A very rare ARF or first RAF 1918 wing?

[sabrigade]

ARF Wing 1.jpgARF Wing 2.jpg

A few months ago I purchased these wings.

I initially thought that it may have had an Australian connection or had been miss-spelt by the manufacturer.

In his excellent book, "Eagles Recalled: Pilot and Aircrew Wings of Canada, Great Britain and the British Commonwealth 1913-1945 "by Warren Carroll, he has a seperate chapter(11) on the first issue wings of the RAF. He has various descriptions and photographs of this very scarce item, including a printed letterhead on a writing block.

Warren Carroll refers to the wing as the "TORONTO WING"

I believe this another example of the early wing which has ARF and not RAF monograms on it.

Any comments would be welcomed.

Regards,

Will

[sabrigade]

In the relevent chapter, Warren Carroll states that the wing would have been presented/approved by the authorities between May and August 1918.

[natal01]

Hi William,
Looks like you have a real rarity there. So rare , in fact , that nobody knows anything about it.
I am fascinated as to why it was ARF and not RAF. Maybe a dyslexic embroiderer !
Regards
Mike

[sabrigade]

Hi Mike,

It is extremely rare, I almost did not buy it because I did not know what is was myself!

The emphasis was on the "R" for the wing.

There are photographs in the quoted reference of officers wearing them.

Regards,

Will

[SAS1]

The original wing is rare and unusual, the origins not known.

However, I am wondering what you paid for it? The wing is available at Hand & Lock (the original makers) for £7.99 a pair. They found a load in a box in their store, but they can not confirm date of manufacture. According to them, they have the correct manufacture for being 'old' but they have no record of the date they were made, although they are thought to be 50 or 60 plus years. But they are still available, in mint unissued condition for under £8.00 from the original makers.

Theirs are Holland backed, I am dubious about those shown here as they look like the Indian repros, with the messy backs.

At best an original pair which you can still buy for under a tenner, at worst an Indian repro.

[Bill A]

Hi SAS1, I am not familiar with the term Holland backed? Is that the same as starch back or glue back? What is the origin of the term?
Thanks.