Part Five - Morlands During War Time

During the first World War sheepskin and wool were seen as essential materials to keep British troops warm in the harsh environments. In particular, the R.A.F needed a solution to keep their pilots warm as most aircraft did not have an enclosed cockpit. The US air force introduced heavy duty flight jackets in 1917, lined with fur and high wrap around collars. Soon after the R.A.F commissioned British manufactures to replicate the design and the Morlands factory and its employees were enlisted into the war effort.

During the Second World War the Morlands factory started to produce fur lined flying boots, commissioned by the Air Ministry. High quality sheepskins were also processed for other firms to make into flying clothing. Pictured left (Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheepskin_boots) are some Soviet pilots wearing a mid length flight boot similar to the boots worn by the British pilots. These boots were commonly known as 'fug' boots, a name that was adopted by a certain sheepskin boot manufacturer after the war.

The technical advances made to meet Ministry specifications lead to improvements in the quality and appearance of all the Morlands products, when peacetime arrived in 1945 the demand from the civilian market increased. After the war, Morlands concentrated on fleece lined leather footwear. Acquiring skins of the right type and quality became more demanding as production increased. The market demanded a greater range of styles and colours and the business grew rapidly.