Another RCAF replica wing pattern

[zorgon]

RCAF Aircrew wings, Prototypes, Rarities and Mysteries
Article 4, Post war Prototype remakes circa 1980

Since the 80’s and perhaps earlier, one has been able to find a specific and unique style of wing which represented prototype designs of the 40’s. Based on the design, stitching and materials, it is clear that these were all manufactured by the same maker but the question is who, where and when? The patterns were seen is designs which incorporated both single and double wing styles (Fig. 1) and specifically represented known prototype designs identified by authors sometime after 1973 (Thompson, 1973), (Carroll, 1981)
When given a new wing, collectors tend to look at it in detail, heft it for the “feel”, and almost immediately want to see the reverse which holds a wealth of information about who (country, commercial or one-off tailor made), when and how (hand stitched or machine made) it was manufactured. This in turn gives one information about the Country of origin and date of manufacture as well.
This group of wings showing two sizes of the stylized Air Gunner (discussed in a previous article), pilot, NW, NB, BA, and AE and is thought to be the complete selection of those made in this style. The group was initially purchased in Toronto around 1981.
More recently one Toronto retail store has been selling these at Ontario Militaria shows and they occasionally make their way onto eBay. It is my understanding the retailer bought these many decades ago from another company that was going out of business.
The black stitching which is added to highlight the feathers in the wings, the course thread in the wings and what appears to be a heat active backing all suggest these patches were not period pieces but made in the style of various proposed wings of the 40’s and early 50’s. They are all padded with well-defined material under the black backing (thread count ~ 41/inch). They are quite stiff, probably because of the glue that binds the backing to the felt base. One also notices that on viewing the wing edge on, there is a layer of white woven material sandwiched in-between the backing and the felt of the wing base. This was probably used to provide a base for the stitching on the front of the patch. It is also worth noting that the white areas fluoresce under UV light. This is something that isn’t seen on original WWII or even into the 50 era wings unless they have been washed in a phosphate detergent.
I don’t claim to be an expert or even knowledgeable about wing design and if anyone has information that would help to further describe or explain these examples, I would encourage you to comment to this thread. It is only through discussion will we ultimately reach a consensus on some of these controversial aircrew items.
Ultimately, they are interesting in that they represent a cross section of patterns that were being considered during or immediately post war. Some of the original designs only ever existed in sketches while others may have been produced in a limited run of samples. Typically, these examples now sell for a price commensurate for what they actually are, relatively modern replicas of proposed and obsolete wing designs and as always, it is “Buyer Beware”.

 



Bibliography
Carroll, W. (1981). Wings, First Edition. self published.
Thompson, R. (1973). Wings of the Canadian Armed Forces Volume 1 1913-1972. self published.