Uniforms Act 1894
The Uniforms Act 1894 is an Act of Parliament to regulate and restrict the wearing of naval and military uniforms in the United Kingdom.
The act
Section 2 of the Act makes it an offence for military uniforms to be worn without authority:Section 3 of the Act provides a higher penalty where the uniform is worn "under such circumstances as to be likely to bring contempt upon that uniform." This section does not allow the exceptions in Section 2 for stage plays etc, and also covers "employ any other person so to wear that uniform or dress".
The act does not include the wearing of honours, medals and decorations.
Definition of naval and military forces
The restrictions concern all:- Royal Navy uniforms – 'naval' uniforms.
- British Army uniforms – 'military' uniforms.
- Royal Air Force uniforms – later included in the 'military' definition.
“Her Majesty's Naval Forces” does not include any Commonwealth force"'.
Consequences
Conviction under Section 2 of the Act is publishable by a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.Conviction under Section 3 is publishable by a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one month:
Arrests, charges and convictions
In 2012, the Ministry of Defence Police arrested one person, in Devon, for wearing a Royal Navy uniform.In 2016, the Metropolitan Police made an arrest for one person "wearing military insignia without authority".
In 2017, one man in Derbyshire was fined £500, after pleading guilty to section 2 of the act and wearing a uniform that he was not authorised to wear.
The Crown Prosecution Service reported that, between 2012–13 and 2017, seven people in England and Wales appeared before magistrates, charged with breaching the act.
In 2026, Jonathan Carley was fined £500 for posing as a Rear Admiral at a Remembrance Sunday event in Llandudno, Wales in 2025.