Aviator

The aviator sits cocooned in his Sidcot flying suit with leather flying helmet and goggles for protection against the cold wind rush in his exposed and primitive aircraft. Between his knees is an air-dropped fragmentation bomb; an early example of a weapon that would change the nature of warfare in the 20th century.

The Sidcot flying suit was a one-piece overall designed for aircrew by the pioneering Australian aviator, Sidney Cotton.

During the Great War, Australian aviators flew patrols, bombing missions, or provided reconnaissance or aerial artillery spotting.