Lieut Thomas Hendy: Miniature Flying Corps Bear
 
The first ever Australia in the Great War Australian Flying Corps Bear is ready for take-off. Lieutenant Thomas Hendy celebrates the early days of Australian military aviation. Australia was the only dominion of the British Empire to establish its own flying corps for service in the Great War and some 460 officers and 2,234 other ranks served in the Middle East, over the Western Front, and in training schools in England. All pilots of the A.F.C. were officers of the Australian Imperial Force. His uniform reflects the full-length leather 'Maternity Pattern' flying jacket and leather flight helmet worn to provide warmth during flights in open cockpit aeroplanes. The large angled external pocket on the left-breast provided quick access to maps.
 
The Bear stands approx. 12cm Tall