Talkin’ about my curl

All along I thought I looked pretty clearly “Navy”, but now there’s more to it: the navy brought back the executive curl to the officer’s rank stripes. Talking with the other land-locked sailors here on this army base it was a complete surprise, but a nice touch for our 100th anniversary. (It looks like we weren’t the only ones pleasantly surprised: editorials pushing for the curl also seemed to come out of nowhere – apparently some with a penchant for naval (and sartorial) history have some pull with some well-placed Members of Parliament.)

The curl – a loop embellishment added to the upper-most bar of an officer’s rank stripes – has always distinguished the world’s naval staff from their army and air force counterparts. (The only major navies without it are the Americans, Chinese, French and Russians.) But at some point in the 60s, Canada’s military was de-traditionalised by eliminating the “Royal” from the Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force. As well, with the rise of Canada’s role as a neutral peacekeeping force, British-style uniforms in the navy, army and air force – thence officially “Maritime”, “Land” and “Air Commands” respectively – were all exchanged for a common American-style green to distance ourselves from a colonial image.

You can imagine how, in an organisation and culture where tradition is so important and essential to identity, the move never sat well with many. So sometime in the 80s, more traditional uniforms were restored: once again, like the rest of the world, “Maritime Command” staff looked “navy”, and “Air Command” now “air force” in logical black (or white, in summer) and blue respectively; the army returned to the worldwide standard tans for summer and dark green for winter.

It wasn’t quite a complete return to normal: instead of the usual jumpers for sailors and tunics for officers (6-button for Petty and 8-buttons for the rest), a typically-Canadian egalitarian compromise resulted in a 6-button double-breasted suit for everyone in the navy. At first, like other navies in the world, medals were high on the left shoulder and wings above the left sleeve, but both later brought to the breast line like the other Canadian services. (Easier to enforce on parade inspection?)

The army’s tan summer uniform wasn’t quite a return to the Commonwealth standard either but another Canadian affectation: officer’s ranks stayed as stripes on the cuffs like the 60s green instead of pips and crown back onto the shoulders. They never came up with tan versions of the badges and stripes either, so there was always an odd dark-green background to everything that clashed with the tan. (Sometime in the cost-cutting 90s, the tan version was eliminated, leaving now only the dark green for year-round wear.)

The air force uniform was probably the most faithful return to the original – back in blue, though a lighter shade of blue than traditional; ranks kept the 60s experimental gold over the usual air force white and blue, but remained on the sleeve cuff, and the ever-aerodynamic wedge cap was back. (Like the other services, the Cadet’s uniforms remained the closest to tradition: belt over the tunic, and ranks in white thread with crowns instead of maple leaves throughout.)

It took a little while for the newly-curled ranks to make it to this army base – about a year, to be exact – but here in the land-lubbing middle of New Brunswick, you can now “Go Navy”!

No doubt about it, the curl does complete the naval uniform – the previous flat bars do look quite odd and out of place now in comparison:

Apparently, many officers eager to look the part before the supply system caught up with the necessary demand splurged on alterations or sourcing the curled ranks from other navies – not inexpensively. You can see up close the huge difference in tailoring skill to successfully crimp that loop out of the gold braid:

The shirt shoulder slip-ons used to use the same braid as the shoulder boards, but to simplify things (and avoid having thick hunks of braid bulging on your shoulders when you wear your tunic over – thicker still with the Medical scarlet cloth between the braid), the curled slip-ons replicate the design in flat rows of embroidered thread:

On the work uniforms, it’s an easy swap to carry on the naval distinction: dress shirt slip-ons also go on the blue naval work shirt, while a black-on-green embroidered version go on the both camouflage combat uniforms and flying suits. Naval officers can now beat their Hearts of Oak anytime, anywhere:

Here at an army base, the curl does get some questions from time to time: patients sometimes ask “By the way sir, what rank is that?” as I leave. According to our Padre (also a naval lieutenant), junior ranks have been walking by her lately without saluting – training at an army base, maybe that’s not totally unexpected that new recruits might not recognise what the embellished rank is. People still even ask “what uniform is that?” when they see the blue-and-black Naval Combat Dress around here:

Perhaps just like in the 80s when the Big Green Fighting Machine was restored to traditional black, green and blue dress uniforms, it just might take some getting used to. It speaks to one of the core difficulties of managing a “brand”: how to change it and achieve recognition, especially when the last change was such a departure from other familiar “products” like it – ie, every other navy, army and air force in the world – and getting used to that was itself a decades-long endeavour from the 60s to 80s, trying to explain why our navy was dressed in green, and called “Maritime Command”.

With that: perhaps the next step to restoring our identity – bringing back the Royal Canadian Navy? At last check with the General himself, it wasn’t likely… but like bringing back the executive curl, you never know what editorials might show up or how our MPs will decide how we should carry on. Like they teach you on Basic Training, you just do what you’re told, wear what you’re given, and answer to whatever you’re called: “Aye Sir!”

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