The E-Sylum:  Volume 6, Number 9, March 2, 2003, Article 8

MORE ON CHITS

Paul Withers writes: "The discussion of the origin and meaning
of the Anglo-Indian term "chit" is most interesting.

I can relate that the term chit is used is both senses in real (UK
as opposed to US) english. My mother might have said, for
example, of 'a chit of a girl who brought a chit for a pair of
shoes'. O.k., so the sentence is an unlikely construction, but
you see what I mean.

David Klinger writes: "In the discussion about "chits", one of
the more interesting uses of this word by the military hasn't been
mentioned - the Blood Chit. These pieces of fabric or paper
have been used by aviators almost from the beginning of military
aviation. They usually have an American flag as part of the chit,
along with a written message in several languages asking that
the pilot be returned safely to his country or a neutral location
in the event that the pilot was downed in unknown territory.
They were sometimes worn as a patch, or carried in the pilot's
flight suit. Many may remember the John Wayne movie Flying
Tigers, where all the pilots had them sewed to the back of their
leather flight jackets. They usually offered a monetary reward
for the airman's safe return. In this case, where money was
offered in return, the blood chit would be, in effect, a
promissory note - making it a numismatic item. The best book
on these items is "LAST HOPE: The Blood Chit Story, by
R.E. Baldwin."

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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