UNIFORMS OF THE BRITISH NAVY

In Great Britain the Navy is known as “The Senior Service” as it was organized as a regular service prior to the organization of a regular national Army.

In general the uniforms of the British Navy correspond quite closely to those of the United State Navy in composition and design and are worn upon similar occasions, although they are somewhat more elaborate, but the insignia are of different design.

Commissioned officers must provide themselves with full dress, ball dress, frock coat dress, blue mess dress, white mess dress, blue undress and white undress.

The full dress is very nearly the same in style and design to the special full dress of the United States naval officer, the ball dress is practically the same as the evening dress of the United States naval officer and the frock coat dress and blue and white mess dress the same as the corresponding United States naval uniforms. The blue undress uniform of the British naval officer differs from the service dress of the United States naval officer in that the coat worn with it is a square cut, double-breasted sack coat with turn-down collar and rolling lapels with two rows of four buttons each down the front. The white undress of the British officer is the same as the white service dress of the American officer.

The rank of British naval officers is shown by insignia of rank on the tops of the epaulets with uniforms with which epaulets are worn, but with all of the blue uniforms the rank is also indicated by stripes of gold lace braid around the sleeves of the coat above the cuff. The number and arrangements of these rank stripes are shown in the accompanying illustration.

British Navy.
Officers’ sleeve decorations indicating rank

1. Admiral of the Fleet	2. Admiral	3. Vice Admiral
4. Rear Admiral	5. Commodore	6. Captain
7. Commander	8. Lieutenant Commander	9. Lieutenant
10. Sub Lieutenant	11. Chief Gunner and Chief Boatswain	12. Midshipman

British Navy.
Officers’ shoulder straps

1. Admiral of the Fleet	2. Admiral	3. Vice Admiral
4. Rear Admiral	5. Commodore, 1st Class	6. Commodore, 2nd Class

With the white mess dress and the white undress the rank is indicated by the stripes of gold braid or by other insignia of rank worn upon the shoulder straps. These shoulder straps are also worn with the great coat. There are no sleeve stripes on the white coats or the great coat.

The insignia of rank used on the shoulder straps of Flag Officers and the stripes indicating rank used on the shoulder straps of officers below the rank of Flag Officer are shown in the accompanying illustrations.

The Corps or Branch of the service to which an officer belongs is shown as follows on the sleeves and shoulder straps:—

Officers of the Line	By the circle or “curl” on the upper stripe of gold lace braid.
Engineer Officers	By the circle or “curl” as above with the addition of stripes of purple cloth between the gold stripes.
Medical Officers	The circle or “curl” is omitted and there are stripes of scarlet cloth between the gold stripes.
Accountant or Pay Officers	The circle or “curl” is omitted and there are stripes of white cloth between the gold stripes.
Naval Instructors	The circle or “curl” is omitted and there are stripes of light blue cloth between the gold stripes.

It will thus be seen that the system of stripes on the sleeves and shoulder straps to indicate rank is practically the same in the British and United States navies, the “curl” in the British navy being used for the same purpose as the gold star in the United States navy, that is, to show that the officer wearing it belongs to the Line, or the command branch of the service.

The officers’ overcoat or “great coat” in the British navy is a double breasted coat of ulster style reaching to just below the knees. It has a rolling collar with notched lapels and is closed by two rows of gilt service buttons down the front and has shoulder straps to indicate the rank of the wearer but no stripes on the sleeves. In the back the fulness is held in by a strap secured by two gilt buttons.

The service buttons of the British navy bear a raised design of a vertical foul anchor surmounted by a royal crown, the edge being surrounded by a raised rope design.

The caps and cocked hats of the British Navy are similar to those worn by United States naval officers except that there is more bell to the crown of the British cap. The cap insignia worn by commissioned officers are embroidered on the front of the cap and consist of a vertical foul anchor surrounded by a gilt wreath and surmounted by a royal crown in gilt and scarlet; the anchor being silver in the case of officers of the Line and gilt for officers of the Staff Corps.

The sword worn by British naval officers is much the same in general appearance as that worn by American officers, the differences being in the carved designs upon the hilt and blade of the sword and upon the bands of the scabbard. This is due to the fact that the American sword like the other parts of the American naval uniform was originally adopted from the British Navy.

British Navy.
Officers’ shoulder straps

1. Captain	2. Commander	3. Lieutenant Commander
4. Lieutenant	5. Sub Lieutenant, Chief Gunner and Chief Boatswain	6. Gunner and Boatswain

The officers of the British Naval Air Service wear as a distinguishing mark of their service a gilt spread eagle on each sleeve above the rank stripes and a silver spread eagle in the center of the cap insignia in place of the anchor worn there by other officers. Their service buttons also have the spread eagle in place of the anchor for other officers.

Officers of the Royal Naval Division detailed for duty on shore wear a uniform of khaki-colored cloth similar in design to the service uniform of British Army officers; their sleeves bearing the rank stripes of the same widths, number and arrangement as for other naval officers but made of braid of a slightly different shade than the material of the coat, and their shoulder straps bearing the same insignia of rank as that worn by the corresponding grades in the army.

Officers of the British Royal Naval Reserve wear the same uniforms as those prescribed for officers of the regular service, except that the stripes on the cuffs and on the shoulder straps while of the same number for the different grades are of a different design. The design of these stripes represents a rope twisted of two strands and in place of the “curl” above the upper stripe to indicate officers of the line there is a star shaped design made up of two interlocked triangles of narrow gold braid. The corps or branch of Staff officers of the Royal Naval Reserve is indicated by stripes of cloth between the twisted strand stripes, the distinctive colors for the different corps or branches being the same for Staff officers of the regular navy.

Officers of the British Naval Volunteer Reserve wear the same uniforms as those prescribed for the officers of the regular naval establishment, except that the stripes on the sleeves and shoulder straps to indicate rank, while being of the same number and arrangement for the different grades, are laid on in waving lines instead of in straight lines as in the case of the regular officers. The distinctive color stripes to indicate the various corps or branches for Staff Officers of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve are the same as for the regular service.

Officers of the Royal Naval Reserve and of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve attached to the Royal Naval Air Service wear their respective uniforms with the addition of the spread eagle design above the rank stripes on the sleeves and shoulder straps.

Officers of the British Colonial Naval Establishments maintained by the greater colonial divisions of the British Empire wear distinctive marks to indicate their especial service. These naval establishments comprise the Royal Indian Marine, the Australian Navy and the Canadian.

The enlisted men of the British Navy wear uniforms very similar in general design to those worn in the United States Navy with minor differences in the dimensions and cut of the various garments. The Chief Petty Officers wear uniforms of blue or white consisting of a bell-crowned cap with a black mohair band, a black patent leather visor and insignia consisting of two concentric circles surrounding a vertical foul anchor surmounted by a British crown; a double-breasted sack coat with two rows of gilt service buttons; and plain trousers. Other petty officers and seamen wear the sailor cap, wide collared shirt and bell-mouthed trousers common to the American service, the collar having three rows of narrow white braid around the edges with a black neckerchief knotted beneath it. The three rows of braid commemorate Nelson’s three great victories—Copenhagen, the Nile and Trafalgar—and the black neckerchief was first worn as a badge of mourning for this great sea fighter. The cap has a black silk ribbon around the band upon which is the name of the ship in gilt block letters, thus,

H. M. S. DREADNOUGHT

the letters H.M.S. being the abbreviation of “His Majesty’s Ship.”

Rating badges to indicate the rank or rating of petty officers and men on special duties are worn on the sleeves between the shoulder seam and the elbow and are very numerous and complex, some of the principal ones being, in red,

Petty officer first class	Two crossed foul anchors with a crown above and three chevrons, points down, below.
Petty officer second class	One vertical foul anchor with a crown above and two chevrons, points down.
Petty officer third class	The same, omitting the crown and with but one chevron.
Gunner’s Mate and Gunlayer first class	Two crossed cannon with one star below and a star and a crown above.
Gunner’s Mate	The same, omitting the lower star.
Gunlayer first class	Two crossed cannon with a star above and a star below.
Gunlayer second class	The same omitting the lower star.
Gunlayer third class	The same omitting the stars.
Seaman Gunner	A horizontal cannon with a star above.
Torpedo Gunner’s Mate Higher Grade	Two crossed torpedoes with a star and a crown above and a star below.
Torpedo Gunner’s Mate	The same omitting the lower star.
Torpedo Coxswain	Two crossed torpedoes with a steering wheel above.
Leading Torpedoman	Two crossed torpedoes with a star above.
Seaman Torpedoman	A horizontal torpedo with a star above and a star below.
Chief Signal Yeoman	Two crossed flags with a star and a crown above and two stars below.
Signal Yeoman	The same omitting the crown.
Leading Signalman	The same omitting one of the lower stars.
Signalman	The same omitting the lower stars.
Ordinary signalman	Two crossed flags.
Mechanician	A propeller with one star and a crown above and a star below.
Chief Stoker	A propeller with a crown above and a star below.
Stoker petty officer	A propeller with a star above and a star below.
Leading stoker	The same omitting the lower star.
Stoker	A propeller.
Chief Telegraphist	A bar of forked lightning with wings on each side and a crown below.
Leading Telegraphist	The same design but with a star above in place of the crown and a star below.
Telegraphist	The same omitting the lower star.
Ordinary telegraphist	The same design omitting stars.
Blacksmith, Plumber, and Painter, first class	An axe and a hammer crossed with a star above.
Other Artisans	The same design omitting the star.
Physical training instructor, first class	Two crossed Indian clubs with star and a crown above and a star below.
Physical training instructor, second class	The same design omitting the lower star.
Sick Bay attendants	A Geneva cross surrounded by a circle.
Bugler	A bugle horizontal.
Markmanship badge, first class	Two crossed rifles with a star above.
Markmanship badge, second class	The same without the star.
Markmanship badge, third class	A rifle horizontal.

Badges of other colors are:

Cook	A white star.
Schoolmaster	A yellow star.
Steward	A yellow star.
Good shooting badge, third class	A yellow rifle horizontal.