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The official MN badge was the silver lapel badge which i think was made of pewter,other coloured badges were made for girlfriends and mothers to wear,all other services had these in WW2 they became known as "Sweetheart Badges",now I think they have become a collector's item.
I believe the silver lapel badge was first issued in 1940. You can usually pick one up on ebay for about £10. The sweetheart badges, I don't know when they were first made
Historically Sailors often longed for the sweethearts they left behind. So they would make sentimental gifts for their wives or girlfriends, by using shells and other bits and pieces of scrap material found on board their ships.
I was always told that the Sweetheart Brooch was a type of jewelry given by sailors etc to lovers and female family members as keepsakes to remember them by. Originally this brooch may have been made for and given to the loved one of a sailor as a keepsake.
Sweetheart Brooches were a nickname for the type of badge, locket or jewelry that a sailor either made himself or if he could afford had made possibly from a button and later his Silver MN Badge.
I am not aware of when more manufactured Sweetheart Brooch’s would have begun. Guess the old romantic in me see’s the original homemade version to be the more sentimental. Personally, bought two of the modern type at Tower Hill a few years ago, quite nice for a fiver, (Available also via MN National) the two ladies in my life loved them and wear them to services etc. One of the ladies is my mother by the way.
There's a well known toast in the Merchant Navy, 'Here's to wives and Sweethearts…may they never meet.'
K.
Monday: Our ships at sea.
Tuesday: Our men.
Wednesday: Ourselves.
Thursday: A bloody war and quick promotion.
Friday: A willing soul and sea room.
Saturday: Sweethearts and wives, may they never meet.
Sunday: Absent friends and those at sea
Hi There.Quote:
Originally Posted by E.Martin
I aassume the "blue" badges must be the enamelled ones.
Dave Williams(R583900)
Note all and thanks, taking all in and hope to produce a definite history of the MN badge not for us so much, but for them.
K.
http://www.merchant-navy.net/forum/s...t=silver+badge
Hi KeithQuote:
Originally Posted by Keith at Tregenna
The Silver MN badge was also issued to MN seamen (if they wanted one) during the time of "National Service" but it wasn't considered cowardice to dodge NS so not a lot of MN personnel wore them, also if you were in the MN when in Hull some pubs and dance halls wouldn't let you in, so there was no incentive to wear them. We couldn't win in peace time either.
Rgds
Ivan
Quote:
Originally Posted by happy daze john in oz
Hi John.
These MN car sticker you have,could you tell
me where they are available from ?.
Dave Williams
hello, do they do a WATTS WATTS badge, ? what is there web address //////////////////////////////////////? regards, tony.Quote:
Originally Posted by Castleman
Dave my sister in Sussex got them for me from a web site in UK doing such badges. Not sure of the name as it is a couple of years ago but I found it by chance when I went to Google looking for some.Quote:
Originally Posted by David Williams