Volunteer Coastal Patrol (VCP) officer's cap

Date1940s

Object number00045348

NameCap

MediumWool, vinyl, leather, patent leather

DimensionsOverall: 130 x 190 mm

ClassificationsClothing and personal items

Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Brian Morgan

Terms

DescriptionArthur Morgan wore this Volunteer Coastal Patrol (VCP) cap as Officer Commanding the VCP from 1941 to 1943.HistoryArthur Morgan was born in 1905 and died in 1998. He was a life member of the Volunteer Coastal Patrol. Arthur was Officer Commanding of the VCP from 1941 to 1943 and was twice winner of the Miramar Shield in 1948 and 1949. Arthur was owner and skipper of the ANCYRA and later bought VAGABOND which was renamed WANDERER II in the mid-1950s. The Volunteer Coastal Patrol, the oldest voluntary sea rescue organisation in Australia, was established on 27 March 1937. The VCP's objectives were to bring together yachtsmen and those interested in small ships and encourage them to undergo a course of training so that their services would be of value to the authorities in rescue situations, and to train and educate these yachtsmen so that Australia's waterways could be made safer for those who ventured upon them in small craft. The VCP was organised at two levels, consisting of National headquarters and individual divisions with two parallel arms directing the administration and operations of the organisation. Instructors were drawn mainly from naval personnel to provide training in necessary operational manoeuvres. The visual signal section in particular reached a very high standard. SignificanceThis cap represents the work of the Volunteer Coastal Patrol in Australian waters between 1940 and 1960, highlighting the career of Arthur Morgan.