Great Britain, Kingdom. A Royal Air Force Irvin Flying Jacket, c.1941

A rarely enclountered example of an unaltered and all-original Royal Air Force Irvin flying jacket, stemming from Leslie Irvin’s first contract with the R.A.F. The jacket is constructed of multiple panels of thick and hard-wearing sheepskin, with leather welted seams, a honey-coloured woolen fur interior, and tanned chocolate-brown exterior. It features a multi-panel collar that has the ability to be flipped up and closed in the front using a leather throat latch and double-O rings, with the addition of an intact black elastic strap towards the neck that is attached to the jacket via butterfly pins for a skin-tight fit. The front is secured shut via a durable 50 cm long bronze zipper, featuring an interior weather flap for additional protection against high-speed winds. The sleeves feature a 24 cm long slit, each secured shut via a matching bronze sipper with an equally durable zipper consisting of a slider and strong metal teeth. In each armpit is a triangular downward-pointing patch with eight bronze rivets for air ventilation, denoting that this is a first-contract Irvin jacket, since the second contract for Irvin jackets featured nine breather vents. The waist features a broad leather belt, threaded through two belt loops, and secured shut using a standard single-hole belt buckle meeting reinforced holes. The interior is completely fur-lined, without pockets, featuring a chained hanging loop, with a sewn-on patch reading “A.M. No. H539783/41/35/MIJ/01(d)”, “Size 4”, as well as “Height - 5’6 to 5’9, Chest - 36 to 38, Waist 32 to 34, as well as “Delivery Date - 1941”. It was also named on the bottom section of the label, but illegible. It measures 50 cm across the shoulders, with a sleeve length of 64 cm, and an overall length of 67 cm. A well-loved and worn example, with two small areas of field repairs, the polyacrylate coating worn off completely in the exterior side, in overall better than very fine condition.