Code: 10616
Reproduction - 1930s/WW2 RAF "D.Lewis" prestige flying suit - BATTLE OF BRITAIN. A lovely reproduction Prestige suit manufactured by D.Lewis. These pre-war prestige suits were popular amongst RAF pilots and were often encountered in their white and black versions. Worn pre-war up to about 1940, they were still widely worn during the Battle of Britain, before really being retired and phased out of use.
This excellent reproduction was once worn by an RAF reenactor, and as such has a very good "worn" appearance to it, but alas it is a reproduction. D.Lewis do actually still produce this suit by special order, and it is available in either white or black. This example was produced in the rarer blue material; it does have some fading, but it really is not as bad as the photos suggest. We did struggle with the lighting when photographing the suit, and it does have a more muted blue tone to it and does not have the large purple fading as seen in the photos. I will try to photograph the suit again and have these photos available.
The suit is otherwise in good condition, with no damage issues we can see. It has been fitted out with a good, worn set of RAF pilot's wings, rank braid to the epaulettes, with RAF buttons also added. All zips have their leather pullers and are in good working order, marked on the metal pullers, with "FLASH" manufacturer's mark. It really is a lovely suit. There is no size label that we can see, but we have the following measurements taken from the suit, all in inches. The measurements may seem slightly large, but do bear in mind this was basically an oversuit and was meant to be large to go over other clothing.
Chest armpit to armpit 23.5"
Waist 22"
Shoulder to cuff 25"
Shoulder to shoulder 18.5"
Neck to crotch 38"
Inner leg 31"
Overall, a nice reproduction of the ubiquitous RAF prestige suit, worn during the Battle of Britain. Suitable for a Battle of Britain display, RAF museum, collection, or reenactor.
OVERSEAS BUYERS, PLEASE CONTACT US FOR A SHIPPING QUOTE FIRST.
