Examples of WW2 era British paratrooper wings

[Kia kaha]

Hi guys just browsing through this topic and I may help with an I.d. Of a wing or two

 

 

 

Is 1960s Rhodesian Army (less the normal padding and stuck on a brass backing plate for easy removal from uniform.this is on battle dress material. Below are 1970s era on green felt and on drill green for the camp shirt

[Kia kaha]

Royal New Zealand Air Force 1960s probably rarer than W.W.II wings.

[Kia kaha]

Late W.W.II sometimes sewn on reversed this wing came from a para serving 1954

[Tonomachi]

Here is a British paratrooper wing that I did a double take on as it was described as being of WW2 vintage.  It does look old however the key to determining if you have a WW2 era British paratrooper wing (or early Post War 1950s) from the current British paratrooper wings is the direction of the threads in the wings.  If you look at the photos of the three British paratrooper wings below the thread direction are inward at a diagonal for the one that sold on eBay out of the UK and a current mint British paratrooper wing.  The third wing is of WW2 vintage and the threads are parallel to the ground which is what you look for.

 

    

[Proud Kraut]

Tonomachi, thanks for this fantastic reference! I do not collect British Airborne insignia but over the decades some wings found their way into my "misc insignia boxes". Going through your posts I´m almost sure that my examples are 1) all British 2) all post WW II. Is that correct?

 

Lars

 

 

 

 

[Tonomachi]

On 11/18/2020 at 12:37 PM, Proud Kraut said:

Tonomachi, thanks for this fantastic reference! I do not collect British Airborne insignia but over the decades some wings found their way into my "misc insignia boxes". Going through your posts I´m almost sure that my examples are 1) all British 2) all post WW II. Is that correct?

 

Lars

 

 

 

 

These are all mostly current British paratrooper wings.  I forgot to mention that this rule regarding the direction of the threads in the wings of these British paratrooper wings covers the majority of the WW2 era British paratrooper wing with the exception of one particular style that has thin feathering with pointed ends (see below).  This so far is the only WW2 era British paratrooper wing that doesn't follow the thread direction rule.

 

 

[Tonomachi]

Now here is one advertised as a British WW2 era paratrooper wing that looks like the ones above with the thin wings and pointed ends but it is not of the claimed era.

 

 

[Tonomachi]

Here is another that may look like the thin feathering with pointed end tips but it is not and either a copy of a more current British paratrooper wing.

 

 

[Proud Kraut]

That´s what I thought, thanks very much! Again, this is an excellent topic and pinned for further reference from now on.

[Tonomachi]

Here is a tough one to determine authenticity.  The front looks pretty convincing however my gut says reproduction due to the jumbled thick threads on the reverse and the fact that the eBay seller has a LRDG beret badge which is obviously a copy yet being sold as original.  You see this jumbling of thick threads on reproduction SAS beret badges and wings.  The chute of this British paratrooper wing mimics the early layered variant which I have never come across before on a reproduction.    The more I look at this wing the more uncertain I feel.  I'm not 100% sure this is a copy but I have been collecting WW2 era British paratrooper wings for going on 40 years now and I haven't come across this variant before so you never know.  

 

 

 

 

Edited December 9, 2020 by Tonomachi

[Tonomachi]

Here is a genuine older British paratrooper wing that just sold on eBay that is the dark colored background version of the one in Post #27.  The actual background color may be dark blue instead of black which may indicate an RAF piece which would push the era of this piece into the post war era instead of WW2.

 

 

[Tonomachi]

Here are more examples of what are probably all Far East WW2 British or Commonwealth paratrooper wings where they have been modified by the wearer so they can be removed from the uniform prior to laundering like the piece in Post #40.  I don't own any of these but kept photographs for future reference. 

 

 

[Tonomachi]

More examples

 

[Tonomachi]

In Post #1 I mentioned that the first style WW2 British paratrooper wing was the only one with the three layered embroidery in the chute.  Well I was wrong as I came across this piece which I found on an auction site.  The embroidery in the wings are similar to the version in Post #28.  I don't know who the successful bidder was but this is the only one I have ever come across in 40 plus years of collecting.  

Edited December 25, 2020 by Tonomachi
Error

[Tonomachi]

I kept these photos of a brass back plate of the type sewn on the back of WW2 British paratrooper wings so they could be removed from their uniform prior to laundering.  

 

 

[Proud Kraut]

Awesome pieces, thanks for this great update!

[Kadet]

Great updates. The pin-on wing shown at the top of post #87 looks like a match for the one I posted in #67. My wing came from the son of an OSS officer who served in SF Det 3rd Army in the ETO and OSS Det. 202 in the CBI