Isn't it simply that he had been an RFC pilot and as such was entitled to retain his wings whoever he served with -albeit at this date unofficially?
In June 1940 ‘the privilege of wearing the regulation flying badge’ was permitted to Army officers and ORs who had qualified for it ‘under regulations in force…in the Royal Flying Corps, Royal Naval Air Service or RAF’, the badge to be worn ‘the pattern current in the RAF’ and not that of the Royal Flying Corps
Given that the photo is dated 1936 wearing the wings at that date may have been unofficial but possibly tolerated by the CO?
Jon
|