Myths of Royal Navy Uniforms
The Royal Navy seems to attract myths and legends, maybe this is due to the fact that sailors have always told tall tales and dits, going back to stories of mermaids and sea monsters. The history of the Royal Navy Uniform is no different.There are lots of myths and rumours surrounding the origin of some of the items of the Royal Navy uniform. Some are more plausible than others.
The Collar
One such myth I have seen repeated many times is the reason for the white stripes on a blue collar.
Royal Navy Collar
The myth states that there are three white lines that represent Nelson's three great battles (Nile, Copenhagen and Trafalgar). And yet the French Navy also have three white strips, despite the fact they were beaten in the same three battles by the British.
The collar itself was often said to have originated to protect uniforms for tarred plaits often work by sailors in the 18th century, Royal Navy uniform was not introduced until the mid-19th century, by which time hairstyles had changed, and so tarred plaits were not the issue they had once been.
Blue Uniforms
The reason for Blue uniforms is not as is often stated to do with camouflage or that sailors were on the sea, it is simply down to the availability of cheap colour fast dye in a time before the availability of synthetic dyes, colonising India meant a ready supply of indigo.
Early naval clothing was often red or grey, and not the blue we think of today.
The Sailor Suit
Queen Victoria popularised the fashion of dressing children in the sailor suit, after dressing her son Prince Albert in a sailor suit as a child of four in 1846.
This tradition has continued with Royal Children, most recently with Prince Lois wearing a sailor suit for the Trooping of the Colour (2022).
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