Graham Boak wrote:
508medway wrote:
Colours aren't restricted to only one part of the armed forces. The RAF have used Dark Sea Grey, Extra Dark Sea Grey and RAF Blue Grey. The RN have used the Sea Greys as deck paint and Wasp helicopters were painted RAF blue grey.
Tanks, ships and aircraft were and are all painted in their own range of paints, tailored by the manufacturers to suit the different materials and environments of land vehicles, ships and aircraft. In WW2 and before all three services had their own distinct range of colours, some of which were to be found in pre-war British Standards, but not many. Colour names were not used in all cases, although they were for all official aircraft paints. The FAA, with the Army's gliders and aircraft, used the same paints as the RAF, but these were not the same as used by the Royal Navy for its ships, or indeed for its vehicles. The system allowed for the same name (for example Dark Green) to be used for different colours, or the same colour to have different names. Although I can't think of a good example of the latter, the standard Army Brown wasn't a long way from RAF Dark Earth.
I'm not aware of the use of Sea Greys, presumably Dark Sea Grey, by the RN as deck paint: presumably this was post WW2? Then the individual service colour systems had been brought into British Standards, with many examples removed. It is pretty certain that from then on the same name meant the same colour - but the paint used on decks would be very different from that used on aircraft.
The paint used for non skid decks would be different but that doesn't mean the colour could not be used. The bronze greens for example have all been in 381 from the beginning.
Re the various service colours.
The following were introduced into BS381C in the year noted with the number noted and notation (Aircraft Series), together with the comment the colour corresponds to the indicated colour in the HMG Aircraft Series. The number before the BS381C colour is the reference number given as the relevant Aircraft Series.
1948
203 693 Aircraft Grey
305 108 Aircraft Blue
306 283 Aircraft Grey Green
1964
4 637 Medium Sea Grey
5 638 Dark Sea Grey
3 639 Light Slate Grey
6 640 Extra Dark Sea Grey
7 641 Dark Green
8 642 Night Black
9A 210 Sky
13 450 Dark Earth
14 636 PRU Blue
Interestingly, two colours which have been in the BS381 colour charts from 1930 are also shown as Aircraft Series.
204 RAF Blue Grey 33/633
304 Office Red 38/538
There was also the camouflage standard BS987C and some of these colours became BS381 colours.
1A 436 Dark Camouflage Brown (1964)
2 499 Service Brown (1948)
10 435 Camouflage Red (1964)
15 298 Olive Drab (1948)
16 437 Very Dark Drab (1964)
Some of the colours we have been mentioning have also been in BS381 from 1930.
20 Olive Green
22 Light Bronze Green
23 Middle Bronze green
24 Deep Bronze Green
632 Dark Admiralty Grey has been a deck colour for years in the RN and RAN who still use the Australian Standard equivalent Pewter. The RAN first listed 632 in 1955 for all vessels replacing the following Admiralty Patterns:
4157 Olive Green
4158 Dark Battleship Grey
4159 Dark Blue Grey
We know 632 used to be 32 Dark Battleship Grey. Is it a coincidence that there is a BS381 colour 220 called Olive Green and 695 called Dark Blue Grey?
Dick has had success finding Stores Records/Rate Books, I wonder if these numbers have cropped up in any of them before or during WW2. I know that 4164 was yellow paint for flight deck markings and 4165 was white paint for the same use.
FYI, The RN used Dark Sea Grey as an alternative for Dark Admiralty Grey. Extra Dark Sea Grey has been the RN deck colour since about 1992. They also use (used?) Medium Sea Grey on Lynx helicopters.
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