# Shipping line from a cap badge? Circa 1915



## GreyFunnelBootie (Feb 19, 2010)

Help! I am trying to track down some family history regarding a great uncle who died at the Somme in 1918. Wrong forum, you might think, but the reason for asking here was that he was in the Merchant Navy in 1914, sunk somwhere a long way East of Suez and turned up in Waga Waga where some nice girl gave him a white feather. This drove him to join the Oz Infantry and the rest we know. 
I am trying to find out which ship he was in and what happened to it. All I have to go on is a cap-badge from the attached photo which isn't great but shows a dark (blue?) V on a light (white?) background surrounded by the laurel wreath. I can't see if it is surmounted with a crown, or not. Bill was from the Glasgow area if that helps.
Any ideas which line this is and were there any well known merchant losses in Australian waters in WW1?


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## R58484956 (Apr 19, 2004)

Greetings *GFB *and welcome to SN on your first posting. Bon voyage.


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## Peter4447 (Jan 26, 2006)

Hi GFB
Welcome aboard.
It looks like he could have been serving in the Vale SS Co Ltd (Andrew Crawford, Barr & Co) of Glasgow. In 1912 their houseflag was listed in Lloyds Flags and Funnels as a white flag with a large blue V. I believe that they were a tramp ship company.
Peter4447(Thumb)


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## bert thompson (Nov 28, 2005)

Welcome. Hope you soon have an answer to your query
Best wishes
Bert.


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## GreyFunnelBootie (Feb 19, 2010)

*Star thank you!*



Peter4447 said:


> Hi GFB
> Welcome aboard.
> It looks like he could have been serving in the Vale SS Co Ltd (Andrew Crawford, Barr & Co) of Glasgow. In 1912 their houseflag was listed in Lloyds Flags and Funnels as a white flag with a large blue V. I believe that they were a tramp ship company.
> Peter4447(Thumb)


Peter,
Thank you for this; I am sorry for the delay in responding, but I have been carpet-bagging my way around Europe for the last few days. 
With this I can now start to refine my search tremendously, but may I presume on you once more, to ask where you would recommend I look for Vale's losses in the Far East/Australasia in WW1?


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## Peter4447 (Jan 26, 2006)

Hi GFB
Glad to have been of help.
I believe a book has been published listing all the Merchant ships sunk in WW1 although, sadly, I do not have a copy. I am quite sure other members of the SN crew will be along shortly to point you in the right direction.
Kind regards
Peter


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## Donald McGhee (Apr 5, 2005)

Hi,

Try the following web site.http://www.uboat.net/wwi/ships_hit/ This is a start maybe, as it gives ships numbers. I think if you research Vale Shipping for the ship names and look at the ones hit , or put in each name it might give a result.

I have been able to research several ships my Grandfather sailed on and one which was torpedoed in WW1, plus the U boat that dunnit and her skipper!

Happy hunting.

Cheers

Don(Thumb)


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