Item 2019.208.2 - RAF No. 2 Service Working Dress Officer's Uniform Jacket - Wing Commander

2019.208.2

RAF No. 2 Service Working Dress Officer's Uniform Jacket - Wing Commander

Item

1

Blue grey short Royal Air Force 1972 pattern No. 2 Service Working Dress jacket with centre front zip fastening. It has a turn down collar and lapels with two angled pockets at the chest, each fastening with a zip. There are tabs with buckles and sliders at each side seam near the hem to draw the waist in. The shoulder epaulettes have three lines of black and pale blue braid signifying the rank of Wing Commander. Over the left chest pocket is the RAF Flight Engineers half brevet badge - embroidered in gold and cream thread on a black background the design is of two bronze laurel branches encircling the capital letter 'E' with a single wing, extending to the right as viewed. Below the badge are medal ribbons for the Second World War (1939-1945 Star, France and Germany Star, Defence Medal and the War Medal 1939-1945).

Label: JACKET MAN'S / (Blue Grey, 1972 Pattern) / NATO Stock No. / Size 176/100 / S C R D E
Care label: 38 (100) DRY CLEAN ONLY

Part of a collection of ten items of Royal Air Force uniform owned and worn by Wing Commander John Ignatius McDonough and donated by his family.

The 1972 pattern design was nicknamed the 'Thunderbird' jacket and withdrawn in the 1990s.

Imperial War Museum history note on the RAF Fight Engineer half brevet, https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30076543 [accessed 12 May 2020]:
The Flight Engineer half brevet was introduced in 1942. The first half brevet was introduced between 1915 and 1918 for Observers. This remained the only one until that for Air Gunners was introduced in 1939, which introducing the pattern of letters contained in a wreath that was followed by all subsequent such half brevets. The growth in such brevets was driven by the introduction of larger aircraft and therefore larger crews with specialist skills. The half brevets were worn in the same manner as the pilots' flying badge, on the left breast, above the medal ribbons. Several variants of the brevets exist, with the number of feathers ranging from twelve to seventeen.