Skip to main content

Search

Donate

Home Smithsonian Institution

Site Navigation

  • Visit
    • Museums and Zoo
    • Timed-Entry Passes
    • Tips & Guidelines
    • Accessibility
  • What's On
    • Exhibitions
      • Current Exhibitions
      • Upcoming
      • Past Exhibitions
      • Online Exhibitions
    • Today's Events
    • Online Events
    • All Events
  • Explore
    • Collections
      • Open Access
      • Smithsonian Snapshot
    • Blogs
    • Podcasts
    • Mobile Apps
    • Research Resources
      • Libraries
      • Archives
        • Smithsonian Institution Archives
        • Air and Space Museum
        • Anacostia Community Museum
        • American Art Museum
        • Archives of American Art
        • Archives of American Gardens
        • American History Museum
        • American Indian Museum
        • Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, African Art
        • Freer|Sackler Archives
        • Hirshhorn Archive
        • National Anthropological Archives
        • National Portrait Gallery
        • Ralph Rinzler Archives, Folklife
        • Libraries and Special Collections
  • Learn
    • For Educators
      • Resources
      • Events
      • Field Trips
      • Professional Development
    • For Kids and Teens
    • Youth Programs
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer
      • Behind-the-Scenes
      • Citizen Science
      • Digital Volunteers
      • Smithsonian Call Center
      • Visitor Information Specialist
      • Docent Programs
    • Fellowships & Internships
    • Work with Us
      • Human Resources
        • Working Here
        • Employee Benefits
        • Job Opportunities
        • How to Apply
        • Job Seekers with Disabilities
        • Frequently Asked Questions
        • Contact Us
      • Affiliations
      • Global Partners
  • Support
    • Become a Member
    • Renew Your Membership
    • Make a Gift
    • About Membership
  • About
    • Museums and Zoo
    • Research Centers
    • Cultural Centers
    • Education
    • Our Leadership
      • Secretary Bunch
      • Assistant Secretary for Advancement
      • Assistant Secretary for Communications and External Affairs
      • Under Secretary for Administration
      • Under Secretary for Education
      • Under Secretary for Museums and Culture
      • Under Secretary for Science and Research
    • Our Organization
      • Board of Regents
        • Members
        • Committees
        • Reading Room
        • Bylaws, Policies and Procedures
        • Contact
        • Schedules and Agendas
        • Meeting Minutes
        • Actions
        • Webcasts
      • Inspector General
        • About the OIG
        • Contact OIG
        • Office of Audits
        • Office of Investigations
        • Reports and Other Publications
          • OIG Audit Reports
          • Other OIG Publications
          • Semiannual Reports to Congress
        • Report Fraud, Waste, and Abuse
          • What to Report
          • Recognizing Fraud, Waste, and Abuse
      • General Counsel
        • Legal History
        • Internships
        • Records Requests
          • Records Request Reading Room
        • Tort Claim
        • Subpoenas & Testimonies
        • Events
      • Equal Employment Office
        • EEO Complaint Process
        • Individuals with Disabilities
        • Special Emphasis Program
        • Supplier Diversity Program
          • Doing Business with Us
          • Policies and Procedures
          • Additional Resources
          • Goals and Accomplishments
    • Reports and Plans
      • Annual Reports
      • Metrics Dashboard
        • Dashboard Home
        • Virtual Smithsonian
        • Public Engagement
        • National Collections
        • Research
        • People & Operations
        • One Smithsonian
      • Strategic Plan
    • Newsdesk
      • News Releases
      • Media Contacts
      • Photos and Video
      • Media Kits
      • Fact Sheets
      • Visitor Stats
      • Secretary and Admin Bios
      • Filming Requests

Coat, Service, Royal Air Force

National Air and Space Museum

Addthis Share Tools

    • Print

Object Details

Manufacturer
Andre & Co.
Owner
Lt. Wes D. Archer
Physical Description
Royal Air Force (RAF) tan wool service coat; single breasted with open collar; 3 brass buttons down front with embossed Royal Air Force eagle surmounded by the King's (Tudor) crown; attached belt with brass frame buckle; two upper flap pockets pockets with box pleat; two lower flap pockets; two standard width lace Captain's rank bands on each cuff; embroidered Royal Air Force pilot's badge over left breast pocket (white embroidered wings on black felt, text "RAF" in center of badge surrounded by brown wreath, Tudor (King's) crown surmounts RAF); British War Medal ribbon and World War I Victory medal ribbon below pilot's badge; embroidered manufacturer's on inside collar (see Marks for full text).
Summary
This is an example of a standard issue Royal Air Force service coat issued at the end of the World War I. The use of the standard army pattern continued with updated RAF insignia replacing those of the Royal Flying Corps. The RAF officially adopted the familiar blue gray color on September 15, 1919 but the use of the khaki army pattern continued to be used until 1924.
This coat was worn by Lt. Wes D. Archer, Royal Air Force, during World War I. Archer was born in the United States, but traveled to Great Britain to join the Royal Flying Corps in 1917. He served during World War I until his S.E.5 aircraft was shot down by German ground fire on October 9, 1918. A bullet almost reached his heart, but was stopped by his .45 caliber pistol which is now in NASM's collection (Ref: A19830217000). Archer is perhaps more famous for pulling off one of the biggest photographic hoaxes ever produced.
Upon his return to the U.S. in 1920, Archer became a set designer and worked on movie productions. He and his wife, Betty, moved to Nyack, New York in 1927. There, Archer honed his model building skills and assembled numerous replicas of World War I aircraft such as Fokkers, Albatrosses, S.E.5s and Nieuports. With these models and a camera, Archer fabricated aerial combat photographs. People thought they were authentic and boasted them as the best aerial combat pictures ever taken. G.P. Putnam's Sons publishing house in New York featured his photographs in an exhibition of aviation art titled, "The World in the Air." The popularity of the photographs increased when the book, Death in the Air: The War Diary and Photographs of a Flying Corps Pilot, written by Archer himself, was published in 1933. In it he created personas and a story about a RFC pilot who took a camera from a downed German aircraft and rigged it under his wing in order to take the pictures. The pilot had to conceal his identity because it was against RFC regulations to take unofficial photos of combat. Betty participated in the hoax by posing as Gladys Maud Cockburn-Lange. She sold the photographs, known as the Cockburn-Lange collection, to numerous individuals and publishing companies and assisted in the promotion of the book.
Interest in the photograph collection faded with the advent of World War II. Archer held a job for a short time in 1945 as an associate editor for Scientific American. In 1952, the Archer's moved to Havana, Cuba where Wesley died in 1955. Betty took the secret of the photographs with her when she died in 1959. The truth about the Archer's hoax was discovered in the 1980's by Peter Grosz when the museum received the collection from Archer's friend, John Charlton.
Credit Line
Gift of Eloise and John Charlton
Inventory Number
A19830202000
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
PERSONAL EQUIPMENT-Uniforms: Military
Materials
Overall: Wool
Country of Origin
United Kingdom
See more items in
National Air and Space Museum Collection
National Air and Space Museum
Record ID
nasm_A19830202000
Usage of Metadata (Object Detail Text)
Not determined
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv90ec947a6-e645-43de-98d5-53cff5a99480

Related Content

  • World War I Collection Sampler

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer

Footer logo

Link to homepage

Footer navigation

  • Contact Us
  • Press Room
  • Employment
  • Host Your Event
  • Access Smithsonian
  • EEO & Supplier Diversity
  • Inspector General
  • Records Requests
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use

Social media links

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Email signup form

Email powered by BlackBaud (Privacy Policy, Terms of Use)
Back to Top