Royal Navy Uniforms

[Major Weenie]

Here's a silly question that came up at a cocktail party,

Which color uniforms make more sense for the Royal Navy in Colonial Theatres, from the gaming standpoint?

White, or blue?

Sudan, coming from the north, they were blue, right?

Sudan, coming from the east, the Perry book has contemporary prints indicating white.

West coast of Africa... White ?

East coast of Africa... White ?

Boxer Rebellion China... White... Blue ?  I remember the Osprey book on the Boxer Rebellion saying that the French Navy mixed white and blue.  But I don't remember anything about the RN.

Thanks,
MW

[OSHIROmodels]

Don't really know the answer to your question but that must haven an interesting cocktail party 

cheers

James

[Plynkes]

There isn't a "makes more sense" option. Seems to have been at the whim of the commander. Sailors from four ships served in the Naval Brigades in the Zulu War and they all dressed differently to each other. The sailors from HMS Active wore blue jerseys with white trousers, just to complicate things.

Blue was the standard uniform, the whites were supposed to be tropical wear. But this seems to have been ignored almost as often as it was followed. If you're a "by the book" sort, go with white in a hot place, or alternatively, if like me you are button-counting war-nerd, find out what they actually wore in the specific campaign you are interested in.

Boxer Rebellion China... White... Blue ?  I remember the Osprey book on the Boxer Rebellion saying that the French Navy mixed white and blue.  But I don't remember anything about the RN.

Photos show RN 'bluejackets' from HMS Orlando in China in blue, with sennet hats with the brims turned right up, and those from HMS Alacrity in blue but with white caps. Both sets are bandoliered to high heaven, no doubt going for that fashionable "Mexican Bandit" look that was so popular in 1900.

Another photo shows tars from HMS Terrible in Tientsin wearing tropical whites and sennet hats, however.

[Major Weenie]

"Leaddies" (or insert more appropriate nickname)

1.) With regard to cocktail parties, years ago the 'then girlfriend' was impressed (actually annoyed) by the fact that the 'civilians' in the crowd at a cocktail party; a.) Knew what Janissaries were, b.) knew that flying monkeys were supposed to wear fezes and red vests.  Sadly, that's the kind of cocktail parties I attend.

2.) With regard to the RN, whilst leafing through the Perry book "Go Strong Into the Desert," I noticed a caption next to an image of sailors on a gunboat. "A Verner watercolour of on of the steamers in action.  While the naval brigade had worn white for the crossing of the Bayuda, they clearly mixed their tropical and temperate rig at whim once they were aboard the steamers."

However, they're wearing pith helmets, instead of the sailor's caps that was my reason for buying the figures in the first place.

Ah!  Tis typical of the hobby,
MW

[georgec]

Here's a silly question that came up at a cocktail party,

Boxer Rebellion China... White... Blue ?  I remember the Osprey book on the Boxer Rebellion saying that the French Navy mixed white and blue.  But I don't remember anything about the RN.

Thanks,
MW

Well China can be cold or hot.  Even in Hong Kong we used to wear winter and summer dress, and pretty chilly it was too in April if the warm, maritime air had not made it over the mainland before the switch to summer KD.

Thus you could get pictures of different ' rigs' depending on where and when the photos were take