Ardent Oxford United supporter Jim Cobley - known as the 'fan in the flying jacket' - has tracked down the story of a pilot who once wore his famous coat in the Second World War.

Mr Cobley, 74, has sent the jacket to an Air Force museum in Canada, in honour of Pilot Officer David Rouleau, who was killed in action over the seas around Malta on June 3, 1942.

It has taken him, with the help of a fellow ex-RAF friend Pat Hall, about 20 years to unearth the history of the jacket, which he treasured as "an old friend".

He said: "I lived my life in and around Oxford and each Saturday wore it to United games, home and away.

"Fellow supporters knew that if they saw the jacket, I was there on the terraces.

"I made many friends purely because I was wearing it, when they stopped to speak to me about it.

"It became part of my life," he said.

The story of how the garment got from the Mediterranean to the Cobley family home in Headington, Oxford, and then to Canada is an unlikely one.

Jim's father, Fred Cobley, bought it for £3 in 1946 from an ex-services surplus store, near the Pressed Steel factory where he worked, and passed it on to his son who soon joined the RAF.

"I wore it for years, then one day one of my friends spotted the name Rouleau next to the label with the maker's name. I'd never taken any notice of it before," said Mr Cobley, who now lives at Cogges Hill Road, Witney.

Inquiries began with the RAF records' office, who pinpointed Pilot Officer Rouleau as a member of the Canadian RAF, who flew Spitfires in the battle to relieve Malta.

His last flight was from a Royal Navy aircraft carrier to protect a Mediterranean convoy when, in a dogfight with the Luftwaffe, he was shot down into the sea. He was 22.

He was not wearing the flying jacket, and it was returned to England along with other personal possessions.

Mr Cobley and Mr Hall, of Cornfield Close, Witney, discovered he was an only child and both his parents had died. They turned their attention to the Canadian RAF and got more valuable information.

After being satisfied that the jacket would be looked after by the RAF Memorial Museum and that it would be featured in an exhibition in Gatineau, outside Ottawa, Mr Cobley decided to donate the jacket.

They have since found out that there is a cousin still alive and have been in touch with her.

Mr Cobley added: "I'm thrilled, I feel connected with Rouleau. I've often thought that his jacket should be returned. With the help of Pat, I've achieved what I wanted to do after all these years."

Mr Hall said: "This jacket has seen wartime heroism and many Oxford United games. It's now back where it will be honoured.

"It's been a fascinating story."