Updated Army Service Dress project

[Maxman1]

With the RCE, RCMS, RCLS, and "Land DEU" members of various branches (Legal, PA, PSEL, etc) all opting out and sticking with rifle green.

The BN I read earlier this month (dated 2025) stated the move to Army Blue was no longer optional for those organizations with the new uniform coming out.

All of which aren't mechanized infantry. Plus khaki is worn by the Foot Guards and Grenadier Guards.

 

[RangerRay]

The person who designed the female dress skirt and bowler hat in the 1980's must have hated women.

Must have been the same guy that designed the RCMP’s first female uniform.

I think it looks pretty sharp. I wish the RCN would do some retro tweaks, not a full scale change but some tweaks.

Square rigs for ratings?

 

[Halifax Tar]

Must have been the same guy that designed the RCMP’s first female uniform.



Square rigs for ratings?

More along the lines of 8 button tunics and proper Naval NCM rank badging.

*PS I couldn't find our old undoing of unification thread or I would have quoted this over there...

 

[markppcli]

Casually just chiming in to remind everyone that more time has elapsed since unification than existed before for most of actual dress. Berets (in any colour) are a WW1/2 decisions, and the RCN despite its claims as a senior service was 57 years old at unification. So if we’re talking about traditions we should remember that people have been dressed this way for longer as well as not forget uniforms changed fairly regularly back in the days of yore.

 

[Kilted]

The real question with regards to headdresses is how will the Yukon hat look with the new uniform?

The blue hats will go over badly, if the Sigs and Arty guys are any example. The people who held an affinity for those blue berets are very detached from the people manning guns and working radios. The artillery NCOs I know took the change more as a slap to the face than on the back. Oh well once everyone wears it’ll be the same as green in ten years… which of course just goes to the point if we already have a standard colour what’s gained by changing it.

 

[Rifleman62]

Rifle Regts wore Black puttees.

 

[FSTO]

Casually just chiming in to remind everyone that more time has elapsed since unification than existed before for most of actual dress. Berets (in any colour) are a WW1/2 decisions, and the RCN despite its claims as a senior service was 57 years old at unification. So if we’re talking about traditions we should remember that people have been dressed this way for longer as well as not forget uniforms changed fairly regularly back in the days of yore.

Was anyone happy with the Rifle Green unibag that was introduced in 1968?

Has anyone been happy with what we've been given since? DEU was a bit of a half assed attempt to right some wrongs.

Finally, uniforms have evolved over the centuries and will continue to evolve and the changes will never satisfy everyone, ever.

 

[SeaKingTacco]

Was anyone happy with the Rifle Green unibag that was introduced in 1968?

Has anyone been happy with what we've been given since? DEU was a bit of a half assed attempt to right some wrongs.

Finally, uniforms have evolved over the centuries and will continue to evolve and the changes will never satisfy everyone, ever.

I joined wearing it in 1985. It was ok. It actually fit me better and was of higher quality than the DEU stuff that followed, but I am a sample size of one.

 

[dapaterson]

If the RCN put half the effort it makes to complain about being a part of the CAF into reforming its leadership...

 

[Maxman1]

Rifle Regts wore Black puttees.

And only the Newfoundland Regiment wore blue puttees.

 

[Halifax Tar]

Casually just chiming in to remind everyone that more time has elapsed since unification than existed before for most of actual dress. Berets (in any colour) are a WW1/2 decisions, and the RCN despite its claims as a senior service was 57 years old at unification. So if we’re talking about traditions we should remember that people have been dressed this way for longer as well as not forget uniforms changed fairly regularly back in the days of yore.

Not really. The green bus driver uniform was only around for maybe 15 years. And then its been a slow undoing unification since DEUs were introduced in the mid 1980s.

And I will take lessons on the importance of tradition and service culture from the Army when it does away with the current regimental system.

 

[FSTO]

If the RCN put half the effort it makes to complain about being a part of the CAF into reforming its leadership...

 

[Kilted]

Not really. The green bus driver uniform was only around for maybe 15 years. And then its been a slow undoing unification since DEUs were introduced in the mid 1980s.

And I will take lessons on the importance of tradition and service culture from the Army when it does away with the current regimental system.

Current, it's hundreds of years old.

 

[Halifax Tar]

Current, it's hundreds of years old.

You are literally concerned about beret color for all your different far flung regiments, not to mention completely retroizing your DEUs; but the RCN getting 8 button tunics and some proper Naval NCM insignia is a bridge to far.

Again the Army can school me on this when it does away with the current regimental system.

 

[markppcli]

Not really. The green bus driver uniform was only around for maybe 15 years. And then its been a slow undoing unification since DEUs were introduced in the mid 1980s.

And I will take lessons on the importance of tradition and service culture from the Army when it does away with the current regimental system.

Not really to what? That’s precisely my point. We’ve been in our current uniforms since unification? That’s as long as anyone was wearing Square Rig in the RCN. No one currently serving wore it, and very few people have any kind of sentimental attachment to most of these premonition dress items. What defines “proper” is that to mean “as the RN.” Let’s be clear though this is about dress. The regimental system is about career management and it generally works.

 

[boredtoon]

Is it? Or is just up to corps to determine? I’ll take a gander around acims tomorrow maybe.

The standard will be the army blue beret. Corps/regiments may choose to wear a different colour beret, for example the RCR polled its guys and they had to decide between blue or khaki.

The full colour forage cap will be for each individual regiment and corps to decide if they will wear it. At this time, all 3 regular force infantry regiments have decided to wear berets and forego the forage cap.

The khaki service cap will be an optional item (costing money to the member I assume) not to be worn on parade. This would be an item for anyone who wears No 3 as their dress of the day, SADs, or any other event where you are in No 3 but not on parade. Frankly I don't see it being used much outside the NCR or unit command teams who maybe wear service dress for conferences in Ottawa. Will I buy one anyways, as a class B reservist using the army to fund his masters and PhD? Probably.

 

[markppcli]

The standard will be the army blue beret. Corps/regiments may choose to wear a different colour beret, for example the RCR polled its guys and they had to decide between blue or khaki.

The full colour forage cap will be for each individual regiment and corps to decide if they will wear it. At this time, all 3 regular force infantry regiments have decided to wear berets and forego the forage cap.

The khaki service cap will be an optional item (costing money to the member I assume) not to be worn on parade. This would be an item for anyone who wears No 3 as their dress of the day, SADs, or any other event where you are in No 3 but not on parade. Frankly I don't see it being used much outside the NCR or unit command teams who maybe wear service dress for conferences in Ottawa. Will I buy one anyways, as a class B reservist using the army to fund his masters and PhD? Probably.

I stand by saying this is silly, as we have a perfectly serviceable general service beret. Not that I don’t believe you guys but where can I find this BN?

 

[OldSolduer]

Casually just chiming in to remind everyone that more time has elapsed since unification than existed before for most of actual dress. Berets (in any colour) are a WW1/2 decisions, and the RCN despite its claims as a senior service was 57 years old at unification. So if we’re talking about traditions we should remember that people have been dressed this way for longer as well as not forget uniforms changed fairly regularly back in the days of yore.

The RCN is not the senior service in Canada - its the Artillery if RMC is not on parade.

 

[Cdn_Merchant_Navy Guy]

Must have been the same guy that designed the RCMP’s first female uniform.

Square rigs for ratings?

Personally, as a former sea going merchant marine civilian outsider, I think an 8 button tunic on nautical officers (Naval, Civil, Merchant) looks “better”. Canadian Coast Guard officers wear them, and now that they’re officially in the department of defense, perhaps RCN officers could adopt the form.

Keep the 6 button jackets to the senior NCM’s.

But my question is, what’s with the hate-on for square rig? Genuine curiosity.

Almost every allied naval force has a variation on it for junior ratings. So, from the Canadian perspective, what’s with the desire for everyone to dress like, well, officers?

Square rig, when fitted properly has a fair bit of swag to it.

 

[Halifax Tar]

Not really to what? That’s precisely my point. We’ve been in our current uniforms since unification? That’s as long as anyone was wearing Square Rig in the RCN. No one currently serving wore it, and very few people have any kind of sentimental attachment to most of these premonition dress items. What defines “proper” is that to mean “as the RN.” Let’s be clear though this is about dress. The regimental system is about career management and it generally works.

I am not arguing for square rig. My wish would be for 8 Button tunics and proper Naval NCM insignia. There are ideas on these means that would in the spirit of this. These are dress items.

Example:


So you're against the Army changing its DEUs to this throw back ?