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Tribute to the US pilots of the RAF Ferry Command


mtnman
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The RAF Ferry Command began in July of 1941 as the successor to the Atlantic Ferry Organization or ATFERO. Over the course of Nov 1939 and 40 the Ministry Of Aircraft Production in Great Britain tried to find an expeditious way of moving aircraft manufactured in the United States to Great Britain to supplant the early system of disassembling the planes on the coast of North America and shipping them to the UK and reassembling them. Under neutrality agreements, regulations strictly prohibited commerce regarding  goods that could be considered weaponry, being given in any exchange, to any of the belligerent Nations by a neutral country such as the United States of America. 

 

With the invasion of Western Poland by Hitler, in a secret agreement through Molotov with Stalin who would invade from the East, World War II truly got underway.

The shipping of aircraft to Great Britain continued until November of 1940 when a pilot from Great Britain named Don Bennett undertook the first transatlantic delivery test flight from Newfoundland to the UK, of goods, in this case military four engine aircraft, manufactured in the US. 

 

It was so successful that by 1941 the Atlantic Ferry Organization, ATFERO, was created by the Ministry of Aircraft Production and set up by Morris Wilson, a banker in Canada, from the province of Montreal. Wilson hired pilots from several nationalities including the United States of America, to fly these aircraft across the North Atlantic upon the routes that would become the standard thoroughfares of commercial transport and passenger aviation thereafter. 

 

In July of 1941, the transport quantity was expanding so quickly and the need so broad that ATFERO was raised to command status and thus was born the RAF Ferry Command. The same pilots from America, Canada, the UK and other Commonwealth nations, continued their faithful service of the most groundbreaking innovation of long range flight infrastructure and skill and unequivocal contribution to  the victory of the Allies. 

 

The wings are of the utmost Elegance, bearing a tiered fletching pattern with an artistic flair in the undulation of the wings from the shoulder to the center and at the wing tips. The wings are marked Sterling followed by a small symbol after the G, that is commensurate with Birks, one of the most successful powerhouses in Canadian history regarding the manufacture of the artistry and utility incumbent in the products of a silversmith. "Murphy" is the maker mark set above the Sterling mark on the primary left breast

2 3/4 in wings for the pilot and "Birks" is set above the Sterling mark of the lapel wing worn by pilots. 

 

It had been a mystery as to the origin of the Murphy marked wings until I eventually recognized the small stamp subsequent to the Sterling Mark identical to both wing maker marks. I did research and Birks purchased many of the silversmith houses and designs in Canada during its most prolific days of commerce, Murphy obviously was one of those.

 

These pilots pioneered territory with some of the most vicious storms and frigid, unforgiving weather and seas this Earth has to offer outside the Horn of Africa and the Magellan straits. Well done men, well done.

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Take note of the splendid die work of the artisan who carved out the most excellent and ariel ethos of these wings. Notice the small identifying mark after the G in Sterling, giving the final identification sought by many of Birks silversmith and manufacturing company of Canada.

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The enamel work on these wings is second to none, it is as smooth as any enameled surface could be and the linear precision of the lettering is absolutely unmatched. The RAF Ferry command wings only lasted from July of 1941 to March of 1943 and therefore they are one of the most difficult sets of wings to procure in the paradigm of World War II aviation collecting. I searched for almost 15 years to find a set of the pilot wings, a search I'm thankful is finally over.

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Below are the lapel wings which are 1 1/4 "and are screw back. The micro enamel work is absolutely exquisite as well as the die work, again being second to none. As is the case sometimes, when a very rare Wing comes up, dealers check their inventory for anything like it, so when the RAF Ferry Command pilot wings came up a few weeks ago, suddenly an RAF Ferry Command lapel Wing came up out of Canada! I was absolutely ecstatic. Very rare in and of themselves, it was a blessing to have my 15-year search ended with this incredible find so shortly thereafter the pilot wing. You will see after the G in STERLING, the same little identifying Mark of Birks. Enjoy Gentlemen....

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Here is one more shot of the superior view of the 2 3/4" RAF Ferry Command pilot wings to show the undulation set into the die which is so spectacular and gives an organic aspect to the wings that are absolutely singular.

 

 

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As always, very nice presentation and framing of the background of the people who actually wore these items and the items themselves.  These Ferry Command wings are delicate and lovely pieces of military history and difficult to find.  Nice to see some recognition for those who didn't get as much publicity during or even after the war.  Beautiful items, thanks so much for sharing.

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rathbonemuseum.com

Excellent and interesting topic, Mel! May I add some of my US/UK fellows?

 

The first wing is a 45 ATG wing (Atlantic Transport Group), the successor to the Ferry Command and then later Transport Command. Pilots who specifically flew from Canada to England to ferry aircraft. This belonged to Capt. Roger W. Ainslie. a captain in the R.A.F. from 1941 to 1945. He flew a plane called the "The Kalurah Kamel." 

 

BINGHAMTON PRESS, 18 March, 1943 Ferry Pilot Wig-Wags His Parents. Two Binghamton parents heard their son say "hello" and "goodbye" to them in pilots' language while circling over The Arena yesterday on his way to the Bahamas in a Royal Canadian Air Force bomber. The parents, Mr. and Mrs. Morris D. Ainslie of 6 The Arena, were on the lookout for their son, Capt. Roger W. Ainslie, 25, of the R.C.A.F. Ferry Command, after he had telephoned them the night before from Montreal that he would.be over the Triple Cities. At about 3 p. m. yesterday he reached the Triple Cities, flew over his parent's home, wagged the plane's wings and proceeded on to an intermediate destination, West Palm, Beach, Fla. Hisplane was grounded, however, in Baltimore and from that city he telephoned his parents last night and confirmed their belief that he had actually flown over Binghamton. Mr. Ainslie, Sr., said his son was making a routine flight from Montreal to the Bahamas. Ordinarily, his course would have taken him over Elmira but the Ferry Command captain flew a few miles out of his way to greet his parents. In his telephone call here, he said he planned to give a similar salutation to his sister, Miss Barbara Ainslie, who is stationed at Daytona Beach, Fla.

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rathbonemuseum.com

This wing, also of the 45 ATG, belongs to Harold J. Bowen.

 

Schenectady Gazette, 1942 FLIER OF THE WEEK This week’s flier is one of the unsung heroes of this war…one of the lads who day in and day out does his share and probably more…without fanfare…and headlines…but with a pat on the back from the “skyliners” who know what his task is…he’s with the ferry command…the group of pilots, probably responsible to a great extent for the saving of Britain in the days she needed everything that could possibly grow wings and fly over…he’s based at Montreal now, it seems, and his taking off spot…Newfoundland…he’s well known at the local port…and exceedingly well thought of…he…is Harold J. Bowen. Bowen learned to fly under the tutelage of the old master, Vic Rickard and joined Rickard’s staff as a mechanic when the local airport opened…he received his transport license in ’30 and began to instruct there. Perhaps he is best know nationally for his association with the late Warren E. Eaton of Norwich, which started in 1933…Eaton then was president of the Soaring Society of America and made Bowen resident manager of the Central New York airport at Norwich…with Eaton, Bowen appeared at many air shows, towing Eaton and a glider with a taper-wing Waco belonging to Eaton…The “Sportsman Pilot” of that time said “No little credit goes to Harold Bowen, the pilot of the taper-wing, for getting those three gliders off the ground and up to 4,000 feet without a quiver… The article had reference to an annual Elmira glider meet when Bowen towed off three glider which proceeded to do formation stunts…Bowen also is said to be one of the first American fliers to make an outside loop…His business with Eaton continued until 1935 when the latter died in an accident at Biscayne bay near Miami, Fla. Harold wound up with Eastern as a co-pilot out of Atlanta and as an airline instructor of Link trainers before his present task…He is married to a Scotia girl and has one child…and he usta tighten nuts and bolts tighter than any other living soul…the saying goes.

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Spectacular Examples Tod!! Thank you so much for adding some lineage to the successor organization ATG 45, Atlantic Transport Group 45, which had mustered among its ranks, those pilots from the United States of America, Canada and the UK who started it all out of a joint venture with the Ministry Of Aircraft Production and the Canadian Pacific Railroad ground facilities.

 

It is amazing how quickly and efficiently during wartime, mankind can elevate and integrate ingenious ideas with the activity and resources to bring to fruition these new paths of progress that change life's dreams into realities. The routes, the navigational techniques and expertise in new navigational and radio communication tools for long range flight, the piloting skills and wisdom needed to conquer such a difficult and vacillating arial environment as the North Atlantic.... What a time in history these boys pioneered their way through. The Allies were blessed with some intrepid souls indeed. 

 

Thank you Tod again for your dedication to the preservation of military aviation history and particularly, thank you for the spotlight you place on the lives of the persons involved in these unparalleled times of warfare.

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Mel, if you don't mind my addition, here is another Ferry Command wing.

Mine is also a recent addition and is almost the same as your 1 1/4" wing.

Mine does not have the Birks name on the back, but does have the Sterling mark and hallmark like yours.

Also, as you can see, it is pin back.

The front is the same and shows the same beautiful craftsmanship.

 

John

 

PS: By the way, a little over 30 years ago as a young co-pilot, I flew the same route across the North Atlantic as used in WWII (Blue Spruce Routes). It

      was quite an experience and I learned a lot about adverse conditions. Truly spectacular flying in and out of Greenland and Iceland.

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Wow John, a perfect addition showing the Birks Sterling Mark with what I have discerned from looking at other Birks marks to be a tiny letter B at the end of the Sterling mark. Believe it or not, even on the British badge forum no one could find the origin of the Murphy Maker's Mark nor had they made that connection between Birks and the tiny "B" at the end of the Sterling. It was one of those moments of sheer epiphany many of us have had in solving collecting mysteries, when God taps you on the shoulder and says "See?" LOL! and finally everything came together for me. Thanks so much for posting this pinback example of a delicate microenameled work of artistic excellence.

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  • 4 weeks later...

There are a couple of thoughts I want to raise and then I will share some of my wings.


First, if you notice that the wings in the first post have a unique crown that is different than the crown on the wings in the 4th and 11th post.

 

Many collectors already know that you can typically date pre-1953 and post -1953 British and Commonwealth insignia by the crown style.  That is because in 1953, the crown was changed from the Tudor Crown (often incorrectly called the King's Crown) to the Crown of St Edward (often incorrectly called the Queen's Crown), when Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the thrown after her father King George the VI's death.  As an American, I have been told by my British and/or Commonwealth friends that calling them King and Queen crowns is a misnomer.  They are the Tudor Crown and the Crown of St Edwards to us ungrateful previous colonial riff-raff... LOL.

 

But, you should notice that the crown in the first post and in the first post, and the bullion wings in Tod's post and in the wings I post have a totally unique type crown that is neither the King nor the Queen's crown.

 

Second, the crown in these insignia are the Astral crown (similar to the Royal Navy crown, but it isn't that). Its a figure of a coronet having along the rim 8 low points from every other one of which arises a 6-pointed star between 2 wings —used in heraldry especially to symbolize association with aviation.  

 

It is my understanding that the Astral crown atop those wings signifies that this badge is NOT an official RAF badge, and the organization (in this case the Ferry Command) it represents if is not strictly speaking an official military service.  This makes sense that during the early period of about 1939 to 1940, the Ferry command (especially those parts that were associated with the US and Lend/Lease) was rather "hush-hush" for neutrality reasons.  To the point that I have read that American pilots under contract with the Ferry command would fly the American airplanes to an American airfield CLOSE to the border with Canada, and then Canadian personnel would PULL the planes across the boarder (or so the story goes).

 

After 1941, when the US entered the war (and as Mel recounted above), the Ferry Command was elevated to the Transport command in the RAF.  The US was then faced with the same problems that the RAF had, getting planes to the various theater of operations.  In America, we had developed a number of para-military organizations (think of the WASPs) and contract programs with commercial aviation (think of the PAN AM Ferry wings).

 

Again, I have found it difficult to research the EXACT time and rational for using either the Astral or the Tudor crown in these insignia, but with conversations between my Australian and UK friends, I do believe that IN GENERAL insignia with the Astral crown represent the early para-RAF Ferry Command and once those units were actually incorporated into the RAF (to become the Transportation command), they switched over to the Tudor (King's crown).  I also believe that American pilots that had been contracted into the RAF Ferry/Transportation command (and were strictly speaking NOT a part of the RAF) would have worn their own unique Astral Crown bearing insignia.  This is similar to insignia other contract pilot services like the American ATC, WASP, WAFS and Air Corps Ferry Commands that were modeled after the RAF Ferry commands (In fact Jackie Cocheran had been involved with various ferry organizations in the RAF prior to the US entry in to WWII) not using official USAAF uniforms and insignia.  Other aspects of American civilian related ferry activities that had their own insignia can be seen in the PAN AM ferry insignia that were worn early in the war.

 

As the war progressed, the need for civilian and commercial pilots to ferry aircraft declined as the USAAF and the ATC of the USAAF were able to meet demand.

 

This is all a long winded way of saying that I suspect that the insignia with the Astral crown may GENERALLY represent the early aspects of the RAF Ferry programs (pre-1941 or so) and/or have been worn by contracted civilian pilots of Commonwealth or non-British nationalities (Americans) who were involved in the Ferry Command (perhaps throughout the war).

 

If true then, the wings with the Tudor crown likely represent post 1941 RAF personnel who were flying with the Ferry Command (perhaps as RAF personnel).

 

But I never really like to draw specific lines in the sands of time.  And this particular area of collecting is pretty hard to find exact information. But my British and Commonwealth friends have told me that the RAF and other Royal military units were not likely to just do things willy-nilly when it came to the crowns that were used.  Using the Royal crowns was very important.  So my exact dates and reasoning may be wrong but I suspect that somewhere is a specific notation of when the Astral crown was authorized and when it wasn't.  Its not like the US, where sometimes somethings were overlooked.

 

I have 3 wings to add to this discussion.  A 45 ATG full and half wing and a transport wing.  Note that all have the Astral Crown.

 

 

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This has been a fantastic monograph on the Ferry Command and the wings and uniform have been a real treat for me to view. When I started collecting RAF a number of years ago, I was able to acquire a rather sizeable collection of brevets from Britain and the commonwealth, but I have been shut out on adding a nice Ferry Command wing to the collection. Seeing Patrick's bullion examples of a pilot and a crazy scarce observer wing are a real treat for me. Thanks for sharing the knowledge and the artifacts.


Allan

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I would say the same for you and your knowledge sharing, Allan. Literally very time I see that you have posted something on a thread, I go read it, because I know I am going to learn something new.

 

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Thanks so much for sharing these excellent examples of Ferry Command lineage Patrick, if you get a chance I would love to see the rear shots as well! And ditto on your description of the contributions of our Allan, indeed.

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Here you go Mel,

 

One other place you see the Astral Crown is on UK commercial airlines from the 50's and 60's.  Not to get too off the subject of US military insignia, but it is my understanding that the English Royal crown (be it Tudor or St Edward) on insignia or crests was to indicate that the unit fell under Royal control (i.e. The ROYAL air force, The Canadian ROYAL Air force, The ROYAL Australian air force, etc) and as such the King (or Queen) was the titular head of those organizations.  It is less clear to me what the Astral Crown represented in the UK heraldic hierarchy.

 

I believe that all these examples were made in Canada.

 

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Look very closely gentlemen, because this is what the rear of a true World War II vintage Ferry or Transport Command Wing looks like! There will be variations but these are prime examples of what to look for in the sewing patterns and the material used. It is likely most of the US Pilots flying with this unit picked up their wings in Canada as that is where their first exposure to the primary base operations would be.  Thanks Patrick!

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To keep the focus on Americans, I wanted to share this Canadian Memorial Cross (French: Croix du Souvenir), often known as the Silver Cross for Mothers.  This is a Canadian medal awarded to the mother, widow, widower, or next of kin of any member of the Canadian Forces who loses their life on active service. THe cross itself has the King George V cypher although King George the VI was the reigning monarch.  At the ends of the lateral arms of the cross are the Canadian maple leaves (New Zealand has a similar cross, but with ferns).  The Tudor crown tops the cross.  First established during WWI, these crosses are given out to this day (post 1953, the cross has the Queen Elizabeth cypher and the St Edwards crown). Early in WWII GV marked crosses were awarded until a bit later in the war when the GVI cypher was used.  Named with the rank and name of the killed soldier, and sometimes the service (ie RCAF, RCNR, etc), these sterling silver memorial crosses are very collectable. They appear to have been made by Canadian firms like Birks.  I have four in my collection, two to Canadian soldiers KIA in the trenches of France, a Sub-Lt of an American/Canadian who was killed in a PT boat action around the time of D-day, and F/O Swanson.

 

F/O William Rufus Swanson was an American from Long Beach California (a local boy for me) who went north to join the RCAF around 1940.  Like those American's who Joined the Ferry Command, I assume W.R Swanson felt the calling to get into the fight against the Nazi's and went to Canada to volunteer.

 

Married and too old to fly combat (but with a fair amount of flying experience) we was "probably" undergoing training at the BCATP No1 Instructor Training School in Trenton Ontario when he and his colleague, F/O Fredrick Sims crashed into a swamp and were killed in October of 1940.


I found this memorial cross at a Long Beach flea market and have been able to do a fair amount of research into Mr. Swanson's life.  Although killed in Canada, he is current interred in Long Beach.  But like the Ferry Command, a fair number of Americans did go north to Canada to participate in the war. WHo knows, he may have eventually become part of the Ferry Command?

 

Many people think that the general US population were ready to go join the Allies in the war, but there was a very strong isolationist movement in America during this time.  Many felt that Europe's battles should be fought by the Europeans. I am sure some young men were attracted to the "glory" of the fight, but Mr Swanson was married and relatively older, so he probably had a strong personal belief in what he was doing was worth the risk.

 

For me, these early days of WWII, before Pearl Harbor is fascinating.  Sure AVG/Flying Tigers and Eagle Squadron history and memorabilia are the elite of collectibles, but many Americans were involved in training and ferrying as well (and many of them paid the ultimate price).


Hopefully the mods won't get to dangerously excited about talking about pre-Pearl Harbor insignia of volunteer Americans.  Below are pictures of the cross and some news paper clippings and finally a photo of his internment in Long Beach.

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I don't want to hijack Mel's thread, but just to get an idea of what the paperwork looked like. Here is the RCAF Officer's Declaration Paper that WR Swanson filled out in August of 1940 when he joined the RCAF.  Then the deceased paperwork by the RCAF when he was killed just a few weeks later in September of 1940.  I suspect that Ferry Command volunteers filled out similar paperwork.

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I am just slayed by the outstanding information and the images contained in this thread. I cannot begin to tell you how grateful I am for having the opportunity to see the artifacts and read up on this subject that has been so overlooked in the past. I am also humbled by the kind words from not one but two stalwarts on this august forum. Thank you for the acknowledgement. It is truly a great community and by all of us sharing information, we all learn and the forum just keeps getting better and better.

 

Allan

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The ATA wing in the last thread is interesting, as it was the wing worn by Air Transport Auxiliary pilots.  The ATA was initiated In 1938 by Gerard d'Erlanger, director of British Airways.  The ATA was Intended as an additional mechanism to transport airplanes about in conjunction with the Ferry Command, free up RAF combat pilots and tap into civilian resources for the war.

 

A unique feature of the ATA was that physical disabilities were ignored if the pilot could do the job - thus, there were one-armed, one-legged, short-sighted and one-eyed pilots, humorously referred to as "Ancient and Tattered Airmen" (ATA). The ATA also took pilots from neutral countries (including the USA, although I am not sure how many there were). Representatives of 28 countries flew with the ATA.  Also of importance was the fact that women were allowed to fly with the ATA (called the ATTAgirls)!  American flyer, Jackie Cochran and subsequent founder/leader of the WASPS was a member of the ATA

 

For an excellent  history, you can go here:
http://www.airtransportaux.com/history.html

 

These ATA wings are perhaps even rarer than the Ferry command wings.  They are found (when they are found) in both bullion AND silk thread versions.  There are also 1/2 wings for the observers or crew that move to a whole new level of rare.

 

Recently I was able to secure a silk thread version.

 

One thing to note, there is no crown used in these insignia.  Again, I suspect that was because, strictly speaking, the ATA was a para-military organization of contract civilian pilots, not RAF personnel.  So, no Royal Crown. The Astral Crown wasn't really used until after the start of WWII (if I am reading my research correctly) so this is one of those situations where the Tudor crown wasn't used.

 

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