COLLECTION OF ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY AND 1 × JAPANESE CAP TALLIES- MID-20TH CENTURY

A SIGNIFICANT COLLECTION OF CAP TALLIES REPRESENTING VESSELS OF THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY, CIRCA 1940S-1960S. THE COLLECTION COMPRISES APPROXIMATELY 13 INDIVIDUAL CAP TALLIES AND INSIGNIA, EACH BEARING THE EMBROIDERED NAME OF A NAVAL VESSEL OR COMMAND IN GOLD LETTERING ON BLACK SILK.

VESSELS REPRESENTED:
THE COLLECTION INCLUDES RIBBONS FOR THE FOLLOWING HMAS VESSELS AND RAN COMMANDS:
- H.M.A.S. CANBERRA
- H.M.A.S. LONSDALE
- H.M.I.S. INVESTIGATOR
- H.M.A.S. RUSHCUTTER
- H.M.A.S. GEELONG
- H.M.A.S. MELBOURNE
- H.M.A.S. WALLAROO
- H.M.A.S. CERBERUS
- H.M.A.S. PENGUIN
- H.M.A.S. BURNIE
- R.A.N. RESERVE
- ADDITIONAL VESSELS REPRESENTED IN THE COLLECTION

THE COLLECTION ALSO INCLUDES ONE RIBBON BEARING JAPANESE CHARACTERS (??????? - IMPERIAL JAPANESE NAVY MARKING), INDICATING POSSIBLE WARTIME PROVENANCE

CONSTRUCTION AND DETAIL:
EACH RIBBON IS CONSTRUCTED FROM BLACK SILK WITH GOLD EMBROIDERED LETTERING IDENTIFYING THE VESSEL NAME. RIBBONS VARY IN LENGTH FROM APPROXIMATELY 20 CM TO 60 CM. SEVERAL EXAMPLES RETAIN ORIGINAL FABRIC BOWS AT THE TERMINAL END, INDICATING THESE WERE WORN AS CEREMONIAL INSIGNIA OR DISPLAYED AS SHIP HONOURS. THE EMBROIDERY IS HAND-EXECUTED IN GOLD THREAD, CONSISTENT WITH NAVAL TRADITION OF THE PERIOD.

CONDITION:
THE COLLECTION SHOWS HONEST AGE-RELATED WEAR CONSISTENT WITH MID-20TH CENTURY ORIGIN AND STORAGE. EMBROIDERED LETTERING HAS FADED IN PLACES BUT REMAINS LEGIBLE THROUGHOUT. SILK SHOWS NATURAL DISCOLOURATION AND MINOR SOILING. FABRIC BOWS ON SEVERAL PIECES SHOW CREASING FROM HANDLING AND STORAGE. NO TEARS OR SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE SILK ITSELF. THE COLLECTION REPRESENTS A WORKING NAVAL ARCHIVE RATHER THAN A PRESERVED MUSEUM CONDITION.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:
THESE RIBBONS REPRESENT THE CEREMONIAL TRADITIONS OF THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY DURING A FORMATIVE PERIOD OF AUSTRALIAN NAVAL HISTORY. HMAS VESSELS NAMED IN THE COLLECTION SERVED DURING AND AFTER WORLD WAR II, INCLUDING THE FAMOUS HMAS CANBERRA. THE INCLUSION OF THE JAPANESE NAVY MARKING SUGGESTS POSSIBLE WARTIME CONNECTION OR CAPTURE. SUCH RIBBONS WERE WORN BY NAVAL PERSONNEL AS SHIP HONOURS OR DISPLAYED IN NAVAL ESTABLISHMENTS AS RECORDS OF SERVICE AND VESSEL IDENTITY.

PROVENANCE:
THE COLLECTION APPEARS TO DERIVE FROM A NAVAL ARCHIVE OR PRIVATE COLLECTION WITH DIRECT CONNECTION TO RAN SERVICE. THE PRESENCE OF MULTIPLE VESSELS, THE CEREMONIAL NATURE OF THE PIECES, AND THE INCLUSION OF WARTIME-ERA MARKINGS SUGGEST THESE WERE ACCUMULATED OVER A PERIOD OF ACTIVE NAVAL SERVICE OR INSTITUTIONAL RECORD-KEEPING.

THIS COLLECTION OFFERS SIGNIFICANT INTEREST TO NAVAL HISTORIANS, RAN VETERANS, AND COLLECTORS OF AUSTRALIAN MILITARY MEMORABILIA. THE PIECES PROVIDE TANGIBLE EVIDENCE OF MID-20TH CENTURY AUSTRALIAN NAVAL VESSEL IDENTITY AND CEREMONIAL PRACTICE.

Item Size: Height: 3cm, Width: 70cm, Depth: 0.01cm, Weight: 0.5Kg

Condition: Fair - Refer To Images

TOORMINA
548799+4

Location of item: 9 Hi-Tech Drive, Toormina, NSW, Australia

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