Think you are correct Martin P5M Marlin

They probably were for show purposes as they are prominent in the publicity photographs taken in France in 1940 and are known to have been around in 1939.

If they were for show then my best guess would be either summer camp 1939 or Empire Air Day 1939.

I also have photographs from the same period that show standard flying suits

Difficult to keep up the standard as I am at work but here goes

The black flying suits were certainly issued before departure to France as Harry Welford had one and did not go to France.

I very much doubt we will ever find any conclusive evidence of when they were issued, I have never seen them prior to issue of the Gladiator so it is possible they were issued when the squadron went on camp to Abbotsinch in 1939

The black flying suits were certainly in use by the time the squadron received Gladiators in 1938.

Somewhere I have a colour photograph of the flying suit that belonged to Flt Lt GHE Welford.

I believe that this suit is still in existence with his family in Devon.

I have not come across any reference to the squadron being known as the coalminers.

The only other unoffical name the squadron has used is the “Mountain Goats” which was used from 1951 when the squadron was equipped with Vampires.

This name refers to the squadrons return from call up at Thornaby when they returned to Ouston the airfield was under re-construction and was only considered to be suitable for Mountain Goats. Hence the name.

I will speak to some of my fellow squadron researchers to see if they can shed any light on the reference to the coal miners

Dakota & Mig 21

Any idea which country

http://www.flickr.com/photos/75488012@N00/2440017591/

re BAPC-97

This was built during the second world war by a Mr Brown in Stanley, County Durham and has only been with Mr Brown until donated to the North East Aircraft Museum in the late 1970’s.

The aircraft was restored and refurbished by Ken Fern at Stoke on Trent and given the period registration of G-AFUG in the late 1990’s

So other than its trip to Stoke on Trent it has never been out of the North East

The aircraft are N-44914 with “56498” on the tail and is painted in Air Transport Command colours. The other is N-31356 with “44-42914” on the tail and is overall aluminimum with a read chevron.

From a previous thread as posted by Galdri in 2002 when the aircraft arrived

This has photos

http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=55980&highlight=north+weald