RO wing

[Alex Rice]

Hi All
Is this wing ok or for the naughty corner?
Thanks, cheers,
Alex

[Pembird]

I would say it is a reproduction I’m afraid.

[RCAF_Mike]

Looks like a legit Canadian made wing to me

[Nichollg]

Looks to be a reproduction to me, sorry.

[Alex Rice]

Thanks for the replies, now I don't know what to think. I did get this with a bunch of Canadian Wings which have all been identified as original, so it may well be Canadian made. It definitely has the characteristics of a few of the other wings.
Cheers,
Alex

[RCAF_Mike]

It's a British Pattern, Canadian Modified and made RO wing. Perfectly original. Canadian manufacturers made RO, AG, N and B wings for issue to BCATP trainees graduated in Canada

[Phill Lockett]

Hi Team

I need educationg here as a friend has just received an RO Wing.

Does RO stand for Radio Observer or Radar Operator and when were these issued and used?

As per RCAF Mike comment were they only made in Canada and used by British commonwealth forces?

cheers

Phill

[Nichollg]

RO was an RAF brevet.
Initially it was known as Observer (Radio) and issued between 1941 to 1943 (instituted 29 May 1941 by AMO402/41, I believe). The Observer (Radio) name was used to hide the fact they were really airborne interception operators (radar operators) as airborne radar was still Top Secret at the time. In 1942 when Navigator replace Observer the Observer (Radio) name was changed to Navigator (Radio) and in 1943 the RO brevet was replaced with the N brevet.
In 1956 the RO brevet was reintroduced briefly for Radar Operators flying in the back seat of the Gloster Javelin, though by 1957 the RO brevet was no longer issued and, once again, Radar Operator duties were taken over by Navigators.

Phill, the photo you have shared of the RO brevet, looks good.

As for the original photo, definitely not a British made brevet, happy to accept Mike's assessment as I have little knowledge on Canadian made WW2 brevets.

[Phill Lockett]

Thanks for the indepth reply Nichollg

Always great to learn something new.

Would this be a WWII (41-43)or post WWII (1956) RO wing?

cheers

Phill

[David191]

I've seen quite a few of the RO brevets over the years but many seem to be dodgy, as far as I can tell & the WW2 real deal is somewhat more difficult to come by. I don't 'like' the original brevet posted, & the 'look' of any brevet is important to me when considering its addition to my collection, but it does adhere to all the Canadian wartime manufacture materials & construction parameters in my humble experience & if Mike says its good, I'd go with that as Mike is somewhat of an expert on such matters. Canadian WW2 brevets can look quite basically made in many cases, when compared to British silk brevets for instance, but they have a charm all of their own & I've seen many Australian & NZ brevets similarly made & there is nothing wrong with those either. I've met British collectors online in the past that consider if a brevet is not manufactured in a classic British silk thread then it is wrong, & that would be a very incorrect assumption to make (just stay away from any of those hairy Pakistani jobbies getting around on eBay, etc!). The second RO brevet posted I would be very interested to learn more about from others. From what I have seen over the years, it looks to me to be a later brevet with a backing added to conceal the construction & I've never liked the look of any brevets with this type of backing but every day is a school day & I would be very interested to learn more about that type of brevet myself. I finally bought a RO wing earlier this year & I'll try & add it to this thread for further comparison.

Best regards,
David

[Phill Lockett]

Thanks for your input David.

The reverse is paperbacked and has a indistinguishable marking on the back.

Maybe this might lead to a clue of when worn.

cheers

Phill

[Nichollg]

I have found a picture in my bank of photos showing a Canadian wearing a RO brevet very similar to the "Canadian" RO and a photo of an AG brevet in similar style to Phill's RO.
Personally, I think Phill's RO looks OK and it is appears to be very similar to an E & S brevet I have in my collection, which can be viewed at https://militarywings.weebly.com/,
I do have an RO in my collection though I am not overly happy with it.

[Phill Lockett]

Thank you Gareth

So WWII era RO?

Cheers

Phill

[David191]

This is my RO wing. This one was sourced from Australia.