The National Uniform Dress

Until about 1972 all hospitals had their own style of uniform, mostly the traditional dress and starched apron. In the early 70s, the Dept of Health decided to go for a corporate look for all NHS nurses.

The dress came in 4 colors.

• Dark blue for Sisters
• White for Staff Nurses
• Light Blue for Student Nurses
• Stone for Auxiliaries

It turned out that the dark blue was never used because Sisters insisted on wearing a proper uniform! The light blue was found everywhere worn by both students and qualified staff, white was only ever found in a very few hospitals and the stone colour was issued to just about all auxiliaries.

Links

• Article on the national uniform
• Example of the white version of the national
• Another example of the white national

Image gallery

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  Nationals, UK 1980s.
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  UK 1980s
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  White 'Nationals', UK 1980s
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  White Nationals, 1980s
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  Belfast, 1982. Unusual uniform, looks like a National with detatchable collar.
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  'Nationals' at Newmarket, UK 1985. From Sarah.
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  Stone version of the 'National' in the Nursing Times, UK 1988.
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  Two 1988 pics from Mary, showing a Private Sector nurse and the plain version of the National.
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  Three views of the 'National' from 1988. Sent in by Mary
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  Three views of the 'National' from 1988. Sent in by Mary
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  Three views of the 'National' from 1988. Sent in by Mary
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  The 'National' as worn in 1989. Those that wore it often referred to it as 'The J-Cloth Uniform'.
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  Four views of the National , 1988/89. From Mary.
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  Four views of the National , 1988/89. From Mary.
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  Four views of the National , 1988/89. From Mary.
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  Four views of the National , 1988/89. From Mary.
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  National, UK 1990s.
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  Nurse with stone version of the National from Nursing Times, UK 1990s.
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  Another view of the National, from Sarah.
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  Another version of the National.
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  This nurse was still wearing the 'National' when she retired in the mid-1990s
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  This nurse was still wearing the 'National' when she retired in the mid-1990s
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  The National uniform, UK early 1990s.
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  The National, UK early 1990s.
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  Plain 'National', 1990s, UK.
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  Student Nurse in the 'National' uniform, 1990, UK.
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  The 'National' uniform, UK 1990s
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  The National, UK 1990s.
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  The 'National' uniform, UK 1990s
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  The 'National', UK 1990s.
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  Student Nurse, UK 1992
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  The 'National', from a Labour Party leaflet, 2001
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  A plain 'National'. UK 2003.
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  The National, UK 1990s.

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