Johnny Macknish in his new Sabre gear on the tower of Hangar 3 - Mar54.   Eric Pigdon added the following on the subject of Sabre gear: Observations on the Sabre Gear.   A feature of the Sabre Conversion Course was that on the first day one was sent to the Wildenrath Equipment Section to be measured and fitted with new type flying gear.   I note that John is not sporting a pair of Sabre Flying Boots which replaced our suede fur lined boots, they had wide tops which could fit round the bottom of the flying suit legs.   I went to Wildenrath in early April 1954 and in addition to the Bone Dome (without visor) and a new Oxygen Mask (colour green, which covered more of the face and had a rubber bar inside which rested on the top lip and prevented the mask spreading out when one was breathing oxygen under pressure).   We were also given new winter flying suits (high waisted trousers with braces and a short jacket - they were supplied tack-stitched together, these stitches were soon unpicked and most of us wore the top as a flying jacket with a normal flying suit and very rarely used the bottoms.   I think this was when we were first issued with Vyella type woollen shirts which were great until washed after which they were two sizes smaller.   This problem was easily solved, the word was out, ask for shirts two sizes too large and wash them before wearing them. This caused problems about a year later when exchanging the worn shirts, the Suppliers had reacted to our complaints and the new contractor got the material spec right but the order had been to replace the size distribution taken from stores for the first lot - now the stores were full of size 17, 18, 19 and even 20 inch necks.   The oxygen mask gave me trouble with my, then large moustache, I had to make sure that each end was brushed up before clipping the mask on.   If I was on say a Battle Flight scramble and rushed the fitting of the mask I could spend much of the flight blowing the turned down end of the moustache out of my mouth, then on landing that end would remain turned down as if it had been permed into that position.   (Thanks to Johnny Macknishand Eric Pigdon.)