Alan Eardley
One Too Many
- Messages
- 1,500
- Location
- Midlands, UK
A FAA 'Irvin' mystery...
I have always assumed that the yellow hooded variety of Irvin was issued, as Andrew says, to Coastal Command and to the Fleet Air Arm - in other words, to crews who spent a lot of time flying over the sea and were therefor more likely to be in a survival situation and to need air-sea rescue.
Then sometime last year an ex-RAF friend introduced me to an 84 year old friend of his who had served in the Fleet Air Arm from 1942 until the end of WW2. He visited me and I was pleased to show him some of my WW2 memorabilia. He was particularly taken with my 'Irvin' jackets, saying that they were just like the ones he had worn as an observer/gunner on Walruses and Swordfish. I remarked that his jacket would have a had a yellow hood, but he said something to the effect that he had never seen one like that. At the time I assumed that his memory was at fault, although I noted that he was familar with the use of the collar erection strap, which is only found on jackets with a collar.
Anyway, I thought no more about it until I recently acquired a 1943 copy of 'Fleet Air Arm - the Admiralty Account of Naval Air Operations to Date'. (original Cost 1/6d - cost to me 15 GBP!) This official publication covers the operation of the FAA in all theatres of war from 1939 to the date of publication. As you would expect, lots of photographs of 'deckies' and pilots, many of whom are wearing 'Irvin' jackets. Now, one thing struck me. There are a few of these photographs in which I can't tell whether the jacket has a collar or a hood, but the majority (I counted more than 50) are clearly the 'normal' collared variety. So, what does this signify? Is it chance, were both versions issued to the FAA and it just happens that non feature in these photographs? Or was the hooded version only used by Coastal Command?
More research is needed, I feel.
Alan
Alan
aswatland said:
I have always assumed that the yellow hooded variety of Irvin was issued, as Andrew says, to Coastal Command and to the Fleet Air Arm - in other words, to crews who spent a lot of time flying over the sea and were therefor more likely to be in a survival situation and to need air-sea rescue.
Then sometime last year an ex-RAF friend introduced me to an 84 year old friend of his who had served in the Fleet Air Arm from 1942 until the end of WW2. He visited me and I was pleased to show him some of my WW2 memorabilia. He was particularly taken with my 'Irvin' jackets, saying that they were just like the ones he had worn as an observer/gunner on Walruses and Swordfish. I remarked that his jacket would have a had a yellow hood, but he said something to the effect that he had never seen one like that. At the time I assumed that his memory was at fault, although I noted that he was familar with the use of the collar erection strap, which is only found on jackets with a collar.
Anyway, I thought no more about it until I recently acquired a 1943 copy of 'Fleet Air Arm - the Admiralty Account of Naval Air Operations to Date'. (original Cost 1/6d - cost to me 15 GBP!) This official publication covers the operation of the FAA in all theatres of war from 1939 to the date of publication. As you would expect, lots of photographs of 'deckies' and pilots, many of whom are wearing 'Irvin' jackets. Now, one thing struck me. There are a few of these photographs in which I can't tell whether the jacket has a collar or a hood, but the majority (I counted more than 50) are clearly the 'normal' collared variety. So, what does this signify? Is it chance, were both versions issued to the FAA and it just happens that non feature in these photographs? Or was the hooded version only used by Coastal Command?
More research is needed, I feel.
Alan
Alan
