Scottish Devil Dogs?

[YoungMan]

As often as I've seen a pair of Marine Corps dress blues, it didn't occur to till today when I was I was looking at the sleeve up close that the jacket is braemar-cuffed. I was wondering what connection there might be between the choice for that particular cuff for enlisted personnel and its Scottish origin.

[Sir William]

The cuff is actually known as a "mariner cuff" and was quite popular for military uniforms in the late 18th and 19th centuries. It easily allowed the cuff to be unbuttoned and rolled up so that it wouldn't get dirty or get in the way while working. Of course today most mariner cuffs are non-functioning.

The modern dress blues can actually trace their lineage to the 1859 dress uniform - which had the mariner cuff.

[JolyStNicholas]

Thank you Sir William for clearing that up.

Semper Fi "YoungMan"

[thescot]

As a side note: the cuff is stitched to the jacket's sleeve, I believe, which makes tailoring quite simple.

When I was in the Corps, I was given a dress blue blouse by an older master sergeant who had shorter arms. I took it to my cleaners where a lady showed me how easy it was to make the adjustment, and then proceeded to do so free of charge since she had had a son in the military.

Everything about the blouse (jacket to you non-Marines) is somehwat symbolic. The red piping around the edge is reminiscent of the fact that in the earliest days, jackets were often taken from British folks who wore red jackets. By turning them inside-out, the blue lining showed only the red at the edges and distinguished the Marine from the oposing forces.

Also, the tight shoker collar is left over from leather collars worn to precent cutlass wounds in hand-to-hand fighting, thus renderig the name "Leathernecks."

[KFCarter]

A day doesn't go by without learning something interesting on this site! Thanks, gents.

[dfmacliam]

The Marines are full of traditions, that's why the uniform has changed so little, compared to the modern style, the other services have gone to.

The design on the top of an officers cover, the swords, both NCO and officer, red "blood stripe" on the pant leg of the NCO and officer dress blue uniform. They all signify something in Marine Corps history.

[macwilkin]

The Marines are full of traditions, that's why the uniform has changed so little, compared to the modern style, the other services have gone to.

Actually, the US Army has just returned to its traditional uniform, the "Army blues", for its Class A uniform, which makes this historian's heart glad to see:

http://www.army.mil/asu/

England has its Gren-a-diers, France has its Zoo-zoos,
The U.S.A. never changes they say, but continually wears the blues.

-- The Regular Army, O!

The red piping around the edge is reminiscent of the fact that in the earliest days, jackets were often taken from British folks who wore red jackets. By turning them inside-out, the blue lining showed only the red at the edges and distinguished the Marine from the oposing forces.

For a number of years it was traditional in the US Army that musicians wore a read coat with blue facings, which was the opposite of the standard-issue Infantry tunic. A friend of mine who is a drummer in a War of 1812 reenacting unit always gets asked if he is "British" at living history events and reenactments because of this.

Regards,

Todd

[dfmacliam]

The Marine Corps band has a red tunic they wear sometimes too, even the Drum Major wears a bear skin cover, very much like we see in the Queens' Guards. But then again, we do share close ties to the Royal Marines.

[Colonel MacNeal]

While the United States Air Force plods along, screwing up every uniform it develops. The only good uniform in the inventory at this time is the Mess Dress.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

I'm a fuddy-duddy. I really don't care for the Class B uniform; the white shirt/blue trousers look like a French traffic cop.