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Very interesting (and probably very rare) WWI wing - silk embroidered


pfrost
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Thanks to Mike who gave me a heads up on this eBay item.

 

I am not sure is this is a very valuable item, but I suspect it is very rare. It appears to be a silk RMA wing sewn on twill. It is silk thread and about 3.5 inches long.

 

At first I thought it may have been something made for a souvenir pillowcase or handkerchief. But in hand, I suspect it was actually made to be worn.

 

There are a number of embroidered wing variations. Enlisted pilot sleeve badges (http://www.ww2wings.com/wings/wwi/us/presleyenlistedaviator.shtml)

and the original Aeronautic badges (balloon pilots) (http://www.ww2wings.com/wings/wwi/us/presley1917balloon.shtml) were made of silk thread on a blue/black backing.

There are even a couple of silk thread pilot wings and hybrid silk thread-bullion wings that I have seen.

This is the first one I have ever seen, and I really think it is super cool. White silk thread for the wings and shield and yellow thread for the "US". The wing itself is grubby as hell but it really shows some fine embroidery.

 

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It isn't padded like an RAF wing, but it does have that kind of "feel". If I had to guess, this wing was made in England. Because it is so rare to see an embroidered USAS wing I have very little to compare it to with other wings (other than RAF or RCAF brevets).

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vintageproductions

Patrick- Now you know I don't chime in very often on the wing section but I think I can help you with this one.

 

I have seen these ( maybe two or three) attached to WWI - 1920's greeting cards / post cards.

 

I am sure they were used for other things also, but that is how I have found them.

 

Bob

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But then again, what we KNOW and what really happened.... I have always liked this vintage photo of what looks like a RMA wearing a folded up embroidered wing on his uniform (I suspect it is actually just pinned on, rather that sewn.

 

This is (for comparison) an RAF/RFC embroidered wing that I have always felt may be from late WWI/1920's (or it may be fake, but it is just there to compare). There are some VERY finely embroidered RFC wings.

 

Anyway, while rare, I am not sure how valuable this guy is. Just really rare.

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Finally, just a quick comparison with a bullion and silk wing.

 

They are about the same size, and you can see the similarities. Not exact, but pretty close.

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Thanks Bob. I am not against the idea that they are souvenir items. As I said that was my first thought.

 

But it is still going into my Riker case of WWI bullion wings. LOL

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Patrick,

 

I saw those on ebay and was even going to bid! However, work intervened and the opportunity got past me.

 

I also have a pair of silk embroidered US wings. Mine, different from yours, are on dark blue felt--I have often wondered about them. Were they made by a British or Canadian tailor for a pilot who earned his wings in the US? For a US pilot serving along with the RFC/RAF? By a loving mother with outstanding embroidery skills for a patriotic sampler? We'll never know.

 

Most of the post-card type I have seen have been done in very fine silk and are somewhat thin, or sparse in the "depth" of their embroidery. To my eye, this one seems somehow more robust and substantial. Could it have been made for a white, tropical uniform? Yours certainly looks substantial enough to have been worn. Again, I don't think we will ever know for sure.

 

I'm curious , how does it compare in size with other WW1 bullion embroidered wings? In the case of my badge, it is very similar in dimensions:

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For the most part, the postcard, pillow-case, and son-in-service banner wings I've seen don't look like something that could be worn. In my opinion, yours does.

 

Chris

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Bluehawk,

 

In a sense, all WW1 embroidered wing badges should look; "home made" or at least; "hand made." I have no doubt that whomever made either of the wings being discussed in this thread had, like your wife, quite a bit of needlework skill.

 

At any rate, here's an image of Lloyd Andrews Hamilton wearling a very similarly proportioned (to my) wing:

 

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Chris

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