Cap tallies are essentially ribbons which decorated a sailor's
cap. Each ship had it's own tallie which sported the name of
the sailor's unit proudly on the front of his cap. The tallies
were black with gold wire or yellow silk lettering. The tally's
ends were tied into a bow and worn above the left ear.
To
wear a ship's cap tallie provided great pride for a sailor.
This tradition ended in the Royal Canadian Navy in 1968 with
the amalgamation of the forces and the loss of the square-rig
(old style uniforms).
The
Naval Museum of Manitoba has a collection of Cap Tallies on
display.
Cap tallies are essentially ribbons which decorated a sailor's
cap. Each ship had it's own tallie which sported the name of
the sailor's unit proudly on the front of his cap. The tallies
were black with gold wire or yellow silk lettering. The tally's
ends were tied into a bow and worn above the left ear. 
