Maybe I misunderstand, but I think I would wear the armband under something else- not so much a signifier to strangers, who have nothing to do with you or your life, but a private signifier and reminder to yourself. If you ever see photos of Marines acting as pallbearers or ceremonial marchers at Arlington, they are wearing the bands on their left arms, it often covers their chevrons. But even in Ireland, where their wearing is understood, it is likely that if you wore one in public people would offer their sympathies and / or enquire what happened.

Though some here believe they have greater knowledge into the psyche of others as to how they should accept the inevitable and mourn. They would not cause you to be 'left alone' and to be honest I'm not sure that during periods of visible mourning this has ever been the effect of these armbands - at least here. Change country: -Select- Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Republic Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Islands Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Cook Islands Costa Rica Cyprus Czech Republic Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia Gabon Republic Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Namibia Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Republic of Croatia Republic of the Congo Reunion Romania Rwanda Saint Helena Saint Kitts-Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines San Marino Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands South Africa South Korea Spain Sri Lanka Suriname Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican City State Venezuela Vietnam Virgin Islands (U.We retain the right to not print any material that we feel is not suitable or breaks copyright law or licensing rules. The necessities of business and professional affairs, which make withdrawal into seclusion impossible, have also made it entirely correct for a man to go into mourning by the simple expedient of putting a black band on his hat and on the left sleeve of his clothes. If it is and anyone is familiar with this please let me know where to obtain one, or what it should look like so I can have it made. I've seen Royal Marines at mil funerals and they black out the second from the top button of the jacket with black cloth but again, no armband.

Widowers--especially if they are elderly--often go into black clothes, and wear very dark gray mixtures, with a deep band on the hat, and of course black accessories.

Black armbands are so rare in our society that your armband, rather than causing people to leave you alone, could have the opposite effect--it could actually motivate people to talk to you who otherwise wouldn't do so. I don't think you'll ever find out, because I don't think it was ever a uniform thing in all parts of the United States. My mother, when she was informed of the death of her mother at lunchtime, didn't even leave her job but put in a full day's work. I've seen plenty of black four in hand ties worn (mostly, but not exclusively, at funerals) to much the same end. Keep in mind that anyone can view public collections - they may also appear in recommendations and other places.