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Insignia / Medals / Badges - British & Commonwealth

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RAF mother-of-pearl sweetheart pilot wing brooch "Mother".

Absolutely lovely hand-made brooch measuring 2.5" (6cm) from wingtip to wingtip. Made from carved from mother-of-pearl, with the word "Mother" in gold wire to the front. Pin back fastening. The workmanship is quite amazing - the word "Mother" and the pin and catch on the back all being made out of one continuous piece of wire which threads through tiny drilled holes in the mother-of-pearl.  Quite a unique example.

$75 / £60 / €70

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WWII era corporal stripes (single) made from two individual chevrons.

Interesting rank insignia for a RAF corporal, comprising 2 stripes made by sewing two individual stripes together. ​Most likely a theatre-made, improvised set for a field promotion. One tiny moth nip otherwise very good condition.

$25 / £20 / €23

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Handmade RAF aircrew "sweetheart" badge made from aircraft canopy Perspex and a gilt uniform button.

Superbly made example of a RAF brevet "sweetheart" badge made from a piece of aircraft canopy Perspex, inlaid with the eagle and crown carefully cut from a RAF uniform button. Aircrews often spent much of thir "downtime" cutting, carving and polishing these souvenirs. Some are better than others and this particular one is a real beauty, in excellent condition. Exact same size as the embroidered brevet, 3" (7.5cm) across.

$40 / £33 / €38

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WWII RAF pilot wing "sweetheart" brooch made from 925 silver.

Lovely, highly detailed pilot's wing badge made from 925 silver (marked 925). Measures

2-3/8" (6cm) across with a good pin back. Lovely example.

$60 / £48 / €55

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RCAF cadet collar badges, left and right.

Beautiful matching pair (left and right facing eagles) of Air Cadets Canada collar badges, gilt on brass with lug backs. 1-5/8" (40mm) across. Excellent condition, unknown age but not modern "stay bright" - I would guess 1950-1970.

$30 / £25 / €28

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WWII RAF flight sergeant's brass crowns.

 

Lovely matching pair of correct WWII flight sergeant's crowns in brass  for the service dress or battle dress (suits aircrew/war service dress).  These were positioned immediately above the stripes to indicate the rank of flight sergeant. Perfect condition and include the cotter pins for attaching to sleeve.

$35 / £30 / €33

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Matched pair of WWII RAF officer's VR collar devices.

 

Lovely matching pair of correct WWII officer's VR (Volunteer Reserve) gilt collar devices for the service dress jacket.  These were not worn after 1942 so indicate early wartime use. Lug back complete with cotter pins for attachment.

$25 / £21 / €24

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Royal Flying Corps sweetheart brooch in gilt.

 

First Word War sweetheart pins, especially RFC pilot wings, are quite scarce, and this is a lovely example of an early RFC sweetheart brooch, depicting the RFC cipher with "bat wing" style wings, highly detailed feathering in a nice gilt on brass construction. The pin itself has broken, just in front of the hinge, but could be restored easily, if desired. The badge has some surface wear to the gilt finish but  is a beautiful and quite rare variation. 1.5" (38mm).

$45 / £36 / €42

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Royal Flying Corps "swagger" stick top/finial.

 

The second of four from a collection of these interesting items. Back the days of the Great War, every Army officer carried a "swagger" stick or cane and most had it topped with their regimental crest. This is a beautiful example of one which belonged to a Royal Flying Corps pilot, because it features not just the RFC crest, but a beautiful and deeply embossed stylized pilot wing. The detail on the feathering is just exquisite. Most likely silver but not marked as such, the cane is long since detached but this could easily be remounted to a new one. Approximately 2.5" high. Gorgeous testimony to a long dead tradition and a brave pilot. This one still has the top of the cane inside.

$55 / £45 / €50

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Royal Navy officer's cap badge and mohair band.

 

Nice early wartime Royal Navy officer's cap badge, complete with its mohair band. Heavily padded bullion embroidered badge shows lots of honest use, the red crown slightly faded, but lovely patina to the gold and silver wire and no damage, other than the mohair band has frayed and separated where it was sewn to the badge (easily restored).

$50 / £40 / €45

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WWII Royal Navy officer's cap badge with mohair band.

 

Original WWII Royal Navy officer's cap badge with mohair band still attached. Nice and salty with tarnish to the bullion wire embroidery, but a good example. Heavily padded King's Crown with wreath and anchor. Same badge was worn by all branches of the Royal Navy, including the Fleet Air Arm. 

$50 / £40 / €45

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Royal Flying Corps "sweetheart" brooch made from a RFC uniform button.

Lovely, simple "sweetheart" brooch, most likely made in the field by an enlisted man for his wife, mother or girlfriend. Comprises a single small (pocket) size brass uniform button attached to a brass pin. 2" across. Excellent condition and a great addition to any "sweetheart" pin collection.

$45 / £35 / €42

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WWII Army Air Corps cap or beret badge by J.R. Gaunt. Slider fitting.

 

Excellent example of the Army Air Corps cap / beret badge in silver metal with a slider fitting, maker marked J.R. Gaunt. Superb detailing and quite a scarce badge.

$40 / £35 / €38 

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Lovely pair of early post war RAF mess dress epaulettes for a Squadron Leader.

 

Interesting and scarce pair of epaulettes for the RAF mess dress jacket, from the early 1950s. Superb quality fine melton wool with gold braid and bullion embroidered wings and crown with red velvet padded Queen's crown. White leather backing is gold foil stamped with Gieves maker mark and "By appointment to His Majesty the King"  with the royal seal of King George VI. Excellent condition and lovely to see the crossover era where both the King's and Queen's crown appear on the same item.

$40 / £35 / €38 

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RCAF ops wing indicating a completed tour of duty, converted to pin-back.

 

Lovely example of the RCAF ops wing, by Birks, in Sterling Silver with a gold wash or plating. Most have the gold finish worn away, but this retains its nice gilt finish. It has has been modified by a jeweller by removing the screw posts on the back and replacing them with a gold pin fastening. Unfortunately the pin is now broken and missing, but could be easily replaced by a jeweller. Unfortunately no history, but it is a lovely original example.

$75 / £65 / €72

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Lovely Kings Crown RAF Warrant Officer's cap badge by Ludlow of London.

Nice early full-size Warrant Officer's cap badge by Ludlow. Has the hand painted space between crown and eagle and the separate insert of red behind the crown. Exquisite detail on the gilt. Lug back and in great condition.

$50 / £48 / €52

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Single wartime RAF shoulder title "Canada".

Worn on both shoulders of Canadian personnel serving oversea (other ranks), light blue embroidered on a dark blue/black wool background. Single only.

$25 / £23 / €26

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RAF wireless operator trade badge, early WWII embroidered on fine wool.

Removed from uniform and showing wear and use but no damage, lovely early wartime (or pre-war) wireless operator's badge, worn on the upper right sleeve. Silk embroidrede on fine wool. This was one of the earliest qualification badges, first introduced in the Royal Flying Corps.

$35 / £30 / €35

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RAF signaller half-wing brevet.

Very nice padded example of the signaller's qualification badge on fine wool background, with oilcloth backing. Has been sewn on and removed from uniform.

$55 / £48 / €55

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Superb padded RAAF pilot wing.

Lovely wartime British-made RAAF pilot wing, embroidered in cream silk on dark blue melton wool with a light blue wreath with a black oilcloth backing. Nicely padded and never sewn on. A scarce wing.

$150 / £130 / €150

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Lovely Canadian made New Zealand pilot wing.

Lovely wartime Canadian-made RNZAF pilot wing, embroidered in cream silk on black wool felt with a brown wreath and red-filled crown. Nicely padded with black paper backing. Never sewn on. A scarce wing.

$150 / £130 / €150

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Cold War era / 1950s RCAF flying suit badge.

Lovely 1950s or perhaps early 1960s RCAF flying suit or blazer badge, constructed of padded velvet and silk with heavy gold and silver  bullion wire embroidery. Well made with that distinctive "Canadian" look to the eagle, and the legend Per Ardua Ad Astra used by all Commonwealth air forces. Has been sewn on but remains bright and in good condition.

$35 / £30 / €35

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Scarce 1935 National League of Airmen membership badge.

The National League of Airmen was founded in 1935, at a time when Britain was politically divided between further disarmament and increasing military strength. The NLA was an ultra-conservative right wing "club" which recruited members from within the RAF and civilian aviation community with a view to fostering the belief that Britain must expand the RAF, develop greater air power and budget for more modern aircraft in order to improve national security. As it turned out, the threat from Nazi Germany forced the issue so the organization did not exist for very long. This lapel badge, which measures 1.25" x 0.875" (30mm x 22mm) is in very good condition with all its blue enamel intact. Maker marked Caxton Nameplate Mfg. London, which seems to be a scarce manufacturer.

$45 / £38 / €45

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RAAF Observer half wing brevet.

Wartime Royal Australian Air Force qualification badges are among the more difficult to find, and this is a lovely original example of the wartime RAAF Observer badge. It differed completely from the RAF issue by being standardized into the same pattern as all other RAAF aircrew brevets - the "O" inside a blue wreath alongside a detached "half" wing. Off white silk on a padded dark blue wool background, black cotton backing. Slight glue residue on the back.

 

$120 / £100 / €118

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Wartime Irvin Airchute company pin badge.

As above, not the badge issued to RAF airmen whose lives were saved by the Irvin parachute, but given to Irvin company employees who designed and tested the parachutes on a daily basis. Gilt metal with blue and white enamel, and maker marked on the back, H.W. Miller, Branston St. Birmingham.  

$45 / £38 / €44

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Post War British army insignia - job lot of 6 pieces.

Post War British army insignia - job lot of 6 pieces, all in bullion wire embroidery. All for ceremonial or best dress uniform comprising QC on green felt, QC and wreath on green felt, sergeant's stripes on green felt, QC in wreath on black felt, sergeant's strips on red felt, combined services badge on black felt. All superbly well made. 

$65 / £55 / €62

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WWI or early 1920s RAF "Sweetheart" or lapel badge.

WWI or early 1920s RAF "Sweetheart" or lapel badge. One piece gilt on brass eagle and crown with R•A•F beneath. This same style was previously made with the letters R•N•A•S  but presumably updated following the amalgamation of the RNAS and RFC into the RAF in April 1918. 2.25" (57mm) across with lugs to back. Excellent condition.

$35 / £25 / €30

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Wartime flight engineer half-wing brevet.

Nice flat wartime example of the brevet awarded to flight engineers – a silk embroidered E within a brown wreath and a "half" or single wing. Excellent condition - has been glued into an album and still has a small piece of green paper glued to back.

$50 / £38 / €45

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RAF Air Commodore rank epaulettes/shoulder straps x 2 pairs.

 

2 pairs of uniform shoulder straps/epaulettes for a RAF Air Rank officer with the rank of Air Commodore (single wide rank lace).

 

First set are from a tailored blouse (BD type).

 

Second pair are for a RAF greatcoat.

 

Both are in excellent condition. Very difficult to find Air Rank uniforms or accessories!

$40 / £30 / €37 each set 

or

$67 / £50 / €60 both sets together

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Early WWII combat veteran RAF pilot wing removed from uniform.

 

A perfect example of what happens to a wing/brevet when it is rubbed or worn by a mae west or parachute harness! This lovely wing is an early example, hand embroidered in silk on a melton wool backing, but it has rubbed away at the edge and the threads have separated. Still it displays nicely for what it is!

$60 / £45 / €55

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RAF official guest badge for New Year event, December 31, 1941.

Beautiful printed cardboard badge perhaps worn by dignitaries or guests of the RAF, or RAF personnel in civilian clothes at a special event.  3.5" x 2.5" (90mm x 60mm) printed in gold, dark blue, sky blue and red on light cardboard, with a sky blue ribbon and safety pin. Stamped on the back is "Royal Air Force Blackpool, Dec 31 1941 - Jan 1, 1942 " so it appears to be for a New Year's Eve gathering, or perhaps a party. Blackpool (RAF Squire's Gate) was one of the main gathering points for RAF trainees being inducted and being on the western side of Great Britain was less subject to raids; in fact the famous Blackpool illuminations were kept on for much of the war.  Slight creases, especially on the eagle's wingtips, otherwise very condition for its age. A scarce and unusual RAF insignia. Probably made by the hundred, yet few are likely to have survived. Well worthy of deeper research.

$55 / £40 / €48

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WWII RAF LAC tropical sleeve rank badge.

High quality tropical rank badge for a Leading Aircraftsman. Embroidered in red silk on a stiff khaki cotton background with white cotton backing fabric. Has been sewn on and is grubby but is in excellent condition. A nice eearly example.

$20 / £15 / €18

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Early post war RAF pilot wing brevet ("Queen's" Crown).

 

Beautifully maid and quite heavily padded example of a RAF pilot wing brevet from the early 1950s, with a "Queen's" Crown but otherwise identical to WWII patterns, with cream silk embroidered wings, crown and cipher, and russet silk wreath. An excellent example, never sewn on. 

$40 / £30 / €34

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WWII RAF corporals stripes on shoulder slides, locally/rigger made.

 

Matching pair of locally/rigger made shoulder rank slides for a RAF corporal. These have been carefully made by cutting down 2 sets of corporal stripes and sewing them to a khaki canvas backing. Very good example of wartime improvisation.

$50 / £36 / €43

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WWII RAF "Sweetheart" brooch: silver pilot wing suspended from a bar.

 

Beautiful example of a RAF "sweetheart" brooch, given by a pilot to his wife, girlfriend or mother. Small, measuring just 1.25" (32mm) across, it is made of silver (both the wing and bar are marked "silver." The enamel is present but slightly discoloured and worn from polishing - obvioulsy a treasured piece. 

$30 / £20 / €25

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RARE South African Air Force miniature/sweetheart pilot wing.

Exquisitely made early/unofficial version of the South African Air Force pilot wing in gilt with enamel details, fine feathering and a pin back. Measures 2.375" (6cm). Features the RAF style cipher with letters SAAF instead of the official crested quadrant adopted on SAAF wings.

$75 / £55 / €65  

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RAF wartime enameled sweetheart brooch featuring an observer brevet.

 

Lovely pinback "sweetheart" brooch  which would have been given to the wife, girlfriend or mother of someone who flew as an aircrew flight observer. 43mm at its longest point, with beautiful blue and white cloisonne on a gilt badge. 

$42 / £30 / €35 

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RAAF officer's side cap badge.

 

WWII era Royal Australian Air Force officer's side cap badge comprising eagle and King's crown on one-piece metal backing plate with screw-back. Blackened bronze finish to eagle and crown. 1.75" (4cm). 

$35 / £25 / €30 

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WWI medal ribbons on pinback bar.

 

From the same source as the above RFC pilot wing, but these are the genuine article. "Pip, Squeak and Wilfred" as these medals were affectionately named.

$35 / £25 / €30 

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WWII Air Training Corps lapel badge

Beautifully made gilt and blue enamel lapel badge measuring just 1" x 0.75" across with a buttonhole fitting on the back. The ATC was formed as a branch of the RAF in 1939 to prepare Air Cadets for a future career in the RAF, and many WWII pilots, aircrew and ground crew began as 13-17 year olds in this organization. The Air Training Corps remains strong today and is still the only youth organization that is a direct branch of its parent military service. A lovely badge from the earliest days of the organization showing wear but no damage.

 

$30 / £24 / €28   email to secure this item

WWII RAFVR lapel badge

Beautifully made gilt and enamel lapel badge measuring just 0.75" x 0.5" across with a buttonhole fitting on the back.  The RAF Volunteer Reserve was  a valuable resource of pilots and aircrew in WWII, most of whom learned to fly at their own expense prior to the war and were the first to be called up when hostilities broke out. This small badge may  have been worn on civilian clothes or given as a gift to loved ones to show their support. A lovely badge from the earliest days of the organization showing wear but no damage.

 

$35 / £28 / €32   email to secure this item

WWII era enamelled Air Cadet lapel pin.

7/8" diameter Air Training Corps lapel pin, gilt with sky blue enamel inlay. I presume this was issued to a civilian instructor, since Air Cadets usually wore a silver metal lapel pin when not in uniform. Lovely badge with great detail and "horseshoe shaped button back for fitting into a button hole. Only ever seen a handful of these so quite scarce. The Air Training Corps was founded in 1940 with the specific intent of recruiting youth into the RAF by providing basic training in aeronautics, drill, etc. to boys aged 14 and up. The ATC remains the only cadet force/youth organization in the UK that is officially part of a military branch and is wholly sponsored and maintained by the RAF .

$25 / £20 / €23   email to secure this item

WWII Royal Navy Petty Officer's cap badge.

Lovely example of a Royal Navy Petty Officer's cap badge as worn on the everyday service dress uniform; red silk embroidered on a wool background with a stiffener and an oilcloth backing. Excellent condition. Badge was the same for all branches of the Royal Navy, so would be worn by Fleet Air Arm, submarine crews and everyone in between.

$20 / £15 / €18  email to secure this item

Sample set of 3 RCAF uniform buttons.

 

Lovely set of unused RCAF uniform buttons, one in each of the sizes made (large for tunic, medium for pocket and small for cap). Attached to a piece of cardboard and bound at the back with wire. Perhaps a salesman's sample or collected during the war, but crisp as the day they were made (if somewhat dull and tarnished - I have left them as is, it's up to the new owner to polish if desired). Can't tell the maker without removing from card which i do not want to do.

$20 / £15 / €17    email to secure this item

Early RAF identity disk "dog" tag.

 

Pressed fibreboard disk incised with the name J.B. Richardson, his serial number 155087 and his religion C.E. (Church of England). The reverse is marked "RAF."

Not a scarce item but a nice perosnal display.

 

Priced at £12 / $15 / €14  email for more details

Various WWII RAF rank / trade insignia.

 

All WWII period except where noted.

 

Warrant Officer cuff badge (QC - early 1950s)

£7.85 / $10 / €8.95

 

Leading Aircraftsman (2-bladed prop) 3 different

each £3.95 / $5 / €4.90

 

Senior Aircraftsman (3-bladed prop) 2 different

each £3.95 / $5 / €4.90

 

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