| BrianH | 28 Mar 2010 1:48 p.m. PST |
What colour should the uniforms (No3 working dress, jumper or sailor suit) be for W.W.II British RN landing party troops? The artists drawings I have seen Osprey Elite #79 The Royal Navy 1939-45 suggests a very dark Navy blue, however colour pictures of the modern day British RN ratings dress uniform (sailor suit not working dress shirt) appears to be black. To me a very dark blue feels right, but is it historically?
Similarly what about the colour for officers dress uniform (double breasted 8 button jacket), black or dark navy blue? |
Shagnasty  | 28 Mar 2010 4:41 p.m. PST |
Dark navy. The SS wore black. |
| Sundance | 28 Mar 2010 5:50 p.m. PST |
Naval adoption of black is relatively recent ('60s/'70s in US IIRC). Go with dark navy for WWII. |
| BrianH | 28 Mar 2010 6:33 p.m. PST |
Thanks, so it looks like the RN switched from Navy blue to black sometime in the 1960s for the ratings uniform. Is the same true for the Officers uniform? The Osprey books suggest the officers dress uniform was black in W.W.II. |
| wrgmr1 | 28 Mar 2010 10:06 p.m. PST |
Some of the uniforms we were issued were WW2 vintage and the dark blue was so dark it looked black. So I would make it a Very dark blue. |
| Martin Rapier | 29 Mar 2010 4:49 a.m. PST |
GW Midnight Blue is pretty good, it is a really dark blue. I use it for 1866 Prussians. |
| hoosierclyde | 29 Mar 2010 6:49 a.m. PST |
As Father Ted says: Only priests wear black…. everyone else wears very very very very dark blue. |
| Chouan | 07 Apr 2010 11:43 p.m. PST |
The WW2 ratings uniforms were very dark blue indeed, they did fade to very dark blue. Officers uniforms were black. When you say dress uniforms, what are you refering to? WW2 dress uniforms were a tailcoat, white lapels, with fringed epaulettes and lots of gold lace. |
| BrianH | 28 Apr 2010 9:56 p.m. PST |
I don't think GW makes Midnight Blue anymore, but I do have Vallejo Prussian blue #899.
The officers uniforms I was thinking of was the No.5 dress uniform which appears black. |
| Chouan | 08 Mar 2011 6:02 a.m. PST |
Navy Officer uniforms are, in fact, black. |
| Pontius | 08 Mar 2011 6:47 a.m. PST |
Note that although uniforms are black, and I have a couple hanging in my wardrobe, they are still described as "blue" by the RN. See link I do not have the Osprey quoted above but I would have thought that officers with landing parties would have worn naval battledress in temperate climates. This, in a very prickly serge, was still being issued to new entrants to Dartmouth in the late 1970s. |
| Chouan | 09 Mar 2011 7:45 a.m. PST |
They're even called "blues", or were. I agree about the battledress. The Merch were also wearing it up until the late 60's early 70's. |
goes to sea with the Terrain Mat.
