Winter service dress trousers : Flying Officer W D Hemmings, RAAF

RAAF blue woollen winter service dress trousers. The front pleated trousers have a concealed six button fly, with a metal hook and bar fastening and five buttons around the waistband for the attachment of braces. The reverse left hand button is missing. There are pockets at each side seam and a coin pocket on the right front waistband. The waistband is notched at the back and lined with white polished cotton. The pocket linings are also made of white cotton and the fly and the area below the waistband are lined with black cotton. A maker's label is sewn to the back of the waistband which reads 'CARR, SON & WOOR LTD 9 SAVILE ROW, LONDON. W.1, ALSO AT OXFORD & CAMBRIDGE. DATE, NO, Tel Reg 1926' It is also marked in black ink 'NOV 1944 P/o HEMMINGS, RAAF'. There are also handwritten labels inside the trousers which are appear to be measurements.

Flying Officer (FO) 450562 William Dudley Hemmings enlisted in November 1941 and completed navigational training in Australia and Canada. Arriving in the United Kingdom in March 1943, he served with 464 Squadron (Sqn) RAAF, 107 Sqn RAF and 613 Sqn RAF, flying in Mosquito aircaft as a navigator. He then served with the British 2nd Tactical Air Force and by October 1944 had flown a total of 48 missions. He returned to Australia in February 1945 and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in the same year for 'outstanding navigational skill on tour of operations'. He completed an air photo interpretation course and served with the Central Interpretation Unit, RAAF Command, Brisbane from June to August 1945. He was discharged from the RAAF on 6 Decemebr 1945 and in April the following year he married Coralie Marie Gordon, who had served as a flight officer with the Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF).