When were cap ribbons introduced on sailors’ hats?
Cap ribbon, Coast Guard cap ribbon – HMS Humber, circa 1876. Repro ID: F8325 ©National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, LondonSailors were wearing cap ribbons by the 1840s, but it was not until 1857, when the first official uniforms for sailors were introduced, that ‘hat ribbons bearing the ship’s name’ were officially recognised. Although the uniform regulations did not specify how the ribbon was to be marked, it was customary for sailors to paint on the name of their ship in large capitals. Gilt wire lettering was officially introduced in 1858. At first the regulations did not state how the ribbons were to be tied, although illustrations in the 1879 uniform regulations show the ribbons on hats and caps tied at the back with long ends hanging down. Between 1893–1911 they were ‘tied in a bow over the left ear –the ends being three and four inches long respectively – the shorter end being in front’. From 1911 they were tied with the ‘ends of the bows if equal lengths not more than two inches
