The Role of Leather as a Protector in World War I & II

I was in Seattle this weekend for my 15 year old son's soccer tournament.  After the games were over, he wanted to go visit the Flight Museum.  When we lived in Seattle, we used to be members of this museum and it was the PERFECT place to let our toddler boys run around on a cold, rainy weekend - it made our parenting so much more enjoyable!

As we wandered around reminiscing, I noticed how many of their display cases contained leather items - bomber jackets, flight helmets, boots, trench coats, etc. It never occurred to me until now that trench coats were originally designed to withstand rain, cold temperatures, and muddy conditions found in war trenches.  Cockpits were largely open during these wars and leather played a pretty critical role in keeping the pilots warm & protected from the elements.

Now I must say, most of these leather items could have used a little TLC (or SLC = Snowshoe Leather Care) but I suppose showing their age helps with the story telling aspect.  Although, I wonder about the balance of story telling vs. preservation...

If you find yourself in Seattle, don't miss out on this incredible museum.  It's fun for ages 2-102!