The Cranbrook Blazer

This article was written by Lyndon Goddard (OC 2007) for the Old Cranbrookians' Association and first appeared in the OCA Newsletter, August 2009.

The blazer is undoubtedly the signature element of any school uniform: by its crest, it distinguishes school from school; by its badges and colours, it distinguishes student from student. Far from merely serving as a woolen appendage for a chilly winter’s morning, it instills a sentiment of pride in its wearer. The Cranbrook blazer is, of course, no exception. Although it has existed since the school’s birth, it has undergone radical changes both in its use and in its appearance.

Originally, the blazer was usually worn only to sporting matches, rather than constituting a part of the uniform – previously, the uniform had consisted of a grey jacket and trousers. Indeed, in the early days, there was no compulsory uniform at Cranbrook. In addition to the school blazer, there was also a dedicated Old Cranbrookians’ Association blazer. The existence of both led some creative old boys to mix and match blazers, occasionally adding variously coloured ribbons for extra effect.
 

Such “illegal variations” did not go unnoticed, and in a May 1933 letter to The Cranbrookian, an outraged member of the school community (going by the name ‘Boldboy’) pointed out the important distinction between the two blazers, and lamented the combination of features from both as being “in the worst possible taste”. Needless to say, the editor responded to this grievance with the attention it deserved.
 

It was only in 1985, under the leadership of Dr Bruce Carter, that the blazer became a compulsory part of the school uniform – previously, the uniform had consisted of a grey jacket and trousers. The blazer pockets underwent several subtle changes over the years, beginning with the version (with a red border) that lasted from 1918 until at least 1940.

As can be seen in the first photo above, ‘colours’ (as they were then known, available only for sporting achievements) consisted simply of text denoting the year of the award and the team for which they were awarded. A variation of this crest, used from 1921 until relatively recently, comprised a red shield and blue border with the letters ‘CS’ intertwined in white (see below).
 

The crest on the blazer pocket that was adopted in 1940 (with a navy instead of red border) and used until 1985 was another evolution, followed by an almost identical crest used between 1985 and 2005, when the current crest was adopted as part of a broad redesign of the school’s branding.
 

No doubt the blazer will continue to evolve in the future as different attitudes and tastes influence it, just as has occurred over the past ninety years. A study of the blazer’s history – and, as has been seen, the input of interested old Cranbrookians – at the very least provides a window into the minds of old boys stretching over almost a century.

Special thanks go to Janet Howse for her archival assistance in the preparation of this article.