bazelot said:
The hide really is stunning, though. All in all I think I'll just leave it as is - a classic example of an eccentric depot refit. The only odd thing is that the lining on the left chest shows two circles of stitches where, I guess, two patches were sewn. But the leather only shows one. I don't get that.
Tranquility Base said:Well, it arrived today. Replaced lining (partial), zipper, knits and mouton. Since my expectations were so low, I'm quite happy with it. In it's own quirky way it has a lot of character. The restiching is obvious, everywhere. The upside down knits are amusing. The Rota depot team successfully avoided nearly every old stitch-hole and there are neat double lines of stitching throughout the whole jacket. Quite an achievement
The paperwork that came through is interesting. Some handwritten stuff, a few poems, his 20th Century Fox stuff, pics of patches that were all on the jacket at some point (never seen the red 78th before, is that post war?). And a metal desk name plate. Seems the guy joined in early 1942 and was one of the longest serving members of the 78th, deployed with 18th and then 15th Fighter Groups, and then assigned to Marine Forces for assault on Iwo Jima. My guess is he picked up this M-442A in Iwo, swapped for an A-2 or a pack of cigarettes or whatefer. It's nice to have a Navy jacket with AAF owner and wear. He then the last months of the war escorting heavies from Iwo into mainland Japan. Service from mid 42 through Aug 45 ... quite a tour. And I found a pic of his aircraft at Iwo: 78th FS P-51D #109, named 'Pee Wee'.
bazelot said:
