Item 2019.208.4 - RAF Mess Dress Officer's Jacket - Wing Commander

Identity area

Reference code

2019.208.4

Title

RAF Mess Dress Officer's Jacket - Wing Commander

Date(s)

  • 1961 (Creation)

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Item

Extent and medium

1

Context area

Name of creator

(1918-)

Administrative history

Name of creator

(1851-present)

Administrative history

The business was established by Jewish second hand clothing dealer Moses Moses (he later changed his name to Moses Moss) in Covent Garden, London. After he died in 1894, two of his sons took over and began a suit hire service in 1897. A year later the company became known as Moss Bros.

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Content and structure area

Scope and content

Blue grey wool short Royal Air Force No. 5 Mess Dress uniform tailored jacket to go with trousers 2019.208.9. The jacket is waist length with a turn down collar and wide pointed lapels in grey grosgrain silk. On the left lapel is the RAF Flight Engineers half brevet badge - embroidered in gold thread on a blue grey background the design is of two bronze laurel branches encircling the capital letter 'E' with a single wing in gold wire, extending to the right as viewed. The cuffs are embellished with three rows of gold braid - the insignia of a Wing Commander.

The front of the jacket has six gold coloured brass buttons on the front embossed with the RAF emblem, three on each side. The buttons are narrowly spaced at the waist and widen to the chest. There are four buttonholes , two on each side. At the back the bottom of the jacket is cut in two curves over the hips meeting at a point in the centre waist. The back is cut in three curved panels. It is lined in cream rayon with lines of machine quilting under the arms and across the front sides. There is a hanging loop in the back of the neck and tailors label on the inside of a pocket in the lining on the right side.

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      Label: MOSS BROS. LTD / COVENT GARDEN LONDON W.C.2. / PHONE TEMPLE BAR 4477 / [hand written] F/L J. McDONOUGH / 23-2-61 / ALDERSHOT
      Materials: wool, rayon, metal, silk

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      Note

      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.

      Note

      RAF Mess Dress is worn at formal evening functions.

      Note

      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.

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