Further Wartime Novelties

Slacks and The Siren Suit

The need for warm clothing able to be thrown quickly over what ever you were wearing (even nightclothes) when the air-raid sirens blared lead to the adoption of what came to be dubbed “the siren suit”. The suits were invented and promoted by Winston Churchill. Women’s versions were designed to be fashionable. They were zippered or buttoned down the front and had large pockets allowed the carrying of quickly grabbed necessities for an overnight stay in an air-raid shelter. They were often hooded and sported a handy buttoned flap at the back.