This is an old photo of my grandfather (and also here). He retired as a commander in the Royal Navy, and settled in Newfoundland, Canada. I never met him, he died before I was born.
Question to those familiar with naval uniforms: what kind of uniform is this? What rank? What is the significance of the shoulder epaulets & sleeve decorations? (I have no idea where the sword comes from, or what it represents). Thanks for any and all help.
This is his most formal uniform, described as 'Number 1' Full Dress. It dates to the late 1890s or early 1900s. Full Dress uniform would be worn for highly ceremonial occasions, and as it was his best uniform, its no surprise he'd chosen to be photographed in it. He has the rank of a lieutenant - we can tell that from the two thin stripes on his cuffs. The stripes also show his branch. As they are straight, he is part of the regular navy, rather than the reserve. It looks like he has the 'executive curl' on the sleeve, which shows that he was part of the Military Branch. This was the branch responsible for gunnery, navigation, seamanship and command. Stripes of different coloured cloth between the lace stripes distinguished the other branches - purple for engineers, red for surgeons, white for accountants.
His epaulettes are part of this uniform, but would not be worn as part of his daily uniform. The fringe on the epaulettes indicates his rank - a sub-lieutenant would not have this. The epaulettes would also have badges indicating his rank. For a lieutenant, this would be a single anchor. The sword was, per regulations, part of the uniform. It was, like the epaulettes, only worn for ceremonial occasions.