Thanks for this RJL. I had never heard of it. Very interesting.
Wearable WWII Map
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Here’s the most unusual WWII map I’ve ever seen. The picture is from this article…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-31719704
How did WW2 change the way people dressed?…which says “This underwear set was made by a dressmaker for Patricia Mountbatten - the elder daughter of Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten. It was made using a silk map given to her by a boyfriend in the RAF.”
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A boyfriend? Bloody toffs.
Not sure many of us would look good in that underwear, Marc, but thanks for this unusual piece. -
That is pretty cool CWO.
I wouldn’t have no problem asking her for directions. :wink: -
@SS:
That is pretty cool CWO.
I wouldn’t have no problem asking her for directions. :wink:Having the lady trace the route for you on the map with her index finger (“Well, you start here and then you go down this road…”) would potentially be interesting.
Incidentally, are there any geographic experts here who can tell from what map these items were made? The picture resolution isn’t great, but the land shapes in parts of the map look vaguely like Italy.
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Just to follow up, I did a little hunting on the Imperial War Museum website and on this page…
http://www.iwm.org.uk/history/10-top-tips-for-winning-at-make-do-and-mend
…I found a picture of a silk escape map for aircrews that does in fact depict parts of Italy and the surounding region. Go to item 7 (Get creative with fabric) and click the picture to expand it.
I later got confirmation when I found the IWM’s page about the actual garment, which states “History note: Bra and knickers set made up for Countess Mountbatten from a silk escape map given to her by her RAF boyfriend during the Second World War. Physical description: Ladies bra and knickers set made from a silk map of Italy, the front of the bra shows the cities of Trieste and Milan whilst the knickers more generally show northern and central Italy. The bra has a single thin shoulder strap on each side which is also made from silk map material, the bra is front fastening and comprises two lengths of white elastic which wrap around the back to the front and are secured with a button and loop fastening under each cup. The knickers are in the french knickers style with three button fastening part way along one side.” The technical details are: “Materials: bra band: textile; bra: silk; buttons: mother-of-pearl; knickers: silk. Dimensions: bra (fastened): Width 350 mm; bra (fastened): Length 300 mm; knickers: Width 560 mm; knickers: Length 390 mm.” The page has two slightly different pictures. http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30115129
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I would like to get my wife into some WWII map pattern clothing for the purpose of launching an invasion of conquest. :-D
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I took it on holiday and found it an easy book to read at the airport and on the plane. It reads like fiction. (Cornwell is a fiction writer.) Not many historical, battle books can be read that easily. Was a good refresher for me; been a while since I read about the battle.
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@wittmann:
I took it on holiday and found it an easy book to read at the airport and on the plane. It reads like fiction. (Cornwell is a fiction writer.) Not many historical, battle books can be read that easily. Was a good refresher for me; been a while since I read about the battle.
Book? I thought we were talking about underwear maps?
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Book? I thought we were talking about underwear maps?
It’s a link mis-click. The post was presumably meant for here:
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=35463.0 -
Thanks Marc. Exactly right. Wi try and paste and post in the right place, although I suspect Worsham will see it here.
Was at work when I posted and my head was in the wrong place, obviously.