 Air force rumour later had it that the "air force blue" colour of the postwar uniform had been that of a textile produced in quantity to clothe Russian soldiers during the First World War, and not yet exported when the Russian revolution of 1917 closed that market.A visible distinction between the RAF and the other military services was that all ranks wore a starched collar and tie.Up to 1918, only Officers of the British Army and Royal Navy wore neck-ties; and Officers of all services bought their uniforms from military tailors, while other servicemen were issued clothing from government stocks.