Air mail jacket from Henry Ford Museum

Went to the Henry Ford Museum yesterday with my wife and son (at 2 he LOVED the giant trains, kept pushing the whistle button) However I encountered an airmail Coat that was really impressive. It appeared to be somewhat uniform as there were photos of more than one pilot wearing it. I was able to take one photo of the coat. We had no more memory for the digital camera and it is not a great photo but perhaps those of you who have visited the museum remember the coat and can help with identifying it.

What a great jacket! I want one...

Warbaby said:

What a great jacket! I want one...

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I second that!

Is it? Canvass? Leather? Twill?

The jacket is leather, likely horsehide, VERY weathered but still in great shape. It is cut as a full length double breasted jacket such that it can be fastened to the neck with a "bib front". There is a single vent to the waist in back. All the buttons on the left are either absent or missing but as there are no holes in the leather to suggest lost buttons I believe it is the former. The buttons are large ~1.25" and appear to be leather or covered wood. It has 3 visible exterior pockets, a slanted map pocket on the chest that closes with a snap or button and 2 voluminous patch style hip pockets with flap closure possibly closed by buttons or snaps. There are straps for closing the sleeves down around the wrists with smaller 3/4" leather or wood covered buttons. The belt appears to be of the same material as the jacket. I am not sure how the belt is constructed. It is likely of multiple strips of leather rather than one continuous piece. The buckle appears to be either leather or covered metal or wood. I could not see the lining material or the interior of the jacket. However it is likely that the coat has a felted wool "blanket style" liner and leather inner leg straps for keeping the tails in place while flying or riding.

After a bit of research I believe this coat is similar to the British Royal Flying Corps coat. When I saw it I too wanted one. However I have not been able to locate anything similar. Again I apologize for the poor quality of the photo. The next time I go to the museum I will make sure we have a good memory card for the camera and will take more photos.

Doc

This jacket reminds me of the scene in Jimmy Stewart's "The Spirit of St. Louis", where Lindbergh has to bail out of his flaming DeHavilland DH-4 (AKA the Flying Coffin) while flying a mail route in the middle of a blizzard. Those guys really needed clothing like that!

dhermann1 said:

This jacket reminds me of the scene in Jimmy Stewart's "The Spirit of St. Louis", where Lindbergh has to bail out of his flaming DeHavilland DH-4 (AKA the Flying Coffin) while flying a mail route in the middle of a blizzard. Those guys really needed clothing like that!

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It is displayed next to an old curtiss "Jenny" an open cockpit, seat of your pants type aircraft made of wood and fabric. A display case near the coat has some portable instruments that the original owner carried into the cockpit with him including a compass, altimiter and a spirit level that was not unlike the "bubble" used to monitor the angle on modern submarines. Those instruments also had horsehide covers that matched the coat. Bonus points for style and function.

Beautiful jacket!

British army Dispatch riders wore similar canvas jackets in WW2..they turn up on Ebay.co.uk occasionally.

From Flyboys.

WW2 British Dispatch Rider's jacket

Rufus said:

Beautiful jacket!

British army Dispatch riders wore similar canvas jackets in WW2..they turn up on Ebay.co.uk occasionally.

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Rubberised canvas - Macintosh fabric. Amazing smell. The postwar Danish versions are very much the same and usually sell for less than 50GBP.

I saw a similar leather jacket in an army surplus shop off the Rue du Midi in Brussels.

It had a single row of buttons, though a double breasted cut.

I was in there a couple of months back.



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