RAF PILOT DRESS WING
 

Is this wing on the top of picture a pre -ww2 wing or war period?Was it worn only on mess dress tunic?
Thanks

RAF wing
 

Hello, It looks very much like a pre war wing worn on the Full Dress uniform, please see http://www.britairforce.com/imagepag...full_dress.htm

It could be the 1947 pattern for use on the No1 SD. This was short lived and replaced by the worsted version we know today. If worn on mess dress the badge would have been a half sized version. Yours appears to be a full size version (4½").

Thanks for info guys

The wings are Full Dress, worn from the very early 1920s, until the end of 1939 when the uniform was abolished. For a short while after that those officers who had it were permitted to wear it on occasion, but it quickly died out and was never reinstated.

The similar bullion wing introduced for the 1947 pattern service dress was different in shape, with the wingtips not so wide or 'slanted'.

I'd say it looks like a nice pre-war/early wartime piece. Very nice

Very nice badge. Looks pre war to me.

Happy Christmas all.

Very nice badge. Looks pre war to me.

Happy Christmas all.

As the Full Dress was abolished at the start of the war, technically all such wings are 'pre war'. Of Full Dress uniforms Ive seen the style does not change from 1920s wings to 1939.

In 1947 the RAF introduced a new service dress with bullion wings, but it was unpopular and short lived (about 18 months to two years). At that time there was effectively a full range of half wings available in bullion and full size (Pilot, B, N, AG, S, E and O), but these are mistakenly often referred to and sold as Full Dress. When the Full Dress was abolished there were only two flying badges in the RAF, the pilots wing and the O, so if you find any others they will be the 1947 pattern!

While this is true, some airmen had tailors make them silver/gold wire wings, which a few did wear. Paddy Walker comes to mind, a Yank in the RCAF, who wore bullion RCAF wings, and had a tailor make him two sets of such wings. In some, however very few, instances, the wire wings could be wartime

I've not come across this in the RAF myself, although as you say odd wings were made. All those I've seen have been on dark blue rather than blue grey