A group of mid-20th-century Royal Navy militaria and personal effects, contained within an original period brown fiberboard suitcase. The interior of the suitcase lid features a stencilled inscription reading L.G. SMITH, H.M.S. ST GEORGE, ISLE OF MAN, 1945. The collection includes various embroidered and bullion badges: a large padded HMS Ganges crest with the motto WISDOM IS STRENGTH, a Royal Naval Divers Association badge with a central diver’s helmet, and a gold-wire bullion specialist diver qualification badge on navy wool. Other insignia include an embroidered Hampshire badge featuring a crown over a red rose and a Cote d’Azur souvenir patch. The lot contains several black silk cap tallies with gold-thread lettering for H.M.S. GANGES. Also included is a small decorative tin housing a quantity of brass Royal Navy buttons with crown and fouled anchor motifs, a brass tag stamped DIVING STORE, and a red tag marked DRAKE. A single large-calibre spent brass shell casing is present. The suitcase is lined with newspaper clippings, one mentioning the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally, and a period pin-up illustration is adhered to the inner lid.
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