WWI Reunion Pattern Wing

[5thwingmarty]

I touched base with Chris when I spotted this one.  The wing has parts that are similar to other examples I could find images of, but did not truly match any other wing.  It is die struck of somewhat thin metal, with applied gold US letters and a 3-1/4" span.  Per Chris:

 

"These particular badges (there are two or three variations and also half-wing versions) were made as convention premiums for reunions of WW1 aviators and observers (probably Daedalians or Overseas Flyers).  As such, they cannot be truly be classed as WW1 era wings and instead are best viewed as veteran pieces."

 

So, not a 100+ year old wing but a decade or two younger.  It is well made, nicely detailed and for the price was welcome to join the collection.

[LuftStalg1]

Something about it doesn't look right.  Just the look of it.  The color or something.  I can not put my finger on it.  Nothing to do with how it was made but the over all appearance.  IDK  Still cool!  Oh, I bet its the metal.  I just noticed you say "some kind of metal" so I am guessing the markings on it are not sterling but a manufacture maybe?  Wait, no, it does say "Sterling".  Now I am really confused!

 

[donaldnol]

thats a very nice piece wonder though did they have ball locks on them at that era?

[5thwingmarty]

In hand it is a normal sterling color.  My photography is making everything tint towards red again.  I tried to adjust the photo colors in the picture and it got better but still not great.  It is also marked sterling.

 

Ball catches date back to at least WWI.

[donaldnol]

2 hours ago, 5thwingmarty said:

In hand it is a normal sterling color.  My photography is making everything tint towards red again.  I tried to adjust the photo colors in the picture and it got better but still not great.  It is also marked sterling.

 

Ball catches date back to at least WWI.

thanks marty very nice wing

[pfrost]

Recently a forum member found a nice grouping with this pattern wing.

 

I too have heard that this is a "reunion" wing.  Not 100% sure that is correct, though.  I call this the "beetle wing" because it kind of looks like a beetle in flight.

 

Here is a picture of Maj Horace Meeks Hickam in his WWI uniform.  He is wearing this wing, or so I believe.  I cam having trouble ID'ing his ribbon. He was awarded the silver star in the Mexican campaign. He earned his wings in 1917, and served in various state side and training billets, but never seemed to have went overseas.  He was killed in the 1930's in plane crash.  And of course, they named Hickman Field HI after him.

 

I guess he MAY have attended a reunion (although I do not think he ever flew overseas and I am pretty sure he wasn't one of the first Daedalians).  Also, its hard to imagine that he was attending a post war reunion while serving in the Air Corps in his WWI uniform and wearing a premium reunion wing...  

 

It is possible that reunion wings were made using this as a pattern.... but I am not sure I would agree that these wings were NOT WWI vintage but instead should be considered veteran pieces.  It may be a quibble, but if an active duty pilot is shown wearing a wing pattern... its probably not going to fall into the "veteran reunion wing", in my book.

 

Just some thoughts to mull.

 

I believe the first photo is dated right around 1917-1918, the second photo dated around 1934 or so.  Just before his death.

 

 

[pfrost]

From Wikipedia.

 

He earned his wings in 1918, not 1917.  I guess the question is when did he have this photo taken? I did find a very similar photo taken in 1920. Again, its not clear to me how close this photo is to 1918. Perhaps early into the 1920's.  But considering that in the 1920's his assignments were as a commanding, I would think that that he wasn't still wearing the outdated uniforms.  My best guess is that this photo showing him wearing the "beetle wing" is from between 1918-1922.

 

Hickam's association with aviation began with the United States' entry into World War I. On 22 September 1917, he received temporary promotion to major in the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps and was assigned to organize the Aviation Concentration Camp at Garden City, New York. From October 1917 to May 1918 he served as executive officer of the Aeronautical General Supply Depot and Concentration Barracks there.

 

In May 1918 he reported to Rockwell Field, California, for pilot training and received a Junior Military Aviator rating on 16 June 1918, as a member of the U.S. Air Service. Hickam continued advanced flying training at Dorr Field, Arcadia, Florida. From 30 September 1918 to 30 January 1919, he was commandant of both the Pursuit School and the Aerial Gunnery School at Carlstrom Field.

 

On January 21, 1919, Major Hickam was appointed chief of the Information Division, Office of the Director of Air Service, in Washington D.C., where he supervised the first written history of the Air Service. He reverted to his permanent rank of captain on 30 June 1920, received a promotion to major, Cavalry on 1 July, when the National Defense Act of 1920 took effect, and received a transfer to the Air Service in the grade of major on 6 August 1920.

 

In January 1923, Hickam became assistant commandant of the Advanced Flying School, Kelly Field, Texas, and commanded the 10th School Group to 1 August 1925. In November 1925, while a student at the Air Service Tactical School at Langley Field, Virginia, he testified on behalf of airpower and a separate Air Force before the Morrow Board, appointed by President Coolidge and chaired by Dwight Morrow to offset adverse political effects of the court martial of Billy Mitchell. After graduation from ASTS, Hickam next was a student at the Command and General Staff College (Fort Leavenworth, Kansas) 1926–27, and at the Army War College (Washington, D.C.) 1927–28, as preparation for a four-year detail to the War Plans Division of the General Staff.

 

Hickam was promoted to lieutenant colonel on March 1, 1932, and given command of the 3rd Attack Group, based at Fort Crockett, Galveston, Texas. From February to June 1934, during the Air Mail scandal, he commanded mail delivery operations in the Central Zone, headquartered in Chicago.

On May 10, 1926, while a student at the ASTS, he collided in mid-air during a flight formation with fellow student, Major Harold Geiger. Hickam parachuted to safety, and narrowly escaped death. This resulted in Hickam's initiation into the famed "Caterpillar Club," a fraternal order with membership based on surviving an emergency parachute jump.

[cwnorma]

31 minutes ago, pfrost said:

  It may be a quibble, but if an active duty pilot is shown wearing a wing pattern... its probably not going to fall into the "veteran reunion wing", in my book.

 

 

As much as I admire (and enjoy bantering with) our esteemed colleague @pfrost, and while I usually do; this time I cannot say I agree with this assessment.  To my eye, (albeit the angles are wonky and the image is not super-duper clear) the wing in the photo of Maj Hickham does not strongly convince me that it is the same as the die struck badge at the top of the thread.  The dimensions seem rather different and in particular the "earlobes" at the root of the wings on Maj Hickham's wing seem nowhere near as pronounced as those on the wing up top.  Contrast Maj Hickham's wing with the badge below.  While it completely lacks lacks those prominent "earlobes," (to my eye--at least) Maj Hickham's badge looks more similar (although clearly not identical) to this jeweler-fashioned wing:

 

 

 

Or this one (from the Flayderman Auction):

 

 

If you want to talk about earlobes, here is another hand-made wing, of a type that may have served as an influence for whoever made the die for the badge at the top of the thread.  If the badge at the top has prominent ear-lobes, this one might be termed the "Ichabod Crane" of wing badges:

 

 

 

I expect the diemaker of the wing at the top was likely influenced by any number of similar hand-engraved wings.

 

Although at the end of the day, much of this ends up being just conjecture and opinion--records, if they ever existed; are long gone or yet to come back to light.  Although it is all enjoyable to discuss.

 

Warm regards.

 

Chris

 

 

 

[pfrost]

Re-reading the clipping, it states that his "present" occupation is as Chief of Information Group in DC and his rank (as of 1920) was as a Major. From the Wikipedia entry, it appears he was the Chief of the Information Service from 1919 to about 1923 (when he went to Kelly Field) or so, that puts these photos in around that 1920ish time frame which I think s a pretty good guess.  Cannot see the wing in the new paper clipping photo, but I would guess that the photos were taken at the same time as the previous post.

 

While one should "never say never" it seems unlikely that the wing he is wearing is a veteran reunion piece. 

[pfrost]

Without better photos, it's  like arguing about how many angles are dancing on the head of a pin. I spent a fair amount of time looking at this photo, and I see more similarities with the OP wing than with the other wings you post Chris.  I thought it could be possible that is is one of the other wings you mention as well, and I am not saying that similar wings weren't made as reunion pieces.  I thought of the Eisenstadt wings as well as a couple of others that kind of all in the "beetle" patterns.

 

But I am not sold that these are only reunion pieces. 

 

On the other hand, I am also not going to agree that there isn't a good feel that these are actually reunion pieces either. 

 

On the other other hand, I had also heard the same thing about reunion pieces from HeWhoShallNotBeNamed (which just soured me on that theory on general principles which is not scientific at all). 

 

Still on the other other other hand, I would probably not add one of these to my collection without a stronger provenance. I really don't like them that much

 

Still on the other other other other hand, I would like to see something more concrete than "dealer lore" or an email from JoeVoldemort on this, like a vintage flyer from a reunion saying "On your way past old Rickenbacker's booth housing his ego, be sure to see good Bobby in the lobby for a keepsake wing for you and the wife to thank you for coming out to the 15th WWI pilots reunion and bake sale".

 

I agree its a quibble.... but its Monday and I had lots of pro-quibbling coffee...

[5thwingmarty]

I need to find a piece of black felt to make into a backer, pin the wing on a uniform and have my son model it so I can take some photos from the same angle.  In Patrick's photo I am seeing more of a pinch in on the shield than on my wing, but it might just be the angle.

[5thwingmarty]

Here are photos I have found of two different half wings in this pattern.

 

[mghcal]

I just came across this topic and would like to bring it back up. The group I believe Pat was referencing was this one belonging to Lt. David E. Doty. Chris also shows this group on post #8. I've not been able to pinpoint his exact service records but from newspapers I've gathered a bit of info.

 

According to one Oct 1918 newspaper which was about Lt Doty visiting home prior to movement overseas, he is mentioned as having enlisted in 1915 and first started flying in San Diego. From there he was sent to ground school in Berkeley CA and graduated Nov 24 (no year mentioned but had to be pre-1918 as it's an Oct 1918 newspaper), from there he was sent to Park Field in Memphis and then to Langley Field VA. From there he was sent to Wilbur Wright Field in Dayton Ohio and then finally to Taliaferro Field. 

 

Another May 1918 newspaper mentions aviation instructor Doty at Memphis Tn was commissioned Reserve Military Aviator, Signal Reserve Corps.

 

A July 1918 newspaper says that he received a commission based on merit at Langley Field and another July 1918 newspaper mentioned his arrival at Taliaferro airfield for gunnery practice.

 

I'd assume this photo of him wearing this particular wing would date to July 1918? I found that he was on a ship to England in Oct 1918. No idea which squadron he was with yet. 

 

What I find interesting are the pin fastenings on the other wings closely matching this example. 

[cwnorma]

@mghcal,

 

Wonderful group!  Nice to see it has a good home post Norm's collection.  I did a quick check to see if I could find anything on Doty.  A cursory check of "the usual places" did not turn up anything beyond what you had above (except that his Daedalians number was 1185 which is generally an early number).  He does not appear on the Overseas Air Service Personnel listing of officers who were in the AOR before by Nov 11th.  Which only means that he did not make it "over there" in time to be recorded on that particular list.  If he was on a transport in October it makes sense that he may not have made it...  More research is needed there.

 

I would not put particular emphasis on the findings.  Those were mass-manufactured and many jewelers purchased them wholesale from relatively few manufacturers and middle-men.  Also, as @pfrost, ably points out; there is no hard-and-fast demarcation for when particular findings went out of use.  Jewelers would purchase bulk amounts of findings sufficient for their needs and use those particular variations until they ran out and had to order more.  Finally, findings were often repaired/replaced if the badge had a long service life which, it looks like Doty had some post WW1 service.  That particular catch began to show up in late 1918 and continued in use well past WW2.

 

Most importantly, Doty's badge is a lovely, hand-engraved WW1 era example he was rightly proud of.

 

Chris

[5thwingmarty]

The Doty wing is nice but it is not the same pattern as the wing in my OP.