Origins of the Naval Uniform

The uniform worn in the Sea Cadet Corps is almost the same as that of the Royal New Zealand Navy, and this in turn is similar that worn in the Navies of many other countries around the world.  All the uniforms can trace their origins back to the development of sailor’s uniforms in the Royal Navy.

In the 1700s many sailors were forcibly recruited by “Press Gangs” and literally grabbed off the streets.  They arrived onboard with only the clothes they were wearing, and when these wore out they either had to purchase ready - made garments or “Slops” from the Purser’s Stores, or make their own from whatever resources were available such as old sails.  These items of clothing lacked uniformity and their colours and fashion varied with the period and whim of the contractor.  Some ships Captains would supply uniforms, especially for the crews of their own barges, and paid for them out of their own pockets.  These often consisted of brightly striped shirts in many different colours, and straw hats.

In the reign of Queen Anne for instance, seamen tended to wear red and grey clothing but by the middle of the 18th century blue had become the most common colour.  The reason for this was that only indigo based dyes offered a reasonable degree of colour fastness to sunlight and wear at a time when the range of dye colours was very limited and a way of testing for colour fastness did not exist.  Indigo, which is extracted from a tropical plant, appeared in the UK as trade with India expanded in the 18th century. 

Officer’s uniforms were first introduced in 1748 by the Admiralty, at the request of the Officer’s themselves.  They were modelled after Army uniforms and were altered many times over the next hundred years or so to follow changes in fashion ashore.
During the French Revolutionary wars from 1778 to 1815, commanding officers began to pay more attention to their men’s clothing requirements and by 1800 it was common for ships companies to be mustered at divisions 'all in blue' or 'all in white' so giving a fair degree of uniformity between ships as the men made their clothes from the 'standard' blue, white or 'fancy' cloth sold by the Pusser. (The latter might be tartan, check, gingham etc. and all have been worn at sea at some stage).
There was still plenty of room for variations, however, and in the 1830s the captain of HMS Vernon ordered his seamen to wear red serge frocks and comforters (scarves). After some time in commission the stock ran out and red garments were then allocated to the port watch, the starboard wearing blue (not green which was significantly more difficult and thus expensive to dye). The captain of HMS Blazer ordered his men to wear blue and white striped Guernsey's and the captain of HMS Trincomalee followed with red shirts and 'fancy' hats. Most eccentric of all was Captain Wilmott of HMS Harlequin who, as recently as 1853, paid for his boat's crew to be dressed as harlequins. This attracted ribald comments from the press and, no doubt, his boat's crew and may have prompted the Admiralty to issue its circular on ratings uniform in 1857.
In 1857, a type of uniform called Square Rig, based on clothing worn by the crew of the Royal Yacht, was officially introduced for seaman below the rank of Petty Officer.  Many of the parts of this rig served a practical purpose in the age of wooden-walled Line-of-Battle ships.

See the Navy Museum's List of Changes to the RNZN Uniform

Navy Museum

Each Components History

Lanyard
originally used to fire the canons on board ship and were later used to secure knives and other tools when working aloft in the rigging.  A first-rate ship like HMS Victory had masts more than 60 metres high, so something falling from above could easily kill a crewman standing on the deck below.

Collar
The sailor's collar deserves a special mention. Tarred pig tails disappeared rapidly after 1815 and the last is recorded as having been seen at sea in 1827. On the other hand, the first broad collars were worn after 1830. Contrary to popular belief, therefore, the two were never worn together.

The first collars were not cut square but were round and closely resembled items that were fashionable ashore. The three rows of white tape were probably added for ornament at first, surviving records mention some discussion about whether there should be two rows or three. The more familiar square collar developed as it was easier for the men to cut and sew themselves than the round variety.

Later the blue collar with three white stripes was developed, after the style of similar garments being worn on land.

Nearly all sailors wore their hair shoulder length or longer and tied back in a ponytail.  To keep it tidy, the men would dip the end in pitch (tar) which was readily available onboard and used for a multitude of purposes including caulking the decks and serving the rigging.  To stop the tar from ruining their precious clothing, most wore a scarf, which was usually black in colour to hide the dirt. 

Scarf (silk)
The noise and heat on the enclosed gun decks during battle was horrendous.  To try to protect their hearing, sailors often stuffed rags into their ears and then tied a scarf over them and around their forehead, which also helped to keep the sweat out of their eyes.

Bell Bottom Trousers
Nearly all the sailors went bare foot.  To keep the wooden decks clean and prevent splinters, they were washed with seawater and “holy stoned” each morning.  The men had to get down on their knees and scrub the decks with small flat stones about the shape and size of a prayer book.  Flared trousers could be rolled up above the knee to protect them from damage.  Sailors also used to climb the rigging in bare feet and their trousers were rolled up to keep their feet and ankles clear.
In common with all other items of a sailor's kit, trousers were kept folded ready for use in a kit bag. Kept inside out to avoid fluff on the outer surface and to avoid 'shine' by ironing, they were folded horizontally at about a hand's width and taped into a rectangular 'block'. When worn, this produced inverted vertical creases down the side of the leg and five or seven, depending on the height of the wearer, horizontal creases down the leg. In time these were accepted as the thing to have and were pressed firmly into place from the early years of last century.  Since the First World War bell bottoms were purchased for tradition rather than any practical use but were replaced by flared trousers in 1977.

Jackets
Since 1859 the sailor's uniform has undergone several changes, perhaps the most surprising being the removal of the blue jacket, which had given rise to the nickname 'bluejacket' for a sailor, in 1890. At the same time the 'frock', which used to be tucked into the trousers, gave way to the 'jumper' which was not. CPOs and first-class POs moved into fore and aft rig from 1859 onwards. In 1956 it was decided that all ratings other than artificer apprentices and Locally Entered Personnel (LEP) should be dressed as seamen and their rig was changed accordingly. In 1995/95, trials with a female version of the square rig uniform proved extremely successful and in 1996 female junior ratings changed into the new rig. By the end of 1997 the last LEP's went and new square rig was introduced to all artificer and technician apprentices.

Uniformity AT LAST!

Thus, in 1997, for the first time since the Admiralty Circular of 1857, all ratings started to wear the same ceremonial uniforms with the enormous benefits that this brought in terms of corporate appearance and the provision of manpower for ceremonial occasions.

Over the last 150 years, Square rig has gone through many changes and been adapted in various forms by many Navies around the world.  However, despite the introduction of modern fabrics and lots of changes in style, it remains a special link to the sailors of yesteryear.