Australian Dress Register

This British Royal Navy Officer's boat cloak dates from c.1900-1939. It is made from fine, worsted, British wool, is hip length and has seams at the sides. We know that the garment was not Australian, as the word 'AUSTRALIA' would be printed on the lower edge of the buttons if that were the case. Boat cloaks were an optional item of dress for navy personnel, worn mainly over full dress, ball dress or mess dress for additional warmth when travelling in an open ship's boat/gig/barge, either between ships or to a function on shore. A gabardine waterproof cloak of similar pattern was worn when it was wet. Boat cloaks were also, according to some, a handy item to put around the shoulders of one's girlfriend when escorting her home after a dance.

This boat cloak belonged to Leonard Edgar Forsythe, who established a naval training facility for boys at Snapper Island, in Sydney Harbour in 1931. Forsythe was responsible for transforming what was once a rocky outcrop into a flat island in the shape of a ship. This metamorphosis was achieved by means of blasting the rock from the top and using the excess stone to sculpt sea walls. The labour was voluntary and performed by the cadets on weekends and holidays.

Over 2,200 youths between the ages of 15 and 18 were trained in naval skills that included sailing, rowing, boat maintenance, signalling, rope work and radio operations. The operation was so successful that over 700 cadets went on to join the navy. The facility was well resourced and boasted a fleet of nine boats, including two motor launches. It also functioned as a monument to HMAS Sydney, which had been decommissioned in 1928 and was broken up on Cockatoo Island in 1932. Forsythe bought many parts of the ship and put them to use in the training depot.      

Forsythe's boat cloak was on display at Snapper Island Training Depot Museum from about 1952, then it was given to the Goulburn War Memorial Museum in 2008. The cloak is of historical significance, as it provides insight into the bold actions of a passionate individual who transformed the physical shape of the smallest island in Sydney Harbour and who influenced the lives of thousands of youths in the inter-war and post World War II periods.     

 

Author: Carol Olsen, 19 June 2014.

This navy coloured, wool British Naval Cloak is hip length and has two side seams, no back seam. It is made from very fine worsted wool. Machine made, plain weave, machine stitched to a point but the hem is hand stitched. It probably had lining attached and has been removed perhaps because of deterioration.

The cloak has a fall collar with fasteners (two toggles and a chain, early 1900's). The toggles are lions heads, from left over right fastening. It fastens with four naval buttons with a crown at top, anchor at bottom, stripe in the centre with cord around the edge. Shaped over the shoulders, with a seam down the side.