1945 USCG Auxiliary Uniform Regulations

The uniform as prescribed by the Secretary of the Navy, and in accordance with Section 7-5-4, USCG Auxiliary Instructions, will be as follow:

1. SERVICE DRESS BLUE A:  Blue shore establishment uniform, blue cap, white shirt, white collar, black tie, black socks, black shoes, black belt, and gray gloves (optional).
   
   
2. SERVICE DRESS BLUE B:  Same as Dress Blue A, but with white cap cover.
   
   
3. WORKING UNIFORM A:  Khaki shore establishment uniform, khaki cap cover, khaki shirt, black tie, black shoes with black socks or brown shoes with khaki socks, khaki belt, with khaki garrison cap optional.
   
   
4. WORKING UNIFORM B:  Same as working uniform A, but without the khaki coat.

Buttons - On all Auxiliary uniforms where buttons are required shall be regular Coast Guard buttons as set forth in Coast Guard Specifications “Buttons for Officers Uniforms”.

Devices - Cap Device, Coast Guard Auxiliary, shall consist of the emblem of the Auxiliary.

Collar Device and lapel device for civilian clothing- Collar Device shall consist of the emblem of the Auxiliary and shall be worn as a Lapel Device for civilian clothing and as a Collar Device to be worn on the khaki shirt of the uniform. In the case of officers, this device shall be worn on the left collar while the Insignia of his title shall be worn on the right collar.

Lapel Device for uniform coat and device for garrison- the Lapel Device for uniform coat and garrison cap shall consist of the emblem of the Auxiliary and shall be worn on the outer lapel of the shore establishment uniform coat. When worn on the garrison cap, it shall be worn on the left side front.

Insignia of Grade, Title, Specialty and Department-

The Insignia of Title (not applicable to Communications Department)-for both the blue service uniform coat and the working uniform khaki coat, the Insignia indicating Title shall be mohair braid one-quarter inch or one-half inch in width or combination thereof appropriate to the Title assigned. For the blue coat, the braid shall be black and for the khaki coat it shall be khaki.

For District Commanding Officer and District Executive Officer, three one half in stripes. 

For District Training Officer and Division Commanding Officer, two half inch and one ¼ inch stripe.

For Division Executive Officer, Division Training Officer, and other Division Staff Officers-also Flotilla Commanding Officers, Executive officer, and training Officer, if Unit has over 100 members, two one-half inch stripes.

One one-half inch and one ¼ inch stripe for Flotilla Commanding Officer, Executive Officer and Training Officer for Unit which has more than 50 but less than 100 members-also other Staff Officers of Units having more than 100 members.

One one-half inch stripe for Flotilla Commanding Officer, Executive Officers and Training Officers if the Unit has less than 50 members- also other Staff Officers of Units having between 50 and 100 members.

The Insignia of Title is in addition to the Insignia of Grade. The former may be worn only during tenure of office while the Insignia of Grade awarded shall be on the uniform at all times.

On the collar of the khaki shirt shall be worn the following:

On the left collar-The Auxiliary Collar Device. 

On the right collar-The bar or other device indicating office held, and shall be the same as designated in the regular Service for officers having the corresponding stripes.

Insignia of Grade (not applicable to Communications Department)-The Insignia of Grade to be worn on all outer garments, excepting overcoat raincoat, shall consist of embroidered stripes 1 ½” long and 3/16” in width. One stripe shall be worn to indicate Grade 1, two stripes for Grade 2, three stripes for Grade 3 and four stripes for Grade 4. On the blue uniform, it shall be embroidered in royal blue on material the same color as the uniform and it shall be embroidered on the khaki uniform in light olive drab on khaki material

The Insignia of Grade shall be worn on the left sleeve between the elbow and the shoulder and wholly above the elbow with the Specialty Mark centered directly above it.

On the collar of the khaki shirt for members other than officers, the Auxiliary Collar Device shall be worn on both sides.

Auxiliary Insignia (Communications Department only)- on both the blue service coat and the working uniform khaki coat, no device except the departmental insignia. The wearing of the Coast Guard shield is not permitted. On the left collar of the khaki shirt, the Auxiliary Collar Device. On the right collar, a gold plated departmental ”sparks” emblem shall be worn.

Auxiliary Shoulder Patch - for the blue service coat, the overcoat-raincoat, and any other blue outer garment the words “USCG AUXILIARY” worked in royal blue on material of the same shade as the coat shall be worn on the left shoulder. The letters shall be ¼” in height and shall be curved to fit the shoulder seam of the coat. For the working uniform khaki coat, the khaki shirt, and any other khaki outer garment, the words “USCG AUXILIARY” shall be embroidered in light olive drab on khaki material. The letters shall be ¼” in height and curved to fit the shoulder seam of the khaki coat and shirt.

Specialty Mark (not applicable to Communications Department)- the specialty mark shall be worked in the same color thread and on the same color background as the Insignia of Grade which it is worn.

Service Marks - the service marks shall consist of embroidery 3/16” in width and 2” in length, shall be worn on the right arm centered between the elbow and the lower end of the sleeve. Stripes to be at an angle of 45 degrees in relation to the sleeve, the lower end pointing toward the body. Marks to be worn on the blue uniform shall be of royal blue worked on material the same shade as the uniform. Those to be worn on the khaki uniform coat shall be of light olive drab on khaki material.

One service mark shall be worn for each three years of active membership in the Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Departmental Insignia (Communications Department only)-Other than the Collar Device, the insignia authorized for wear by members of the Communications Department shall be made of gold embroidery. Collar insignia shall be of gold-plated metal. The design shall consist of four zig-zag rays of lightning. It shall be worn between the elbow and the shoulder of the left sleeve. A black embroidered insignia shall be worn with the working uniform khaki coat. On the blue service dress coat, the insignia shall be gold embroidery.

Copied from Topside Magazine Vol 3   No. 10  October 1945

U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Uniforms from 1940s to 1990s

Uniform TR's Blue and Khaki 1941 (click here for more info) All Coast Guardsmen who, on 31 October: 1941, were authorized to wear the surfman uniform shall provide themselves and wear the articles of uniform as shown in the third column of the table in Article 5-53, This included the USCG Temporary Reservists.
Uniform Dress Khaki 1950 (click here for more info) Based on the US Navy Working Uniform Navy Uniform Reg 1941.  US Coast Guard Auxiliary Manual CG-305 June 1955. This uniform belonged to Horace Griffith who was a Gunners Mate 1Class in the USCGR (T) from 10/5/1943 through 10/4/1946. He then Reverted back to the USCG Auxiliary and wore this Uniform. Known as Dress Khaki. The insignia on the right sleeve designates his office as a Division Staff Officer.
Uniform Service Dress Blue 1960s (click here for more info) This uniform was authorized for the USCG Auxiliary from the late 1940’s up to being replaced by the “Bender Blues” Service Dress Blue in 1975. During this period, it was subject to several changes based on changes with USCG Auxiliary insignia. The Service Dress Blue Uniform depicted in the photographs folder represent the uniform of a “Past” District Staff Officer following the 1968 insignia changes. Note the Past Officer shield with Red A on both sleeves. Silver lace sewn half way around the sleeve.
Uniform Service Dress Khaki 1969 (click here for more info) Basically, the Service Dress Khaki uniform was utilized for the Auxiliary from approximately 1944 to 1980. In 1975, the “Bender Blues” Service Dress Blue uniform replaced it however the Auxiliary was permitted a changeover period that ended on 1 January 1981. Over nearly 30 plus years, the uniform had several changes take place. Most notably was the change of the Auxiliary Office insignia sewn on the right sleeve to the use of shoulder boards and silver buttons occurring in 1968. The uniform photographed reflects the changes of 1968.
Uniform Bender Blues 1978 (click here for more info) Auxiliary uniforms are similar to those worn by Coast Guard officers but are distinguished by silver braid and buttons in lieu of gold braid and buttons, and distinctive emblems, insignia, and ribbons. The Commandant authorized Auxiliarists to buy uniform and insignia items in all Coast Guard Exchanges and other Coast Guard outlets. Many Auxiliary uniform accessories are available through the Auxiliary National Store.
Uniform Working Blue 1990s (click here for more info) The Working Blue uniform consisted of the Coast Guard ("CG") blue cotton/poly work pants, and the short-sleeved CG (dark) blue shirt without epaulets. Initially members could wear pin on collar and name tag. This was later changed to sewn collar devices along with sewn embroidered cloth name tape and "USCG AUXILIARY” tape over each pocket. The black USCG Auxiliary baseball cap with a collar device insignia was worn along with a black web belt and silver buckle. Only V-neck white undershirts were worn with this uniform. Boat shoes, or black military style boots were usually worn with this uniform. Some Coxswains prefer boat shoes to protect their boat's deck from excessive wear.