Whilst I appreciate that most collectors here will only see and handle badges (without the uniforms they were originally attached to), I wonder if anyone has had any direct experience of finding a "wings sixpence"?
Even up to the present day, it remains a tradition that a 'lucky' silver sixpence is stitched behind the central wreath of RAF flying brevets. Presumably this was primarily to add shape/depth to the original flat badges, rather than originally being intended to confer any talismanic properties.
I'd be interested in finding-out whether this custom dates back to the RFC/ RNAS era (in a traditional Christmas pudding sort of classic sense) or, if it is just from the days of WW2 and the BoB.
|