Flying mascot underwear: Flying Officer Henry Charles Murray Johnson, 37 Squadron, RAF

Light pink high waisted rayon underpants and bra with blue lace detail. Underpants are embroidered in blue cotton thread with the locations of 43 bombing missions listed across the front and the back with embroidered horse shoes and 'RAAF'. The embroidered text reads 'My Travels by HC Johnson/ 1. Oreil France/ 2. Rouen France/ 3. Rabat Sale - Africa/ 4. Algiers - Algeria/ 5. Tunis - Tunisia/ 6. Foggia Italy/ 7. Fiume Italy/ 8. Maribor - Hungary/ 9. Arezzo - Italy/ 10. Cisterna - Italy/ 11. Albano Italy/ 12. Albano Italy/ 13. San Stefano Italy/ 14. Orbitello Italy/ 15. Genoa Italy/ 16. Sofia Bulgaria/ 17. Sofia Bulgaria/ 18. Milan Italy/ 19. Belgrade - Yugoslavia/ 20. Belgrade - Yugoslavia/ 21. Severn Rumania/ 22. San Stefano Italy/ 23. San Stefano Italy/ 24. Genoa Italy/ 25. Budapest - Hungary/ 26. Bucharest Rumania/ 27. Budapest Hungary/ 28. Piombino Italy/ 29. Arezzo Italy/ 30. Frozonone Italy/ 31. Ferrentino Italy/ 32. Viterbo Italy/ 33. San Stefano Italy/ 34. Subiaco Italy/ 35. Szolnok Hungary/ 36. Viterbo Italy/ 37. Trieste Italy/ 38. Almasfuzito Rumania/ 39. Munich Germany/ 40. Timisoara Hungary/ 41. Ventimiglia Italy/ 42. Budapest Hungary/ 43. Trieste Italy'.

This flying mascot belonged to 421280 Flying Officer Henry Charles Murray Johnson, 37 Squadron, RAF. Johnson enlisted for service on 31 January 1942 from Sydney, NSW. After initial training in Australia he was posted overseas for additional training at Little Rissington, Gloucestershire and then No. 21 Operational Training Unit in Moreton in Marsh, Oxfordshire, England, flying Vickers Wellington long-range bombers. During his service Johnson completed 43 missions with coastal command to France, Africa, Tunisia, Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Rumania and Germany, with 37 Squadron, RAF.

During periods of leave in England, Johnson stayed with an English family under a leave scheme that was available to all Dominion aircrew. The mother, and her daughter Peggy formed a lifelong friendship with Johnson. They handmade this bra and knickers as a good luck charm and flying mascot and posted it to Johnson with a note that read “I’d love to see your face when opening this parcel! Love Peggy”. Johnson carried them in his parachute bag during every mission, and after the war posted them back to Peggy and her mother in England to embroider the locations of 43 missions.