WWII Aviation Scarves (RAF, USAAF, etc.)

[Absinthe_1900]

Does any make a copy of the RAF style polka dot scarf (Navy blue and white I believe) like Douglas Bader wore?

[/IMG]

 

[svejkjosef]

Standard issue?

I don't know whether these scarfs were standard issue with the RAF, or that each pilot chose his own. I believe German Paratroopers wore blue polka dot scarfs. In Memphis Belle one of the crewmembers is wearing a red polka dot scarf. I use a blue polka dot scarf I bought at Fiorucci 20 years ago.

Cheers,

 

[BellyTank]

Ask BT...

They were a fashionable accessory for Gentlemen from Britain and Germany alike at around that time.

A private purchase item-

Here you go-
http://www.bitterrootbitandspur.com/wildrags.html

...now you can purchase one privately

B
T

 

[Zemke Fan]

I gotta have one of these...

Here you go-
http://www.bitterrootbitandspur.com/wildrags.html

...now you can purchase one privately

B
T

Thanks for the link on this, BT. Great item at a cheap price ($15.95 + s/h)

ZF

 

[BellyTank]

You're welcome-

I'm liking the Leyendecker avatar Zemke-

B
T

 

[Absinthe_1900]

Thanks!, I'll check that one out.

 

[Zemke Fan]

J. Peterman "RAF" scarf...

J. Peterman also makes a repro of the Bader RAF scarf. It's $89.00 and has been discussed on other threads.

 

[BellyTank]

This (Tootal) one on eBay(ended) went for a staggering ?Ǭ£55!!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=8372243075&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT

Holy something!

B
T

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Been looking for one for a while.

I'll be purchasing some of the ones listed above. $15? I'm there ...

bk

 

[Absinthe_1900]

The $15.00 ones are a good bit shorter than a standard aviator scarf.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

That's fine. At 34" square i can make a good neckerchief out of it. That's what i've been looking for ... Suave and Sophisticated, here i come.

bk

 

[Absinthe_1900]

You could have an alteration shop split the square in half, and sew the half's lengthwise together to make a scarf out of it.

 

[Mike K.]

Just about every photo of a WWII pilot shows him (her for the WASPS) with the trademark white scarf. From my homework on the topic, the scarf was not simply for fashion, it was an important piece of flying kit worn to protect the neck from chafing against leather gear. There are many reproduction silk scarves currently on the market and I own one embroidered with an AAF logo (authentic or not, I have no clue). I have two questions for all you FL flyboys & flygirls...

1. Was the scarf a piece of issue gear to AAF and USN pilots? There's no mention in Maguire's book on flying gear (don't know about the Pinks & Greens book).

2. What fabric was the scarf made from? I always hear silk was the material but in photos of the original scarves they appear more substantial than today's reproductions. Perhaps the silk was just thicker.

Any educational feedback would be greatly appreciated!
Cheers,
Mike

 

[scotrace]

Great Question

My new A2 needs a scarf: which one?

Looking forward to some expert advice on all these questions!

 

[Hemingway Jones]

My new A2 needs a scarf: which one?

Looking forward to some expert advice on all these questions!

Some of the inexpensive ones from the reproduction companies are single-ply flimsy cheap silk. I cannot imagine they are accurate to the originals; they are so unsubstantial. Peterman had that polka-dot one a few months back. Look for it, you know where.

 

[PADDY]

Fly-boy scarves of wwII...

Mike, have a look here in a previous thread (and there maybe others, so try using the search engine above, as there are some cracking threads out there!):

I'm not really into the AAF look of the white scarf, just doesn't do it for me. But the RAF craze amongst Fighter Pilots for weird and wonderful silk and rayon scarves, does appeal to me. And remember, those young Yanks/Rebs from the US who flew with the RAF Eagle Sqns before FDR entered the war, often carried their RAF traditions with them into the USAAF when they were made to exchange blues for greens (and the Brit scarf traditions went with them).

RAF SCARVES OF WW2 AND WHERE TO GET ONE...

Hope that helps. They were used to stop the wool jumpers/jerseys and tunics chaffing the necks of fighter pilots as they needed the dexterity and freedom of movement to check behind and above them in case the Enemy swooped in for the kill. But boys being boys, they used different coloured scarves and essentially flaunted them as a trendy, cool looking accessory when off base and checking out the gals.

 

[Mike K.]

That's exactly what I was thinking Hemingway. The scarf I have now is one that was purchased sometime back in the 80s. It's single ply, fine silk...definitely not very substantial. It doesn't hold its shape when worn with my A-2. Instead, it tends to bunch up into a thin diameter rope-like mess. I was thinking of perhaps getting some heavier weight silk or Egyptian cotton and making my own. I suspect Paddy and the other flyboys are all at Duxford for the air show, but I'd love to get their expert advice on the originals.

 

[Mike K.]

Thanks Paddy!!

Looks like you just beat me to the latest post. I'll definitely check out the link you provided. I'd be more than interested in some of the fine RAF gear. I'm trying to make my flying kit a mix of AAF and RAF to emulate the Eagle Squadrons/4th Fighter Group. Thanks for the tips!!

 

[Baggers]

The J. Peterman polka dot scarf is a wool and silk blend. The material is also a good weight, not flimsy at all. My only gripe with it is that it is huge. At almost six feet long and 20 inches wide, it's overkill. I doubled mine over four times to make it a decent width to put around my neck and it was too thick to wear comfortably with any of my jackets. And with the length, it falls well below my waist down to my thighs, making me have to wad it up under the front of whichever jacket I'm wearing at the time. Just waaay too much scarf to deal with in my opinion.

However, there were some links posted in this thread that proved very useful. I bought two pure silk polka dot scarves from Drover's Mercantile that are only 36 inches square, and are the perfect size for me to wear depending on which way I fold them. Best of all, they were less than 15 bucks each.

Cheers!

 

[Alan Eardley]

RAF scarves

Sorry guys, none of the scarves shown on the links are anything like the scarves worn by RAF crew in WW2. Most of those shown are square and are single ply (you could, of course, use the fabric to make a 'proper' scarf). The actual items were usually made by Tootal (although later ones were made by Sammy and Duggie) and are elongated (rather than square) and usually have a silk side (for apprearance) and a wool side (for warmth) alough some are double-ply silk. The silk (later ones used a Rayon mix) is very substantial - the sort of silk used for jacket linings would be the best comparison - and is nothing like the silk used in a typical modern silk scarf. The typical patterns seen in WW2 photographs are university or school stripes (often seen in the Battle of Britain era), Paisley pattern or small polka-dots. Similar scarves were produced by the same companies well into the sixties and appear often in thrift shops an on a certain auction site today, but for an example by Tootal you will almost certainly be bidding against lots of Lambretta riders, who also covet them for the Mod sixties look.

White scarves worn in WW2 were usually opera scarves. Also made of substantial silk with a seamed, double sided construction (and often tassels or fringes at the ends). Again, nothing like the reproductions sold by we-know-who...

Alan