When you receive your uniform you’ll be taught how to wear it and look after it. Below are some general hints and tips, if you’ve got any questions then speak to your NCO team.
Tie
The Windsor knot should be triangular and quite large. The tip of the fat end of the tie should just touch the waistband of your trousers / skirt. The thin end should be shorter and will hide behind the main part of the tie.
If you don’t know how to tie a Windsor Knot, click here.
Shoes
Use Kiwi polish and a small piece of cotton wool. Use hot water and put it onto the piece of cotton wool, remove all excess water, and put into the Kiwi polish until the cotton wool has a surface covered in Kiwi polish. Rub the polish into the toe caps in small circles, and continue until the toe caps shine.
To do the welts take an old toothbrush and rub it into the polish so that there is a generous amount of polish on the toothbrush, and rub this onto the welts.
To do the main part off the shoe you will need two brushes, one to put the polish on and one to take it off. Take the brush you are going to use to put the polish on, and dip it into the polish, then rub this all over the shoe so that the shoe goes a dull matt black. Leave the polish on the shoe for a couple of minutes, while you repeat the process on your second shoe. Once you have finished putting the polish onto both shoes, go back to the first one and use the brush used to remove the excess polish and buff the shoe, then repeat this on the second shoe.
Trousers
Use a steam iron and press the trouser through a tea towel, this ensures the trousers do not turn shiny at the creases. When ironing your trousers, make sure you go over the same creases, so you do not create new ones so that it forms ‘tram lines’.
Skirt
These only need to be worn with the No. 1 uniform for females. They need to be pressed flat with no creases.
Shirt
The shirt needs to be ironed flat but with creases down the top and bottom of the sleeves. With the No. 2 uniform the sleeves need to be folded up to above the elbows, with each fold roughly two inches wide.
Jumper
Before wearing your jumper you may need to cut off any lose threads.
To iron the jumper you need to turn the temperature down on your iron and lightly run over it the jumpers surface to remove any bad creases. Iron the epaulettes normally.
During the summer (May/June to October) no jumper is worn unless told otherwise.
Belt
To polish the belt buckle use Brasso. Tear off a piece of the fabric, and rub it over the buckle until it goes dull. Remove any residue using a duster or tissues.
Beret
When you get a new beret it will most probably need moulding. To do this you will need to wet the beret, this can be easily done in the shower. The beret will then need to be placed on your head and shaped so the left side is folded down to your ear, and left to dry naturally.
Brassard
The brassard will need to be iron so there are no creases, but the temperate will need to be turned down on your iron so that it doesn’t melt.
You can find out where to put badges on your brassard, here.
DPM/Greens uniform
All uniform needs to be ironed, with greens the trousers, jacket and shirt all need to be ironed as best you can. The trousers do not have creases in. Combat boots also need to be polished, and have no mud on them.
FS Wright