Military Tattoos
Time period: 1909 – Present
Professional tattooing was well established in the United States and the United Kingdom by the start of the 20th century and had become a popular art form for members of the armed forces and particularly for sailors around the world. At one point it was documented that 90 per cent of American sailors had tattoos.
For many World War I soldiers there was one thing that helped them bond with fellow comrades and remember their families and loved ones back home – a tattoo. A London cobbler by the name of George Burchett was called upon to give thousands of men tattoos at this time, earning him the moniker the ‘King of Tattooists’. He learnt tattooing when he travelled with the navy and ended up in Japan where he got his first tattoo. He then settled in Jerusalem for a time where he tattooed pilgrims for a while, marketing himself as the only British and hygienic tattooist in the city, which did not go down well with established artists. He returned to London and set up his own cobblers business in Mile End. Word soon got around about his other business and he was inking more tattoos than repairing boots. Burchett appreciated and understood the need for having a powerful tattoo for many during the war years, as it gave strength to them when they needed it the most, reminding them of home, loved ones or simply the spirit they needed to fight on.
In 1909 a recruitment flyer from the US Navy stated that indecent or obscene tattooing was a cause for rejection, and applicants should be given the opportunity to alter the design so that they could enter the navy. When America joined World War II this order led to a boom for tattoo artists as young men looked to alter their tattoos in order to be eligible for enlistment in the US Navy. To this day, heavy restrictions are in place on obscene, racist and drug or gang related tattoos in the US military.
Following the war the popular styles of tattoos for service members changed and this time it was flags, graves and lost loved ones. Designs of military insignia are still hugely popular. It is uncertain when the first military design appeared, but it has its own place in the history of tattoos given its heritage and symbolic meaning.