May by three destroyers. The ship sustained a third torpedo hit and the damage was such that she was scuttled. The survivors were taken to Russia and later repatriated).
On 27 July Andrews joined the ship's company of HMS BELFAST, then refitting at Devonport (the ship had undergone extensive repairs since striking a mine in November 1939 and was fitted with improved weapons, radar and armour). In November BELFAST went back to war, escorting Arctic convoys to Northern Russia throughout 1943, and on 26 December participated in the sinking of the SCHARNHORST in the Battle of the Northern Cape. During Operation OVERLORD, Lieutenant (E) Andrews was on board when HMS BELFAST sailed for Normandy, a part of the supporting armada, bombarding German positions off GOLD Beach. Andrews remained with the ship whilst it remained off JUNO Beach following the landings and proceeded with her to Tyneside for refitting for future operational service in South East Asia.
Inscription
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