Description
Physical description
One-piece step-in style flying suit of khaki cotton twill, featuring a wide turn-down collar with a thick fur facing. The collar can be worn up and secured across the throat by means of a flap stitched to the left of the collar that has two buttonholes (the upper for buttoning it back when not and use, the lower for buttoning it across the neck) and a strap which fastens to a two-pronged metal buckle fitted to the opposite side. The suit is closed across the torso by a large semi-angled flap that fastens to five buttons fitted at a slight angle down the right side of the suit from shoulder to waist, with a central button fly below. Stitched to the front of the torso flap at a slight angle is a large open patch pocket, accessible through its right side, with an open-topped patch pocket to the front of either thigh-knee. The arm cuffs are fitted with a single buttonhole and two buttons to adjust, while the ankle cuffs have front openings that can be closed by two buttons and an extra buttonhole to the side for adjustment. At the rear of the suit is a half-belt-style waist adjustment strap with a sliding metal buckle. Internally, the suit is fully-lined in an olive-coloured mohair.
Label
The 'Sidcot' flying suit was invented in late 1916 by Sidney Cotton, an Australian Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) pilot serving with No. 8 Squadron RNAS. Having inadvertently discovered the insulating properties of his oil-stained working overalls while wearing them on a sortie, Cotton designed a multi-layered one-piece suit that retained body heat at high altitudes while also being lightweight enough so as not to be overly cumbersome in the cockpit. Constructed of a tightly-woven cotton twill exterior for windproofing, it had a thin inner lining of mohair and a thick fur-faced collar, as well as a middle layer of rubberised cotton muslin. Cotton commissioned J Evans of the clothier Robinson & Cleaver Ltd, London to produce his design and by March 1917 the patented 'Sidcot' (for the first three letters of his first and last names) flying suit was available on a commercial basis, with the War Office formally adopting it on 10 December 1917 as Sealed Pattern 9686.
Inscription
RACABAL SUIT
SIDCOT AVIATION
(MADE IN LONDON)
Reg. Trade Mark 380639
ROBINSON & CLEAVER, Ltd., London.