Avro Lancaster RAAF Type B Flying helmet & Mk VIII Flying Goggles

Leading up to the outbreak of hostilities in Europe in 1939, the RAF found themselves in urgent need of pilots to meet their operational commitments. Like the US, the period post WWI had seen Britain's airforce severely depleted with Royal Flying Corps pilots returning to civilian life and aircraft development stagnating as nations sought to rebuild from the destruction of the Great War.

With such a critical shortage, initial revisions to the RAF training programs focused on shortening courses whilst increasing capacity of the country’s flying schools but with limited resources and training aircraft available, together with a severe shortage in flying instructors, Britain was forced to turn to the Commonwealth and her allies for help.

The agreement called for the training of nearly 50,000 aircrew each year, for as long as necessary: 22,000 aircrew from Great Britain, 13,000 from Canada, 11,000 from Australia and 3,300 from New Zealand. Under the agreement, air crews received elementary training in various Commonwealth countries before travelling to Canada for advanced courses. Training costs were to be divided between the four governments.

With the United Kingdom considered an unsuitable location for air training due to the possibility of enemy attack, the strain caused by wartime traffic at airfields and the unpredictable weather, trainee pilots found themselves taking to the skies across Australia, Canada, South Africa and even far flung Bermuda.

Prior to the inception of the Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS), the RAAF had trained only about 50 pilots per year. Under the Air Training Agreement, Australia undertook to provide 28,000 aircrew over three years, representing 36% of the total number trained by EATS. By 1945, more than 37,500 Australian aircrew had been trained in Australia; a majority of these, over 27,300, had also graduated from schools in Australia.

Like many other Commonwealth countries, Australia took on the production of a locally built version of the RAF biplane trainer, the De Havilland Tiger Moth to speed up the initial training of recruits before they were sent to more advanced aircrew training schools in Canada.

This dovetailed well into the Australian government's decision a few years earlier to develop their own aircraft manufacturing company, the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation to develop and manufacture their own single seater fighter, the CAC Boomerang together with the 2-seater observation and light bomber, the CAC Wirraway. 

It also spurred the development of home grown aircraft instrumentation and fabrication as local civilian industries, working from supplied British samples and templates, built their own versions under licence. It was to see the development of a strong and diverse home-grown aviation industry which culminated in the CAC also building Australian versions of the Bristol Beaufort, the Bristol Beaufighter and even small number of the USAAF’s P-51 Mustang towards the end of the war.

Local clothing and leather goods companies also turned over their production lines to assist the war effort in the production of uniforms and flying gear, working of supplied British Air Ministry samples.

One of these leather goods company was Staggs Leather goods of Melbourne, who won the lucrative government contract to produce Australian versions of the British Flying helmets starting with the Type B, RAF flying helmet.

Working from supplied templates, the Staggs Type B flying helmet became extremely popular with both military trainee pilots, course graduates and seasoned RAAF aircrew. Many Australian trainee pilots and aircrew of EATS ook their flying gear with them to Canada for their advanced training and then onto their squadron deployments in Britain.

Australian aircrew made up a significant part of the RAF with almost 11% of Bomber Command's total aircrew being Australian and a number of uniquely RAAF squadrons being attached to RAF units.  
 
This ‘named’ Staggs flying helmet is the Australian version of the British Type B helmet, which continued production in Britain until early 1942, when it was replaced with the Type C leather flying helmet. The modified Australian version of the Type C did not go into production until much later that year and instead of incorporating the British rubber receiver caps, Staggs introduced a variant that used press-studs with a modified leather housing to accommodate RAAF communication equipment and the trainee's 'Gosport Tube' 

Constructed of stitched leather with a chamois lining and zippered earphone covers, this Australian Type B flying helmet featured a leather chin strap fastened on the left with a white metal buckle. On the inside of the helmet on either side of the face are two snap fasteners with a strip of chamois backed webbing fastened between them for securing an oxygen mask or face protector. There is a buckled strap across the back of the neck with two thinner buckled straps running vertically above it. Another thin buckled strap is secured across the front of the helmet. A circular ear piece is sewn on either side of the helmet with zippered openings for radio receivers. 

The inside of this helmet carries the 'Staggs Australia' embroidered label and also the name; ‘C Kirkwood  Class 42’ which would tally with the Australian EATS training courses of the same period. Preliminary research has identified a number of ‘Kirkwood's' who served with the RAAF in Papua New Guinea and two who were attached to RAF squadrons in Britain. There is further writing above the inside right ear cushion which reads: 'Skett Pol’ but further research would be needed to identify this.

Apart from some minor white paint markings at the crown of the helmet, this Staggs Type B RAAF flying helmet is in extraordinary good conditions for an original WWII flying helmet over 83 years old. 

With all zippers in full working order and buckles and press studs still attached and functional, Australian RAAF versions of British flying gear are extremely rare and coupled with an original Air Ministry Mk VIII pair of flying goggles on the customised mounted Mannequin head on its 100yr old Mango wood base with engraved plaque, magnetic arm and a custom hand-built 1/72 or 1/48 model of the iconic RAF bomber the Avro Lancaster, you have an incredibly rare testament and memento to the courage and bravery of Australian wartime aircrew.

What a terrific gift for any pilot, collector or aviation enthusiast!

This Avro Lancaster Flying Gear is photographed with a 1/72 scale model but to choose the larger and more detailed 1/48 scale model, simply click on the 1/48 Scale option at the top of the page.

A full internal Lighting Kit is also availabe for the 1/48 scale option at just $120

These Avro Lancaster Collectables come complete with detailed Scale Model, Mango Wood Stand & Plaque plus Printed Fact Sheet featuring photo of instruments in the aircraft cockpit.

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