Don Gentile's Sheepskin

[scotrace]

For Paddy:
( and more Here:http://homepage.mac.com/scotrace/WPAFB/PhotoAlbum56.html )
Not sure if you've seen this jacket, but I'm just back from the Air Force Museum in Dayton and thought you'd like these, if you haven't seen them already:

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Cool.

I've got to get out there!

 

[Jake]

Thanks for sharing the photos of your trip, I really enjoyed them. I to need to take a tour.....Jake.

 

[PADDY]

Gentile's beautiful Irvin jacket

What a lovely jacket Scot and belonging to Don S Gentile, just makes it super special. Don trained on Spitfires before the USA entered the war (officially!) about 5 mins drive from me at RAF Eshott. After his conversion training onto the Spit, he was deployed to an operational squadron in the south of England with one of the American RAF Eagle Sqns (you probably know all this!), hence the RAF Irvin jacket being worn by an American pilot.

I've been badgering the club at Eshott to recognise it's RAF heritage from wartime, as there's not even a plaque up to say what it once was. Mostly microlights fly out of there now. No one seems interested in it's heritage!! sound familiar?

 

[Baggers]

I've been badgering the club at Eshott to recognise it's RAF heritage from wartime, as there's not even a plaque up to say what it once was. Mostly microlights fly out of there now. No one seems interested in it's heritage!! sound familiar?

[SARCASM]"Ah, that was a long time ago. And do you really want to recognize the fact that this place was once used to train people to kill other human beings? I don't think that's the kind of person that we we should be honoring. Besides, aren't there enough memorials to rich white men already?"[/SARCASM]

(With thanks to the University of Washington's minutes of a recent student senate meeting during which they voted down the creation of an on-campus memorial to "Pappy" Boyington USMC, U of W Class of 1934.

Cheers!

 

[PADDY]

Got to love the Irvin...

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y109/Paddy_Middleton/EastmanIrvin010.jpg

Not disimilar to Don's. Go on boys, you know you want one!!

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

I almost got one,....

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y109/Paddy_Middleton/EastmanIrvin010.jpg

Not disimilar to Don's. Go on boys, you know you want one!!

a while ago on ebay. I should have bid more on it knowing now how the ladies like to cuddle with them!

 

[Baggers]

a while ago on ebay. I should have bid more on it knowing now how the ladies like to cuddle with them!

Well, I've got an Aviation Leathercraft Irvin (not the most authentic, I know) that's marked as a 42 (but is too snug on me so would really better fit a 40) that I'm thinking of selling, what size are you?

Cheers!

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Alas,......

.....I wear a 44, no less, no more. Thanks for the offer though Baggers. :cheers1:

 

[Baggers]

No problem,

Always willing to help a fellow lounger out. Since I got my Aero mid weight sheepskin that actually fits, I've been thinking about clearing the space in my closet. Maybe one of these days I'll get around to putting it on the 'Bay.

Cheers!

 

[Alan Eardley]

Don Gentile's Irvin

Interesting. It looks like a DGL to me. Whatever the maker, the jacket isn't displayed in a way that makes ID of the year very easy, but that looks like the sort of construction that was usual for the later war period (e.g. 1942-43). How would this fit in with Gentile's service with the RAF?

 

[PADDY]

Gentile's Irvin (dating it)

Interesting. It looks like a DGL to me. Whatever the maker, the jacket isn't displayed in a way that makes ID of the year very easy, but that looks like the sort of construction that was usual for the later war period (e.g. 1942-43). How would this fit in with Gentile's service with the RAF?

I stand to be corrected here Alan, but I understand that Gentile got his RAF wings and was commissioned as a Pilot Officer on Nov 11, 1941 (US declared war in December of that year).
He was with his RAF Eagle Sqn until the end of Sept 1942, when those American/RAF sqns were absorbed into the USAAF (His at Debden). So that early to mid war model of Irvin (with the 4 panel config) would fit that period I guess. Still, I could have got it all wrong!!

 

[PADDY]

Aviation Leathercraft Irvins get so much flak!! but there is a silver lining!

Well, I've got an Aviation Leathercraft Irvin (not the most authentic, I know) that's marked as a 42 (but is too snug on me so would really better fit a 40) that I'm thinking of selling, what size are you?
Cheers!

Personally, I think it's unfair flak. But I can see where it stems from, as in our enthusiasm for getting the ultimate repro jacket, we can be guilty of snobbery (myself being one of them!!). AL have purchased the famous IRVIN name, so you'd expect them to honour that with the most authentic jacket on the market. Plus they charge a premium price tag, so often many would be fooled into thinking that they are getting the best Irvin repro on the market. And then get disappointed when they discover that it's not spot on and uses old YKK zippers!

But personally, I think there is a silver lining in this Irvin cloud!! They aren't great value when buying them new. But, (and there's a tactical game to play here...) because their second hand value plummets (I was offered one the other day for just over ?Ǭ£100!), they actually become GREAT VALUE for money. Plus, I don't think they are too far off the mark and if you really want to, then get those YKK zips changed at some point, maybe a NOS Dot zip or Lightning in the sleeves and main front. So, I myself, wouldn't knock them when getting one for next to nothing (but not the pre-sueded please! or ones with pockets, go for the classic sheepskin, without the pockets).

 

[Alan Eardley]

Gentile's Irvin

Paddy,

Thank you - that concurs with his early service career as I understand it. I would place that 'Irvin' (I would LOVE to know if it's by DGL) at 1942.

 

[scotrace]

Sure tried

I knew you gentlemen would want to know "who made that jacket?" So i tried to get a look at the label. It was obscured by the way it was displayed and the sheep wool surrounding it. A better trained eye could probably pick out the maker just from the details, but not I.

 

[Twitch]