Did officers recognise their own patronage lineage?

Did officers know which patronage lineage they belonged to?

Yes; pride in a patronage connection could appear in the predecessors officers chose to quote.

Officers are described as aware and proud of these connections. Philip Vian's repeated use of Admiral Duncan rather than Nelson in speeches is offered as an example. Service under particular officers provides one clue to a lineage, while inherited quotations provide another. Neither clue makes the system a formal organisation.