The Foss family, on the road and in the sky Marshall Maclagan Foss
1903 – 1993
TComplied & Written by
Ronald M. Foss
he Un-covered History of His Aviation Overalls Marshall Maclagan Foss was born in Sherbrooke, Quebec, moving to Montreal when he was just a young boy. He was the first son of George Foote Foss, who was the inventor of the first successful gasoline automobile in Canada.
Marshall became a prominent figure in aviation as a charter director of the Montreal Light Aeroplane Club, founded in Cartierville, Quebec, later relocating to St. Hubert, Quebec. He learned to fly in 1927 and became manager of the Trans-canada Air Pageant in 1930. He was professionally employed with an advertising agency business in Montreal until 1939, when
commissioned to the Royal Canadian Air Force (R.C.A.F.), as a Flight Lieutenant. He spent six
years as a pilot, retiring in 1945 with the rank of Wing Commander. Later in life, he would talk
openly about training Americans and Canadians to fly during the war years, remaining stateside,
while serving in that capacity for the R.C.A.F.
Years later Marshall became a member of the National Club, Toronto; Quiet Birdmen, New York; Wings Club, New York and the Toronto Board of Trade.
Back in his early days, the flying clubs used the D.H. 60 Moth. It was one of the first light aircraft
specifically designed for private pilots. In the late 1920s and 1930s, it was the most popular
airplane in Canada and there were more Moths than any other type of airplane. In fact, they were in such demand that the British company: de Havilland opened a factory in Downsview, Ontario in 1928, to assemble the D.H. 82c Moth model, with enclosed cockpits, brakes and a tail wheel.
Marshall did have minor mishaps while planning and participating in the Trans-canada Air
Pageants across the country. In a letter written by his mother, Gertrude Louise Maclagan (Foss),
on July 1, 1931, she talks openly about these incidents, his close calls and a broken leg. She
goes on to state the following: “To be the wife of the man who built the first automobile in Canada and the mother of a pioneer aviator, means a life full of varied experiences.” Further on within this same letter she proudly mentions that he had logged over 3,000 miles flying from Montreal to Vancouver, stopping en-route at many locations in both Canada and the United States.
At some point in his aviation history, very likely around 1927 to 1930, Marshall acquired a pair of overalls with a distinct aviation emblem on the upper left pocket. These were either mechanic or pilot style and were generally worn over regular clothing. While not specially identified, the aviation emblem is very likely a version of inter-war wings popular at the time.
In many photographs of the interwar period, particularly at air-displays, British RAF flying teams
are seen dashingly dressed in a white overall. These were issued to RAF pilots for air-displays
and were used as a “mark of status” up to late 1940, for all of those who had flown in those
formative days. Also, many of the newly formed RAF Auxiliary prior to 1939 often provided much of their own flying clothing and opted for the unlined white cotton overalls purchased from the many commercial suppliers.[3] One can surmise, that pilots in Canada may have been influenced by these British RAF Flyboys.
Post war, Marshall’s overalls ended up in the hands of his brother and subsequently his nephew,
rather than with his three sons or grandchildren. Members of the family originally thought that
these overalls may have been RCAF military issue, but recent research conducted with the help
of the War Museum in Ottawa, Ontario and the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in
Hamilton, Ontario has confirmed these overalls to be non-military issue.
There are four distinct points of interest on the overalls:
• Inside, just under the collar, P-K Service Alls Reg is stitched on a tag (blue on white) • On the matching and attached belt, Nicholas–beazley Airplane Company, Inc, is stitched on a tag (red on white)
• The metal buttons have the same P-K Service Alls symbol
on them (Unfortunately the front buttons were replaced with a zipper)
• The embroidered emblem on the left front chest pocket is unique and quite striking.
In 1924, Russell Nicholas and Howard Beazley formed the Nicholas-beazley Airplane Company. To do so, they had to close part of their automobile business to devote their time to aviation. They also developed a catalog, advertising inventories of aircraft parts, which included: engines, (new, used and overhauled), upper and lower wings; propellers; ailerons; rudders; elevators; fins and stabilizers.[4] In later years these catalogues included personal aviation gear for pilots and mechanics. In their 1927 “D” Catalogue, on page 57, there is a Ground Mechanic Suit. The
purchase price in those days was $7.00 US.[5]
These appear to be exact to the ones worn by Marshall M. Foss.
In 1937, production of their aircraft ceased and in May 1938 the company closed its doors, succumbing to the impact of the great depression. Today the Nicholas-beazley Aircraft Company Museum is situated in Marshall Memorial Municipal Airport in Marshall, Missouri.
It was a connection to the Nicholasbeazley Aviation Museum that allowed us to best identify and narrow down the dating of the overalls. It seems that P-K Service Alls could have manufactured these on behalf of the Nicholas-beazley Airplane Company. Upon polling family members, it was unanimously agreed that these overalls would be donated to the Nichols Beazley Aviation Museum, to be put on display and catalogued, as the curator deems it appropriate.