Great war square rig
Great war square rig

The Bluejackets Rigs Great war square rig

Great war square rig

The first uniform to be issued to sailors

Before the On The Knee Mutiny of 1909 sailors were not issued uniforms. Instead they had to provide their own that met with the regulations. One of the reforms brought about by the mutiny was that they were issued uniforms from stores. However, as these were not as sharp as the sailors liked they would often still have a suit made to measure for them for when they were going ashore.

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Bell-Bottoms

loose legged trousers

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Collar

Another iconic piece of a sailor's uniform, that was often touched for luck.

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Jersey

A tightly knitted woollen pullover traditional to the Channel Islands

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Jumper

The outer-most item of square rig.

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Lanyard

A white cord lanyard used to hold the sailor's jackknife

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Silk

A silk scarf worn under the collar

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Cap Tally

A band of material that wraps a sailor's cap showing the name of the ship of establishment that they belong to

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Half Boots

Black boots without toe caps

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Red Badges

Trade and rank badges in red embroidery on a dark background

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Sailor's Cap

The sailor's cap with a stiff crown, but without a peak

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Wool Flannel

Made from a warm wool fabric, this shirt was designed to be simple for sailors to maintain themselves. It had a square head hole trimmed with blue ribbon rather than any kind of collar and no buttons requiring the construction of fiddly button holes.