大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Elizabeth Perez of Stockport Libraries on behalf of "Marjorie". It has been added to the site with her permission and she fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

I went to do war work at B.W.T. Limited in Poynton.
Concerned that airmen in the Lancasters were losing fingers and toes with frostbite, Mr Eric Taylor designed socks and gloves to fit inside the flying boots and gloves. This needed a jacket, later a full lining, to make the circuit and connection. The flying suit was bright-yellow with floatation pads in chest, knees and collar. These suits were specially made for the rear gunners on the bombers, a very exposed and lonely job, bitterly cold too.
One day there was great excitement in the workroom, when our Mr Eric Taylor brought in a very dusty and very very smelly flying suit. It had been sent in by a rear gunner with very grateful thanks. It had saved his life. His gun turret had been blown off, and he was catapulted into the North Sea and was concussed. When he came round, he found the suit had done what it was designed to do and turned him the right way up. It was then when he released the yellow dye supplied. He was fortunate enough to be spotted by the search planes and picked up.
We were all so thrilled to know that amid all the death and carnage of war, we had a part in saving the life of one man, and we hope others too. We hope he made it all the way, though so many did not.

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