Surprising Resource

Surprising Resource

The Internet Archive

It's not really a surprise as I have used this website a lot in the past, but I always seem to forget it and stumble back across it later.

This time it started with a mention of the Royal Naval Uniform Regulations for Officers 1891, a quick internet search took me straight to a copy of these regulations in a New York Library, digitized by Google.

As well as great descriptions of the uniforms this book also contains some fantastic images of the uniform items.

Uniform Regulations for Officers of the Fleet, 1891

Of course, this sent me down a rabbit hole of looking for other interesting publications and the Internet Archive did not disappoint.

1879 Regulations for Naval Uniform by Herbert Booker

One of my favourites has to be the publications that came from the Royal Naval Exhibition of 1891 (more on that later)

Lists and Maps

 Lists and Maps

After looking at some of the makers of hats in the National Maritime Museum collection, I ended up down a rabbit hole looking at census lists and old maps at the locations of naval tailors and outfitters.

Old Devonport

Devonportonline

Old Maps

Royal Hospital Greenwich

As a child growing up near Greenwich, I was always in awe of the buildings that made up Greenwich Royal Navy College (now Greenwich University). This had originally been the Royal Hospital Greenwich for retired seafarers. I particularly loved the painted hall, but that's one for another day. 

Whilst browsing the collections of The National Maritime Museum Online Collection (another of my favourite places as a child), I came across this wonderful item of uniform from the Hospital.

https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-71601