THE CLARET AND BLUE

 

The story of West Ham’s kits begins in 1895, when the club was founded, as Thames Ironworks FC, a works' team for Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Co, based in the East End of London.

Thames Ironworks F.C. was founded by Dave Thomas and Arnold Hills in 1895 as the works team of the "Works", which was located in Limmo Peninsular in East London. Taylor was a foreman with the company and a local football referee. Thanks to Ironworks owner Arnold Hills' financial backing, he was able to announce on 29th June 1895 the following in the company's weekly journal:

"Mr. Taylor, who is working in the shipbuilding department, has undertaken to get up a football club for next winter and I learn that quiots and bowls will also be added to the attractions." – Thames Iron Works Gazette

Thames Ironworks’ first played in an all navy kit, before a Union jack badge was introduced to the kit the following year. The first distinct change came in 1897, when the East London club opted for a classic shade of blue, accompanied by white shorts and red socks.

In 1900, Thames Ironworks FC disbanded and relaunched as West Ham United, sporting a light blue shirt, with white shorts and a claret strip along the sides.

The original colours of the team were dark blue, due to Thames Ironworks chairman Arnold Hills being a former student of Oxford University. However the team used a variety of kits including the claret and sky blue house colours of Thames Ironworks, as well as sky blue or white kit.

The Irons permanently adopted claret and blue for home colours in the summer of 1899. Thames Ironworks right-half Charlie Dove received the Aston Villa kit from his father William Dove, who was a professional sprinter of national repute, as well as being involved with the coaching at Thames Ironworks. Bill Dove had been at a fair in Birmingham, close to Villa Park, the home ground of Aston Villa and was challenged to a race against four Villa players, who wagered money that one of them would win. Aston Villa were the first to wear claret and sky blue. Bill Dove defeated them and, when they were unable to pay the bet, one of the Villa players who was responsible for washing the team's kit offered a complete team's 'football kits' to Dove in payment. The Aston Villa player subsequently reported to his club that the kit was 'missing'. This however, is often disputed. 

The predecessors of Thames Ironworks, Old Castle Swifts FC, played in pale blue shirts, white shorts and claret socks as early as 1892, around the same time Aston Villa played in said same colours. Below the club in 1896.

Thames Ironworks, and later West Ham United, retained the claret yoke/blue sleeves design, but also continued to use their previously favoured colours for their away kits. Indeed, in recent years the club has committed to a dark blue-white-sky blue rotation for the away colours.

Burnley FC simply adopted the colours from the then League Champions, Aston Villa in 1910.