Father John Meagher introduced the uniform in 1937. Prior to that time boys had a best suit and play clothes. In the 1890s the wearing of a straw boater with a plain black hatband was optional.
With the adoption of the college arms in 1906 the hatband was decorated with a metal badge. Later, an embroidered badge was worked into the hatband. During the 1920s ten-gallon hats replaced the straw boater, the hatband simply being transferred to them.In 1932, as the move towards uniform clothing gathered pace, rules for the wearing of special blazers, sweaters and caps were formulated. It was finally announced that wearing the school uniform would be compulsory from the beginning of 1937 and it was declared that jackets had to be worn in class with collar and tie neatly arranged. The straw boater remained regulation headgear until the 1970s.
