A puzzling scarf

[Peter Graham]

I picked this up a few years ago. I posted it on one of the old forums but didn't get much info. It's worth another try. It's about 2ft square and made of silk and originally would have been very colourful but it's quite faded now. What I would like to know is when it was made and what for. It's got images of a B-17, P-47's, parachutists, the wings and propeller symbol, hangers and a radial engine along with the American eagle and the legends ' Scott Field ILL' and 'US Air Forces'. What I find curious is the 'US Air Forces'. All the images are WW2 but if it was made during the war then surely it would be 'Army Air Forces' but postwar it was 'US Air Force', not 'Forces'. What do you guys think ? My other question is what was it for ? Maybe airmen who completed training at Scott Field were presented with one or perhaps a souvenir for a visitor or to commemorate an airshow, any ideas ? Whatever it is, I really like it and I must have it framed someday.

 

[better duck]

Curious artifact indeed. The style of the drawing is thirty-ish, not to mention the planes: they all look pre-war to me, even if they are generic representions of not one type of plane in particular. Can't help you here, but I'll join you in your curiosity for an answer!

 

[dujardin]

hello peter,

what era is this ? pre war - war - post war ????
i ask that because of US air forces in place of US army air force ........

byeeeeeeee marcel

 

[Peter Graham]

hello peter,

what era is this ? pre war - war - post war ????
i ask that because of US air forces in place of US army air force ........

byeeeeeeee marcel

Marcel, that's just the question I'm trying to find the answer to.

 

[les_garten]

Hi,
I don't think that's a scarf. It looks like a Jacket liner from an Avirex A-2...


Or maybe a flying scarf to wear with an Avirex A-2...

 

[TankBuster]

I would say it's WWII. Most likely a base PX store item. A souvenire
of their training. I've seen the Air Forces term used on other
WWII items. Apparently the Army was left out on occasion.
I have some WWII training base matchbooks that have Air Forces
instead of Army AirForce or Aircorps is another term used in WWII
although it was no longer called that.

 

[havocpaul]

I have seen a few of these or similar over the years, always thought they were WW2 period and as stated, PX-purchases as 'souvenirs' to keep or send to the folks back home. There were also the more common pilow cases for 'Mom', 'Sister' etc. I had a lovely 8th AF one that had been made in UK, same shape as yours, perhaps sold in the Red Cross clubs in London, Norwich.

 

[Peter Graham]

Thanks guys. Some good info there. I'm sure glad it's not the lining from an Avirex !

 

[Flightpath]

Hi guys,

The first thing I thought of when thinking of 'US Air Forces' was that if Scott Field was a training field, 'US Air Forces' might be because those graduateing might go to the 8th AF, 5th AF, 2nd AF, 1st AF or whatever.......... the 'US Air Forces'.

Just my 2cents worth.........

also about the generic aircraft, they don't look like P-47s, they look like the earlier Curtis monoplane fighters (Pre P-40) can't remember the designation (the type that the Dutch had). Maybe they were used to train fighter pilots at Scott Field?

cheers,

-John