The number of postwomen remained low until the outbreak of World War I in 1914, when the men were away fighting in the armed forces. As a result, in 1894, the first official postwoman’s uniform was issued: a waterproof cape and skirt. However, by the 1890s, more women applied to become posties. The number of females wasn’t documented, but reports suggested it was only a handful. This style barely changed until 1910.ĭuring the 19th century, the vast majority of post-delivery workers were male. A military-style tunic replaced the fancy frock coat in 1868. New winter trousers, this time in blue cloth with a red stripe down the outer seam, also became part of the uniform in the same decade. A new waistcoat was launched to match the coat in the same shade of blue. In the 1860s, the practice of embroidering the initials “GPO” (General Post Office) underneath the wearer’s employee number became the norm. The smart grey trousers made everyone the same. Most notably, a waterproof cape was launched to protect the wearer from inclement weather and to stop the smart coat underneath from getting dirty.įor the first time, grey trousers were included in the uniform – prior to this, postmen had been required to provide their own trousers, but this had led to employees who didn’t have much money being the butt of colleagues’ jokes because of their poor-quality trousers, according to some reports. The Victorian era saw a number of changes in uniforms, including the introduction of additional items. The felt hat lasted only three years, to be replaced again, in 1862, by a peaked shako hat – a tall, cylindrical, military cap. In 1859, a hard felt hat replaced the beaver hat of the early 19th century. Displaying the wearer’s employment ID number was commonplace, although it was no longer engraved on the coat buttons. The wearing of uniforms was spreading across Great Britain by this time. Once again, the colour reverted to scarlet. The coats were smart tail coats until 1855, when they were replaced by a skirted frock coat. It was replaced with a blue coat with red collar, a blue vest and a beaver hat. In 1837, there was a major uniform change, when the traditional red coat was dropped for the first time. This was the case until 1834, when uniforms were finally launched for posties in Britain’s larger cities. Initially, only postmen in London were issued with uniforms. This led to drawings of actual robins appearing on Christmas cards, and marked the beginning the bird’s traditional link with the festive period. It was deemed fitting that Royal Mail employees would wear a bright red outfit, due to the royal endorsement, but instead of thinking of postmen as being regal, the public nicknamed them “robins” – thinking they resembled the red-breasted bird associated with Christmas! As people waited for the postie to arrive, especially when they were awaiting Christmas cards, they would lookout for the “robin” walking up the path.Īs a result, the image of the postman became so associated with Christmas that early greetings cards often featured a picture of him wearing his scarlet coat, carrying a sack of mail. Red was considered to be a regal colour, linked to the royal family and the British flag. They also wore a blue waistcoat and a hat. The coat had brass buttons engraved with the wearer’s staff number.

Like the coach guards’ uniform, it was scarlet, consisting of a tailcoat with contrasting blue cuffs and lapels. In 1793, the first postman’s uniform was unveiled for London General Post employees to celebrate the birthday of Queen Charlotte, the wife of King George III. The coach guard uniform consisted of a smart scarlet coat decorated with gold braid, and a contrasting black top hat with a gold band. The first postal uniform was designed in 1784, although it was created for mail coach guards, almost a decade before the first postman hit the streets of Britain. Over the years, there have been many changes, before the uniform reached its current “smart but casual” look. In the early years, the postie’s uniform was very formal, featuring tailored coats in regal red and smart hats. Today, postmen and women have been allowed to adopt a more casual uniform including shorts and polo shirts, but this hasn’t always been the case. A postman walking up the garden path has been a familiar sight for more than 200 years.

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