What colour were RAF tents ?

Thought they were green…..

e.g.
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z21/KilroyCD/Living%20History/100_2510.jpg

Green even in the desert?

Obviously they would have used a light tan in such climes but the OP didn’t specify he was taking his caravan to airshows in North Africa or other desert nations so the assumption was he’d be UK based.

But maybe he wants to take it to the seaside airshows?……..

Presumably they’d have been the same as the Army – in which case a brown/tan colour. Post-WW2 the tents stayed pretty much the same but to a green colour, a lot of re-enactors use the green colour because it’s cheaper.

White tents, such as white bell tents, i’d have thought would have been used until fairly late in the 30’s, at least early war, especially in far back areas. They were used throughout WW1, occasionally attempts were made to camouflage them by staining them with tea.

Of course, the other option could be to get a 1940’s style caravan and paint it up like one of those seen at temporary landing strips, dispersals etc

http://www.replicaters.com/armytents.html

This shows 2x tents near the bottom of the page.

Why not cover it in camo netting and fit anti aircraft battery within it.!

Presumably they’d have been the same as the Army – in which case a brown/tan colour.

Noted 🙂

http://www.replicaters.com/armytents.html

This shows 2x tents near the bottom of the page.

Why not cover it in camo netting and fit anti aircraft battery within it.!

Cripes, I wouldn’t touch replicaters with a hundred foot barge pole. A lot of the photos they use are taken from other sources, and the quality is very very poor – if you actually get your items in the first place

Lol you don’t have to buy it it was just to see the colour.

This can’t be too hard to source depends what the op wants to do to his caravan.

Maybe OP should put in an offer for Monty’s Caravan in the LWH at Duxford – seeing as it could be out of public view for x months of the year they may let him have it cheap…

I want all the home comforts including a shower, it can pretty hot inside a flying suit in the summer, just want to get the cover the right colour, it will be suported by poles over the caravan and awning to maintain an authentic shape. Not keen on a AA Battery I think the Spits 20mm gas guns will make quite enough racket.:dev2:

Graham – I used to work for a company making silicone coatings and about 15/20 years ago we went to visit the MOD to discuss tents.

They were using a very old technology – some horrible concoction – into which the cotton fabric was dipped. This was to make it NBC proof – but the coating and technology preceded that. The colour was definitely dark green – this was the MASH type tents. They havent changed in the last 20 years and it was implied at that time that it was several decades old.

I think the company that did the coating was in Scotland – possibly Dundee.

A quick search shows an MOD tent supplier from 1946 – that is still making tents such as these – google J and S Franklin. The tents are green

Highlight of my visit was when our Marketing chap tried to insist we take some mustard gas back to our lab to test if our coating was NBC proof.

You can have them any colour so long as they’re a shade of grey!:D

Seriously though you may be able to gauge something from these RAF tent shots, taken late 30’s early 40’s.

Now i am confused the tents in the picture look a white ish and its certainly not desert, perhaps both coulours were in use.:confused:

Not the one in the centre top unless that just needs a wash.!

Now i am confused the tents in the picture look a white ish and its certainly not desert, perhaps both coulours were in use.:confused:

I think you are correct in saying both colours were used. You can see the two different coloured ridge tents side by side in the last photo. The bell tents in photos 2-5 were shot at RAF Aldergrove 1937-1938, and Photo 1 believed to be 604(F) Sqdn. Hendon late 1939 early 1940.

I think you are correct in saying both colours were used. You can see the two different coloured ridge tents side by side in the last photo. The bell tents in photos 2-5 were shot at RAF Aldergrove 1937-1938, and Photo 1 believed to be 604(F) Sqdn. Hendon late 1939 early 1940.

Think I will go for a slightly off white colour then at least it will reflect some of the summer sun.

Ta daaah

http://www.abbeytents.co.uk/re-enactmentgroups.html

Think I will go for a slightly off white colour then at least it will reflect some of the summer sun.

My memory goes back some, but not quite as far as the early 40’s, but I can remember tents being made of Egyptian cotton, which would give it that off- white, light-beige, calico type of colour. I used to buy the same material to cover the old canvas canoes and then use coloured aircraft dope to waterproof it.

Similar construction here:
http://www.tentsmiths.com/egyptian-cotton-tents.html

Good job they are not Dark Earth .

That would cause all sorts of trouble :rolleyes: