Fall 2026 Militaria and Aviation Auction
Lot 246:
Description
WWI British RFC/RAF Aviator’s Flying Kit Group – 1917-dated Broad-Arrow W^D Leather Flying Coat, E. Tautz & Sons Bedford Cord Breeches, Leather Flying Helmet, Amber-Tinted Goggles, and Tall Leather Field Boots Offered here is an evocative and visually striking grouping of Great War-period British flying kit, assembled around a dated and government-marked leather flying coat together with the tailored breeches, helmet, goggles, and boots that would have completed a Royal Flying Corps or early Royal Air Force aviator’s outfit. No individual recipient can be identified from the surviving markings, and no separate biography has been located; the group’s story is told through its construction, official stampings, and maker’s label rather than any named provenance, and it should be understood as a period flying-kit ensemble rather than a documented uniform tied to one identified airman. Open-cockpit flying in the First World War exposed pilots and observers to brutal cold and windchill at altitude, and the War Department responded by contracting heavy double-breasted leather coats – lined in wool, fitted with high storm collars, deep lapels, and slanted chest map pockets – to protect aircrew on operational sorties over the Western Front and at training establishments at home. Officers of private means routinely supplemented this government-issue protection with bespoke tailoring from London’s sporting outfitters; E. Tautz & Sons of 485 Oxford Street was among the most respected breeches makers of the period, patronized by mounted officers and early aviators alike. The pairing seen here – issue coat with private-purchase breeches, helmet, and goggles – reflects the improvised, personally assembled kit typical of RFC squadrons circa 1916-1918, before the Corps was absorbed into the newly formed RAF in April 1918. The leather flying coat is a long, belted, double-breasted example with a deep storm collar, slanted chest map pocket, and its original belt intact; the interior clearly bears the Broad Arrow War Department stamp with accompanying W^D lettering and the date 1917. The Bedford cord riding breeches are by E. Tautz & Sons, Breeches Makers, 485 Oxford Street, the woven label crisp and fully legible on the reverse waistband patch. The leather flying helmet is of the peaked, ear-flapped pattern typical of the period, retaining its original chin strap. The goggles show amber-toned lenses within leather-edged frames joined by a woven elastic head strap. A pair of tall brown leather field boots, shaped for wear beneath the breeches, completes the ensemble. Condition throughout is fair to good and consistent with genuine age and service use. The coat’s exterior shows scuffing, creasing, and minor surface abrasions, while the internal wool lining exhibits moderate wear with scattered moth nips and fraying. The breeches show light overall soiling and scattered spotting but remain structurally sound with a fully legible label. The flying helmet displays heavy surface crazing, edge flaking, and fraying along the visor brim, and the goggles show lens discoloration and deterioration to the fabric bindings. The boots show substantial creasing and surface scuffs consistent with field wear. A well-matched and highly displayable set of dated, maker-marked Great War flying kit, capturing the distinctive blend of government issue and Savile Row-adjacent tailoring worn by RFC aircrew over a century ago.
Share this lot:
