This bag is one of a limited edition of 50 made as part of the ‘carried with us’ project; a collaboration between Home Front Vintage and artisan leather worker Nat Thakur.

Each bag is lined with an original escape map from the Cold War.

Escape maps were the creation of Clayton Hutton, an eccentric MI9 British Army Officer during WW2. Hutton had maps printed onto silk as it doesn’t degrade in water and also doesnt rustle like paper. The maps were issued to the military throughout WW2 and beyond; with troops hiding maps inside the lining of their uniform or hollowing out the heel of their boot and hiding the map there. If they were captured or shot down, they then had a map so they could try and escape and find their way home. All the escape and evade items in the collection are made from genuine issue, rescued maps from the Cold War.

The project aims to share some of the stories we carry with us about people who lived through the 1940s and 1950s and who shaped who we are today.

Many of the bags in the collection are named after someone special and tell their story in the words of those who knew them. 

This bag is named after my grandfather William Ramsden. William was in the RAF during WW2 and flew many missions during the war in many different aircraft including the Wellington, Halifax, Defiant and the Lancaster. He also trained men to fly planes and as the war ended brought back prisoners of war to Wing airbase very close to where I live now. 

Each bag comes with a print out of William's story and information on the history of the escape maps.

Handmade from quality Italian vegetable tanned leather. Lined with a genuine military silk escape map from the 1950's.

This product is made to order and may take up to 4 days to arrive.

Each bag comes packaged in a gift bag with information about the maps.

More information about the project 

Complete with an inside zip pocket and D ring to clip your keys to.  

 Dimensions: 

Length: 41cm

Width: 32cm

Depth: 6cm