From its inception during the First World War to the present day, the Royal Air Force has played a major role in the defence of the United Kingdom. Thousands of men and women have joined the RAF and that has created its vast legacy. During WW2 the RAF played numerous important roles, including – but of course not limited to – the Battle of Britain, bombing of Germany & Europe and commanding air superiority during operation overlord to help push the German troops back to Germany. So, today we will explore some of the varied uniforms that would have been worn by an RAF soldier. All the below WW2 RAF uniforms are available for sale today.

RAF Flight Lieutenant’s Private Purchase Tunic

This uniform has been tailor-made to order in blue wool, and purchased privately by the officer who owned it. It has King’s Crown RAF buttons, navigator’s brevet and WW2 medal ribbons, including a ‘Mentioned in Dispatches’ palm leaf. The MiD oak leaf tells us that this airman was written into an official report by a superior officer which was sent to high command. For this to happen, the act mentioned must have been of a galant or meritorious nature.

On the inside, the jacket has a purple sateen cotton lining and the owner’s name on a label just inside the collar. This indicates the owner was one C. M. Pearse and a tailor’s label for Hector Powe of 165 Regent Street, W1 (London post code). The jacket is in very good condition with no moth or any other damage, but it does have slight signs of wear commensurate with its age. The trousers are in good condition with only two small moth holes at the front. Overall this is a fantastic period uniform set that belongs on a mannequin.

Available from Selles Military Antiques in Normandy, France for €450.

WW2 South African Air Force Battledress Jacket

There were a number of countries which had troops serving with the RAF during WW2. This flight sergeant’s jacket is for a member of the South African Air Force. It has an original maker’s label along with a South African War Department issue stamp on the inside and an air gunner’s wing and medal ribbons on the chest.

The vendor suggests that it is likely that he served both in Italy and North Africa on bombers.

Available now on Ebay from vendor actio-6286  Starting price £245.

A WW2 Royal Air Force Battle Dress Blouse.

A commonly worn style of jacket issued to members of the RAF during WW2; this is the short battledress jacket in blue. This example is a small size and unfortunately it has no interior date/size label but the pattern indicates it was likely WW2 production. Sadly one button is missing and the cuff buttons need to be replaced; however, other than that it’s in great shape. The lower fastening buckle is also intact. It does not look like it has ever had insignia fitted and it has no moth hole damage. A jacket like this is ideal for a display. It would be more than possible to purchase some original insignia and put together the perfect set you are after.

For sale by Regimentals in the UK £175.

1942-dated Royal Canadian Air Force Leading Aircraftman’s Tunic

Our next item is a dark blue wool 3/4 length, 4-pocket RCAF tunic with blue cotton lining and brass buckled belt. It’s complete with brass Royal Canadian Air Force King’s Crown pocket as well as closure buttons, an RAF eagle and a leading aircraftman’s propellor badge on each arm. Internally its chest size is marked 35 – 36 inches on the internal stamped maker’s label. And it is also displaying a good 1942 date. Overall, this is a nice used jacket in good condition for a garment that is around 80 years old.

For sale from The Collector’s Guild  $159.

Are you interested in seeing more items? CLICK HERE to see our latest posts.

Do you have items to sell? Dealer or collector; it is completely free! 

We love to show items for sale from all around the world. So grab the chance to put your item in front of thousands of potential buyers worldwide.

For dealers with your own website: it could not be easier, please get in touch via [email protected] to express interest. We will select items from your website to include in our daily posts, thus advertising them for free! No work on your part required at all. If you have a social media and/or eBay account – feel free to include these in your e-mail as well. We will tag your social media account whenever your item is included in one of our posts. So you can gain even more exposure. Click here to see the list of our current partner sites.

Collectors / sellers with just one or two items to sell? Send us an email to [email protected] with 3-5 clear photos of the item, item description (be as descriptive as possible), location, price and shipping options, and we will shortlist it to be included in our upcoming articles. Again it is totally free!

Subject to approval, your item will be seen by tens of thousands of people per week.