A new item I have just picked up is this super ‘Prestige’ Flying Suit, with history to ex-Vickers test pilot and British racing driver, William ‘Bill’ Simpson Aston. The suit came with Aston’s Luxor flying goggles, flying/motor-cap, registration plate for an aircraft he owned and flew from Eastbourne Flying Club (pre-war), along with various ephemera relating to his racing career.
‘PRESTIGE’ SUIT HISTORY:
Many collectors will recognise the white flying overalls as a ‘Prestige’ flying suit; a simple unlined cotton suit synonymous with pilots who held prestigious positions in pre-war aerobatic display teams, or worked with the various aircraft manufacturers as test pilots. The nickname ‘Prestige’ suit was thus coined, with the suits becoming a status symbol, evident in the fact that they saw continued use in the early war years: most notably among Auxiliary Air Force and University squadrons who took part in the Battle of Britain.
The suits were produced in a myriad of styles including a standard turn-down collar, mandarin style stand-collar, and had different pocket designs depending on the manufacturer. They were manufactured in 2 different weights and four colours: white, black, navy and tan. Rank lace was sometimes attached to the epaulettes and squadron badges and pilot wings were occasionally added, though an Air Ministry order forbade the application of badges in the war years. Photo evidence would suggest this was not always heeded to.
The suits were available from many commercial manufacturers of the time, including Burberry, Gamages, Gieves, D-Lewis; and the Air Ministry themselves contracted suits for the RAF display/aerobatic teams, as well as for test pilots. Air Ministry-contracted suits are usually found with AM marked zippers and are exceptionally rare to find.
THE SUIT:
The suit I have picked up is most probably made by D-Lewis, which was one of the more prolific makers of the suit. It has a turned down collar, chest and thigh pockets, removable shank buttons, a pleated back and adjustable belt. The most striking element to the suit, from an RAF collector’s perspective, are the Air Ministry branded zippers on both forearms: indicative of the suit being issued in the pre-war years for RAF use.
The suit is adorned with a prestigious British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) badge, which epitomises its use by Bill Aston in the post-war years. Interestingly the suit came with a small identification plate in one of the pockets for Eastbourne Flying Club, along with the registration G-AEKG. G-AEKG was a ‘BA Swallow 2’ aircraft owned by Aston from October 1938 – January 1939. Sadly the aircraft was destroyed in a hangar fire at Maylands Aerodrome, Harold Hill, Romford, Essex on the 6th February 1940.
BILL ASTON:
William ‘Bill’ Simpson Aston (29 March 1900 – 4 March 1974) fought in World War 1, and was a test pilot for Vickers during the Second World War, before turning to motor racing; participating in three World Championship Grands Prix and setting a new 500cc speed record at Montlhery in 1951.
Sadly history of Aston’s time as a Vickers test pilot is rather limited, though it is evident he had a long time spent in aviation, flying from Eastbourne in the pre-war years before working with Vickers. Aston must have had links with the RAF, due to the fact the suit has Air Ministry marked zippers.
More information on Bill’s somewhat forgotten racing career can be found here: https://www.f1forgottendrivers.com/drivers/bill-aston/
REFERENCES
Special thanks to David Farnsworth, Mick Prodger, Steve Milnthorpe, Neil Seaton and Rob Bilinski for their knowledge, input and patience.
See also:
Mick Prodger, Luftwaffe vs RAF: Flying Clothing of the Air War 1939-45, (Schiffer, 1997)
Mick Prodger, Luftwaffe vs RAF: Flying Equipment of the Air War 1939-45, (Schiffer, 1998)
David Farnsworth, Their Finest Hour - A Collector's Guide to the Battle of Britain, (Armourer, 2010)
Mark Hillier, The RAF Battle of Britain Fighter Pilot's Kitbag, (Frontline Books, 2018)
Σχόλια