During the Second World War thousands of allied airmen and women were dropped behind enemy lines in Italy, France and The Low Countries. Part of their standard military kit was a map. These maps were printed on silk and showed the local terrain, towns and roads. They could be worn as a scarf or popped in a pocket as a handkerchief.

Imagine being in the parachute regiment in the 1940s flown to a ‘drop zone’ along with a dozen other soldiers. At a certain location you’d be forced to jump out of the aircraft and instructed to make contact with the local French resistance or the Italian ‘resistenza’. By the time you were reunited with the ground you were on your own. The standard issue silk maps were very useful items.

The maps were produced by MI9 as part of the Ministry of Defence war effort. The information printed on the map helped the soldier with orientation. If the scarf got wet it dried out easily, unlike paper which would disintegrate when soaking wet. The silk scarf could also be used around the neck to keep warm. The scarf might mop sweat from a dripping brow. It could be used as a sling for an arm or a bandage for a wrist or ankle. It could also be a makeshift belt for a pair of trousers or a hat to protect the head from the midday sun. It could even be used ‘Dick Whittington style’ to carry your lunch.

The Bodleian Library in Oxford has an extensive collection of these 1940s maps and had some of them reproduced on silk using the exact 1943 format. I bought one on a visit in 2019. Whilst working as a tour guide in Europe I’m often asked about my scarf, so I returned to the Bodleian shop many times to buy more scarves. Imagine how I felt on my last visit when I was told that the scarves were no longer available in the shop – disappointed would be an understatement.

As a constant traveller I love my scarf, it’s part of my travel kit. It’s practical and useful and it looks good! What’s more there’s a great story behind it. Where would I be without my ‘escape map’! So I’m investigating the possibility of getting the scarves printed myself, with the correct permissions of course. If you’d like one then let me know – they should be available towards the end of the year. Maps to me are a way of life – no map – no way!

The Bodleian is a copyright library. It is the library of the University of Oxford and was founded in 1320. In 1840 it became a Copyright Library which entitled it to a copy of every book published. Today there are more than 12 million items in the collection, including books, manuscripts, maps and periodicals.

• The Bodleian Library is a treasure trove of manuscripts, maps, first editions, special collections. It’s well worth visiting their web site. The Bodleian, Oxford
• Follow my blog educated-traveller.com for regular (and I hope) interesting articles on journeys and musings often including Italy, France, The Alps – nowin its 11th year!
• My fellow blogger Sandra Hutchinson discovered more about the versatility of silk at the Silk Museum in Macclesfield, Cheshire Paradise Mill & Silk Museum
• Note to self – Must visit Silk Museum in Macclesfield!

• This scarf used to be available at the Bodleian shop and on their web site.
• It’ll be available on the Educated Traveller blog soon.
• www.bodleianshop.co.uk
• Happy Reading!
• Written May 2019, 2022, 2025, 2026.