RAF 1943 PATTERN FLYING BOOTS ‘ESCAPE’ KNIFE

SOLD
 
For sale is an extremely rare 'escape' boot knife, intended for the 1943 pattern Flying Boots. Stores reference 22P/11.

This is an original knife, very basic in construction, complete with the waxed paper cover that it was wrapped in before installation into the boots. The knife has a brushed finish to the exterior steel,  likely indicating it was polished at some point to remove the original blueing.

Unlike a lot of examples that have survived, this knife still has its complete blade. I have shown the knife adjacent to the original example in Mick Prodger's excellent 'Luftwaffe vs RAF' book, the photo of which is 1:1. You can see how the shape and size are identical.
 
The intention behind the knife was to provide RAF pilots/aircrew the opportunity to remove the suede uppers from their 1943 pattern flying boots, leaving them with a standard pair of civilian looking shoes, which were far less conspicuous when evading capture.

A fantastic opportunity to purchase an extremely rare knife.