RAF 1936 Pattern Flying Boots named and dated 1937 size 8.

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Totally original 1936 Pattern Flying Boots in very good condition overall. They show some use, but the soles and heels are totally original and have never been replaced. The fleece inside the right boot is beginning to moult, through this does not detract from the outward appearance, and the left boot is fine. Great Air Ministry marked pullers in both boots, indicating size 8 and a date of 1937. Both are named to G.C.B. Lover. Leather is in excellent shape and soles and heels have plenty of wear left in them. Classic Battle of Britain flying boots getting harder and harder to find.

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ON HOLD

Leather jerkin as worn by RAF ground crews, British Army etc. with 1939 date.

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The ubiquitous leather jerkin worn by all branches of the British military, from WWI and throughout WWII.  It was worn over the uniform or overalls for protection from spills, tool gouges etc. In the RAF, all ground crews, riggers, fitters, mechanics, etc wore them. Dark brown leather is nice and supple, with some scuffing and one small area of damage to the front right hand side (doesn't show when fastened). Brown cotton lining with a clear date stamp of 1939. All buttons present and appear to be original. Nice example, taking into account the one small damaged area. 

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ON HOLD

Extremely rare Luftwaffe Mediterranean summer flying suit "Channel" jacket in outstanding condition.

 

Absolutely fantastic Luftwaffe "Channel" suit jacket in the early Mediterranean pattern: tan cotton cloth with satin lining and all metal zips. Shows no wear and no rust to the metal fittings.  Full length metal ZIPP front zip, RAPID sleeve zips, all in perfect working order; clean PRYM snaps on neck, sleeves and waistband. Leather tabs for attaching oxygen mask. Clear stitch holes where the LW breast eagle was machine sewn in place. Grey satin lining and inner sleeves which retain elasticity. Incredible condition - would be virtually impossible to upgrade. 

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$2,995 / £2,190 / €2,555

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RAF mid-war Irvin jacket in very good condition with a couple of small issues.

 

Very good RAF mid-war Irvin jacket. The sheepskin fleece is in very good, strong condition, retaining all of its coating and the honey-coloured shearling interior is thick and soft. The jacket has one or two issues. The front zip is a replacement. the bnew zip is a Lightning brand, very similar to the wartime type, but  postwar - although I would say it is an old replacement. The left sleeve zip works perfectly. The right sleeve zip is missing its runner. The runner is present but is broken and has come off. With care, a replacement runner could be installed (I can provide a replacement runner at extra cost). There is one very neatly (professionally) done leather patch on the upper right arm, which hardly shows. Other than that, this is a very good Irvin. Never had a collar strap fitted, nor the hooks for attaching it - I believe these were discontinued with later production. No label, but still has its chain hanger. 

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$600 / £435 / €510

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Fantastic painted A-2 jacket "Dotty" with history, 379th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force.

 

Absolutely fabulous  original WWII painted A-2 flying jacket, the former property of Roland Leroy Hess, B-17 pilot with the  379th Bomb Group.  The 379th was stationed at Kimbolton, England and was credited with the highest number of sorties and the most tonnage of bombs dropped, higher on both counts than any other bomb group during World War II. On the front of the jacket is the name of the aircraft "Dotty" (named after Hess's wife Dorothy) and the 8th AF insignia. On the back of this jacket is a painting of Hess's B-17 ("Dotty" on the nose). Surrounding the plane are small bomb bursts with locations of bombing missions. Some of the target names have worn a bit over the years but most are still legible. Red flak bursts indicate hits by antiaircraft fire. The jacket is a size 42, with label intact but slightly worn. Made by Bronco Mfg. of NY. Good working "CROWN" zipper. Knit cuffs and waistband are lightly peppered with moth nips but nothing serious. R. L. HESS is stenciled on the lining. Comes with a two-volume hardback set history of the 379th in which Hess is mentioned. A laminated tag attached to the zip by a leather lanyard contains some history. An absolutely stunning example of a painted A-2 jacket.

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SOLD

AAF Type B-3 Flying Jacket with painted name to front in very good condition.

 

Very good - I would say excellent if it hadn't had a replacement zip installed - B-3 flying jacket as worn by most AAF bomber crews and probably quite a few fighter pilots too. Synonymous with 8th Air Force crews based in England. Also issued to RAF crews flying in B-17s, Hudsons and other lend-lease aircraft. The shearling/leather is in great condition, without the usual problems of dry-rot, it is strong and solid. Nice dark brown finish which has probably been redyed, which was a fairly common practice during the war. Finish is even and shows a little wear which adds to the great character of this jacket. All buckles and fastenings intact. Zip has been replaced but professionally done and difficult to tell except the puller is marked NZ. Original spec label is lacking but leather hanger is still present. Best of all, the name (or nickname) "Swetz" has been painted in yellow aircraft paint to the left breast, giving it a superb personalized touch. A good size jacket in very good condition.

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$1,000 / £730 / €850

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Lovely pair of hand-made WWI Royal Flying Corps flying gauntlets.

 

Undoubtedly privately purchased (as almost all flying clothing was, prior to 1915) and most likely custom made to order, these excellent flying gauntlets are unusually well made, entirely by hand. All sewing is hand-stitched and the quality of the materials is the highest. Fine pigskin leather palms, short pile fleece/sheepskin backs (to allow a good feel for the controls and keep as much warmth in as possible).  Secured with a tightening strap at the wrist with a "Raymond" marked snap/press stud. They appear to be silk lined, again, to provide as much warmth as possible and allow maximum feel of the controls. Smallish size and overall excellent condition with oil staining overall to the leather. Perfect for an early war RFC display.

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$250 / £180 / €215

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WWII RCAF flying boots in great condition and a huge size 12.

 

Excellent pair of Canadian made and issued flying boots. Similar in design to the USAAF A-6  boots, but made to a much higher quality. Leather uppers with fully enclosed rubber shoe section and fleece lined throughout. Front zip fastener by Lightning in good working order. Leather is in very good condition, rubber is totally pliable. These are in a massive size 12! Maker marked on the rubber soles to Miner Rubbers. Show only light use, though there is a name hand inked in red on the tongue of both boots (can't quite make it out). 

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$325 / £235 / €275

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WWI era heavy mittens, possibly RNAS flying use.

 

Heavy, fleece-lined leather mittens with short gauntlets in very dark brown/black leather. Tightening strap to wrist fastens with a UCFC press stud (United Carr Fastener Co.). Being black they may have been used by the RNAS which preferred black leather for their flying kit to the RFC's brown. Since most clothing used for flying was privately purchased anyway, it is impossible to say if these were used for flying or driving - but they are very warm and quite suitable for either. Some wear/damage to the leather on one gauntlet,  but not significant and they display well.

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$60 / £43 / €50

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Luftwaffe Channel trousers in blue suede, complete and in very good condition, 1943 dated.

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Lovely pair of Luftwaffe Channel trousers in blue suede leather with heavy cotton fabric reinforced areas and large bellows pockets for carrying survival equipment when flying over water (hence the name). Overall condition is used but very good. I can find one very tiny hole in the suede, just below the satin waistband (barely shows although I tried to show it in the photos). There is some wear to the cotton on the inside of the pockets but only on one of the multiple layers of cotton fabric. All zips are metal and in very god working order with leather tabs still attached; all buttons present although one of the buttons on the waist is a period field replacement. Leather loops for securing flares and smoke canisters present; flag pocket on leg present, built in holster for flare pistol is good. So often these pockets are removed inner tabs are missing - these are complete. Great label with RB number and issue date of 1943.

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$850 / £610 / €705  email to secure this item

Unknown WWI fur backed leather mittens - possible aviation use.

 

Lovely pair of fur backed leather mittens, possibly seal fur. Old, probably WWI era, not any issue that I recognize but could be aviation use in cold weather conditions. Certainly fill a place in a collection. Priced accordingly.

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$40 / £30 / €35     email to secure this item

Reproduction RAF 1936 Pattern Flying Boots in large size 11UK.

 

Beautifully made pair of modern manufacture 1936 Pattern Flying Boots in a huge size 11 UK (12 US). Perfect to fill a gap or for the re-enactor who has trouble finding the larger sizes. Excellent quality leather and made to a very high standard. Half the price of an original pair and safe to wear.

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$275 / £199 / €230  email to secure this item

1960s USAF Brown Rayon flying glove inserts, identical to WWII issue, size X-Large in superb condition.

 

These extra-large size flying glove inserts are actually Vietnam era, 1960s production which have been marked with the WWII AAF logo on the backs. Apart from the small tags sewn inside each glove, indicating manufacture by Kings Point Mfg. Co. Inc. they are identical to WWII issue. Unissued and as nice as pair as you will find. 

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$40/ £30 / €35  email to secure this item

AAF / USAF Type N-2 Aircrew Mittens.

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Issued for extreme cold weather flying, and no doubt intended for wearing over other warm gloves. Gloves are in superb condition, appear unissued and made from unlined brown leather with moccasin style stitching. Well marked inside with what appears to be a 1949 contract order date. US Air Force white ink stamp on back of both hands. First pair of these I have ever encountered. Interesting item of flying clothing from between WWII and the Korean War, when the AAF was transitioning into the USAF and still using brown leather for a lot of flying kit. 

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$40/ £30 / €35  email to secure this item

WWII US Army issue general purpose OD wool and leather gloves size 8.

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Heavy wool gloves with leather palms. General purpose issue for drivers, mechanics, etc. and undoubtedly also worn by aircrews especially gunners and those in exposed or prone positions. Exellent condition with good woven spec. labels in  both gloves indicating contract no. and size. No damage, light use.

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$50 / £39 / €45   email to secure this item

Korean War USAF Type A-1 / E-1 series flight suit shirt and trousers made of 100% wool. 

 

4-pocket A-1B flight suit "shirt, mens, coat style" in sage wool, size medium and matching E-1B "trousers, flying, inner" size 34 waist with knit cuffs. Jacket has some moth trails (visible in photographs) but no holes except at the edge of the left shirt cuff. Trousers seem to be pretty much moth free, so overall the suit is very good and quite displayable condition. Like a lot of flying clothing from this era, these suits were produced in OD, blue and sage, this being the later version in sage green dating to circa 1953. Generally worn under heavier outer flying clothing such as the B-15 jacket. A nice set.

 

$75 / £58 / €68  email to secure this item