END OF LINE/CLEARANCE Assorted 'Prestige' Flight Suits

These were originally issued to RAF pilots performing at the air displays of the 1930s and, during the Battle of Britain, These 1930s style suits were also adopted by pit crews for motor racing and worn as a mark of status by those who had flown in the RAF since those pre WW2 days. Inspired by the established pilots, newer RAF fliers opted to wear their own private purchase cotton suits acquired from civilian outfitters. Like the Prestige Suits, these were always unlined, usually white, but tan, dark blue and black were worn. In the 1930s it had been common to wear the squadron crest on the breast pocket of these flying suits but for security reasons, this was officially forbidden at the outset of war in 1939.