An ingenious ‘striptease suit’ used by British secret agents during the Second World War to undress in a hurry behind enemy lines is tipped to sell for up to £3,000 at auction.
Designed with a full-length dual zip, the camouflage suit allowed operatives to quickly reveal a civilian disguise beneath.
It also had a side pocket where a spade was stashed, enabling the wearer to bury the suit and leave no trace of their arrival.
Because they were made to be disposed of, few examples survive today, but now a rare specimen from 1942 is going to auction.
An ingenious ‘striptease suit’ used by British secret agents during the Second World War to undress in a hurry behind enemy lines is tipped to sell for up to £3,000 at auction.
Designed with a full-length dual zip, the camouflage suit allowed operatives to quickly reveal a civilian disguise beneath. The special suit being modelled
Caroline Dennard, militaria specialist at Halls Fine Art in Shrewsbury, which is hosting the auction, revealed how the suit got its nickname.
She said: ‘They’re called a striptease suit simply because of the facility for the dual zip.
‘So agents were able to undress quickly upon landing, with one hand, without having to fiddle around with buttons or take their shoes off.
‘You could literally just unzip, bury it and move on.’
Alexander Clement, another specialist at Halls, described the benefit to agents.
He said: ‘It’s an overall that would have covered your civilian clothing.
‘When you were parachuted behind enemy lines and perhaps landed in a muddy field somewhere, you wouldn’t get any mud or detritus on your clothing, your overalls would protect you.’
Miss Dennard added: ‘Obviously you don’t want to be dirty, because if someone shows up with rumpled clothing or covered in mud that’s an immediate concern.
It also had a side pocket where a spade was stashed, enabling the wearer to bury the suit and leave no trace of their arrival
The suits were made by the Special Operations Executive (SOE), Britain’s wartime bureau for espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in occupied Europe
‘So this is the outer covering to then cover up the normal clothing.’
The suits were made by the Special Operations Executive (SOE), Britain’s wartime bureau for espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in occupied Europe.
The Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the equivalent agency in America, would adopt them too.
And each was adaptable to the needs of the wearer.
Miss Dennard said: ‘They did these different variants dependant on whoever wore it and what they wanted.
‘And we do see some wartime modifications here.’
The disposable nature of the suits makes them a rarity today
The disposable nature of the suits makes them a rarity today.
Miss Dennard said: ‘As these were naturally meant to be discarded, they are sought-after items and I have given the suit a pre-sale estimate of £2,000 to £3,000.’
Halls will host its militaria, naval and aviation auction on February 26 in Shrewsbury, with entries for the auction closing on January 24.