Rooting around a flea market near Newcastle a collector of all things wartime was astonished to find a rare item with links to the north-east.
Paying just £12 for a blue-striped sack, apparently recovered from a skip, Barry Winton happily took home a Royal Air Force Peterhead kit bag.
Though now living in North Shields, the 44-year-old steel worker was brought in Fraserburgh, making it quite the discovery.
But it was only after an online chat with a north-east writer that its true historical significance was revealed.
The bag has the words “RAF LAC Findlay, Uppersavock, Longside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK” stenciled across it and would have been used during the Second World War to carry belongings between camps.
Also included in the sale was a picture of the owner and his service number – though he has yet to find out much about the serviceman.
Mr Winton said: “It was only when I was talking on Facebook to Les Taylor, whose books I’ve read, that I realised of how much interest it might be to the area.
“I bought it for £12 – prices for these things do fluctuate but the only other one I’ve seen was at auction and my final bid was £100 as the bidding continued on even higher.
“As I was looking the kit bag over I unrolled it. I couldn’t believe it was from Longside.
“When I was younger I used to go to Longside and see the old buildings, though there’s not really much left now really.
“The guy said he found it in a local tip away to be scrapped. He just thought it was junk but picked it up anyway.
“Actually, this is irreplaceable.”
Mr Winton is now keen to find out more about the former owner featured in the photograph.
Les Taylor, author of Banff Strike Wing at War, who also has a keen interest in war artefacts, said: “When the guy was given his new kit bag, he would have had to stencil on details of where the bag was issued, service number and name.
“RAF Peterhead is the official title of the station but, as it was closer to Longside, everyone just called it Longside Airfield and so that’s what he wrote on the bag.
“LAC stands for leading aircraftman, which is basically the RAF equivalent of a private.
“He would have been ground crew, doing anything from arming the aircraft to doing the laundry.
“My theory is that he took it home as a souvenir of the war and then when he died it was probably thrown out.
“I’ve never seen one before. I should say it is unique – an incredible relic from the past.”
