Could someone educate me about what this hat signified please?

[Intercity 225]

Hi,

I've recently inherited this hat, it was formerly my Grandfather's who we sadly lost about 15 years ago. Regrettably, my Grandmother also died recently and upon clearing out their house we discovered a large box of railwayana, which amongst other items, contained this hat.

As the remaining railway enthusiast in the family, this box has now been given to me. Most of the items are self-explanatory but I can't seem to find another version of this hat online - I can find similar ones but the markings look different. My Grandfather worked on the railway for over forty years between the 1950s and 1980s in a wide variety of roles but the double arrow suggests that it must be from 1965 onwards. During that time I know that he worked as a Station Master and also with military/dangerous goods trains but apart from that I'm a bit stuck.

All advice appreciated.

Many Thanks

 

[Gloster]

Judging by the amount of braid on it, I would think that the hat is probably a Station Master’s hat. The same type was worn by Station Inspectors, but that had only one strand of braid and I don’t think that Area Managers had them (if they did, I never saw one being worn).

 

[Sun Chariot]

3 braid stripes was supervisory level (more senior than junior supervisory, 2 stripes). The examples I find online with a gold braid peak, cite them as being for a station master's role.

 

[Friary Yard]

I worked on the WR into the 1980's as a Supervisor. I have never seen a "3 Ring" hat.

Chargemen wore a hat with 1 ring and Supervisors with 2 rings. When I was based at Paddington the Assistant Station Managers hats had oak leaves on the peak and an oak leaf band. Any grade above that would wear a plain bowler.

 

[D6130]

3 braid stripes was supervisory level (more senior than junior supervisory, 2 stripes). The examples I find online with a gold braid peak, cite them as being for a station master's role.

I agree. IIRC, the three striped cap denoted a Supervisor Grade 'C' or above....who could have been a station supervisor at a large terminal or junction station, or station manager at a smaller country station, perhaps with responsibility for one or two neighbouring even smaller stations. The station manager at a larger junction station could have been MS (Management Staff) grade 1 or 2 and would wear the 'golden oak leaves' cap when on or about the platforms, whereas at a very large station, the SM would wear a dark grey suit and a black bowler outside of the office. When I lived in Petersfield in the mid-1970s and worked first at Woking and then at Guildford, ISTR that the SM at Petersfield - who also covered Liss - was a grade 'C' Supervisor and wore a three gold-striped braided cap identical to the one in the photo. However the SM at Guildford was MS1 or 2 and wore an 'oakleaf' cap, while the two Assistant Station Managers - who were graded Supervisor 'D' - wore three gold-striped caps with double braid on the peaks. Meanwhile, the SM at Woking - who was graded MS3 or 4 - was a bowler hat man. The railway was organised very much along the lines of the military hierarchy in those days....in fact, many of the more senior managers had been army, navy or RAF officers during the Second World, or Korean, wars.

 

[Friary Yard]

I wonder if the regions did things differently I was Grade "C" at Plymouth and was issued a "2 ring"

 

[Intercity 225]

Thank you for all the replies so far, really interesting stuff!

If it helps, my Grandfather worked in the London Midland region.

 

[D6130]

I wonder if the regions did things differently I was Grade "C" at Plymouth and was issued a "2 ring"

My memory could be fading slightly after all these years.The 3 ring cap could have been for Grades 'D' and 'E'....or maybe the number of rings depended on whether you were designated as a supervisor or manager, regardless of your actual grade.

 

[etr221]

I agree. IIRC, the three striped cap denoted a Supervisor Grade 'C' or above....who could have been a station supervisor at a large terminal or junction station, or station manager at a smaller country station, perhaps with responsibility for one or two neighbouring even smaller stations. The station manager at a larger junction station could have been MS (Management Staff) grade 1 or 2 and would wear the 'golden oak leaves' cap when on or about the platforms, whereas at a very large station, the SM would wear a dark grey suit and a black bowler outside of the office. When I lived in Petersfield in the mid-1970s and worked first at Woking and then at Guildford, ISTR that the SM at Petersfield - who also covered Liss - was a grade 'C' Supervisor and wore a three gold-striped braided cap identical to the one in the photo. However the SM at Guildford was MS1 or 2 and wore an 'oakleaf' cap, while the two Assistant Station Managers - who were graded Supervisor 'D' - wore three gold-striped caps with double braid on the peaks. Meanwhile, the SM at Woking - who was graded MS3 or 4 - was a bowler hat man. The railway was organised very much along the lines of the military hierarchy in those days....in fact, many of the more senior managers had been army, navy or RAF officers during the Second World, or Korean, wars.

The 'military hierarchy' style of management goes right back to the early (pre-Victorian) days of railways - when the ex-officers joining the new railways may well have been veterans of the Napoleonic wars. This was at least in part down to the fact that the military was at that time the only comparable organisation, in running a large (in terms of personnel, as well as everything else), geographically spread but mutually dependent operation, from which men with anything like relevant experience could come.

From the 1920s into the 1980s military veterans of one or other World Wars would have formed a substantial part of the workforce (in the appropriate age range) for any large organisation (not just the railway) - and for managers, you could well expect them to have been officers.