The RAF Battle of Britain Fighter Pilots' Kitbag by Mark Hillier

Author:Mark Hillier
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: HISTORY / Military / World War II
ISBN: 9781473850002
Publisher: Frontline Books
Published: 2018-03-30T04:00:00+00:00

WAISTCOAT, LIFESAVING, STOLE PATTERN, TEMPERATE

Stores Reference: 22C/55

This item was introduced in 1932 and was therefore referred to as the 1932 Pattern life-preserver. This was the main type used throughout the Battle of Britain. It was not equipped with any automatic inflation devices and instead aircrew had to inflate it by tube. These were known by another name, as Wing Commander Bob Foster once recalled: ‘It was quite pleasant to sit out in the gardens in deck or other easy chairs while on readiness, our Mae Wests (buoyancy aids!) on.’17 The nickname originated because someone wearing the inflated life-preserver often appeared to be as largebreasted as the American actress and singer Mary Jane ‘Mae’ West.

Aircrew were encouraged to fly with their ‘Mae West’ partially inflated, as well as a number of additional Kapok pads fitted, so that they had some initial buoyancy once in water. The issue colour was either a dark beige khaki or grey/green cotton, which, as mentioned, did little to assist with location in the murky waters of the Channel.

The ‘Mae West’ was basically a double thickness cotton waistcoat with three buttons at the front and webbing tapes which passed around the body and tied at the chest and waist. Later, in the Battle of Britain, some pilots were issued a pack of fluorescence, a greenish yellow dye in powdered form, to sew to their life jacket so that a pilot floating in the sea would leave a vivid stain on the surface of the water, though it is not clear if this was then standard issue or still an experimental item.

Many pilots and aircrew had their life-preservers spray-painted with chrome yellow aircraft paint in an effort to improve their visibility. This was recalled by Flight Lieutenant Jimmy Corbin DFC, who had to paint his life jacket the day he arrived on his first squadron during the Battle of Britain:

‘We left the dispersal hut and collected our own inflatable life jackets. These were primitive affairs worn over the chest. They were covered in stout canvas and blown up by mouth and we spent the rest of the day painting them with yellow dope to make us more conspicuous should we bale out and end up the sea. Unbeknown to us the yellow dope made them highly flammable.’18

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