Full dress clerical Court coat : Chaplain V A S Little, RAN

Clerical Court coat in fine black wool lined with black silk. The single breasted cut away tail coat has a 33 mm high stand collar, and fastens at the breast with a single hook and eye, allowing the top of the coat to open so that the clerical collar and full dress cassock waistcoat can be seen. A row of six silk covered buttons runs down each side of the coat to the waist. Each button is hand covered with silk in a quadrant pattern. A double row of horizontally aligned black silk gimp extends from each button to the centre front of the coat. The cuffs turn back in a diagonal line, 77 mm wide at the inner arm and 130 mm wide at the outer seam. Three silk covered buttons are sewn along the top edge of the turn back with a double row of vertically aligned black silk gimp extending from each button to the lower edge of the cuff. There are artificial pocket flaps set into each side of the waist, also decorated with three black silk buttons and corresponding decorative rows of black gimp. An additional two silk covered buttons are sewn to the centre back waist. The silk lining is partially quilted below the arm holes. The sleeves are lined with fine cream cotton twill striped alternately with blue and brown. A red woven manufacturer's label sewn into the inside back neck reads 'J. Wippel & Co. Ltd/ EXETER 55 & 56 HIGH ST & CATHEDRAL YARD/ LONDON 4 & 5 DUNCANNON ST CHARING CROSS'. A smaller manufacturer's label is sewn inside the breast pocket giving the date '1913' and the wearer's name. There are two small hand written visiting cards inside the pocket reading 'Chaplain V. Agincourt Little'.

Worn by Chaplain Vivian Agincourt Spence Little, RAN. Chaplain Little joined the navy as a chaplain in 1913 and was initially posted to HMAS Encounter. A Methodist, he became the first non-Anglican Protestant chaplain to be appointed to the navy. Chaplain Little travelled to England aboard the Encounter to become part of the complement of the newly commissioned light cruiser HMAS Sydney on her maiden voyage to Australia, and remained with the ship until 1917, when he resigned from the RAN. He was serving with the Sydney during its fight with SMS Emden off the Cocos Keeling Islands on 9 November 1914. Chaplains wore the clerical Court coat with a plain matching wool cloth waistcoat when in mess dress, or with a silk cassock waistcoat when in full or ball dress.