Jump to content

RAF Transport Command Wings & Cap Badge - Elegance


Recommended Posts

The RAF Transport Command has long been a very interesting aspect of militaria collecting for me but it is very difficult and few and far between are found, the Sterling insignia of the transport command. I have been searching for several years now, for an example of Transport Command wing insignia by Murphy of Montreal Canada. As you will see, the gentle undulations of the wings accentuated by the "exclamation point" flare up of the wing tips from the trough of the dip on each wing, as well as the rich royal blue perfection of the enamel placement with pinpoint precision incorporation of silver lettering within the enamel,has generated some of the most some of the most beautiful and as I mentioned in the title, elegant, insignia of World War II.

 

The cap badge with its balanced intricacies, is a shock to the aesthetic, just breathtaking and complex design, with the incorporation of silver as a throne for the Royal Blue yet again. There is the subtle reservation of consummate skill as well as the glory of that skill unveiled in balanced, centered, circular elegance.

 

A little history of the transport command from the beginning. the transport command started as a group of civilian pilots from the US, Canada and Great Britain. Some very delicate handling of getting the aircraft from us factories to Canada had to be organized, including having horses pull early aircraft across the Canadian border after being flown from the US aircraft production factories to the border, was employed to get around US neutrality laws. FDR made sure any Authority from the US government looked the other way. The name given to the organization was first the Canadian Pacific railway aircraft facilities, then the Atlantic ferrying organization or ATFERO, then the RAF Ferry Command, and finally when the transportation of aircraft became worldwide by 1943, the organization became the transport command with the Atlantic route being designated the Air Transport Group 45.

 

The practice of ferrying aircraft from US manufacturers to the UK was begun by the Ministry of Aircraft Production. Its minister, Lord Beaverbrook, a Canadian by origin, reached an agreement with Sir Edward Beatty, a friend and chairman of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company, to provide ground facilities and support. MAP would provide civilian crews and management. Former RAF officer Don Bennett, a specialist in long distance flying and later Air Vice Marshal and commander of the Pathfinder force, led the first delivery flight in November 1940.[1] In 1941, MAP took the operation off CPR to put the whole operation under the Atlantic Ferry Organization ("Atfero") which was set up by Morris W. Wilson, a banker in Montreal. Wilson hired civilian pilots to fly the aircraft to the UK. The pilots were then ferried back. "Atfero hired the pilots, planned the routes, selected the airports [and] set up weather and radiocommunication stations."[2][3]

 

Aircraft were first transported to Dorval Airport near Montreal, and then flown to RCAF Station Gander in Newfoundland for the trans-Atlantic flight.[1]

 

The organization was passed to Air Ministry administration though retaining civilian pilots, some of which were Americans, alongside RAF pilots, navigators [4]and British radio operators. The crews were briefed by local meteorologists including R. E. Munn. After completing delivery, crews were flown back to Canada for the next run.[5]

 

Ferry Command was formed on 20 July 1941, by the raising of the RAF Atlantic Ferry Service to Command status.[6] Its commander for its whole existence was Air Chief Marshal Sir Frederick Bowhill.[6]

 

As its name suggests, the main function of Ferry Command was the ferrying of new aircraft from factory to operational unit.[7] Ferry Command did this over only one area of the world, rather than the more general routes that Transport Command later developed. The Command's operational area was the north Atlantic, and its responsibility was to bring the larger aircraft that had the range to do the trip over the ocean from American and Canadian factories to the RAF home Commands.[7]

 

This was pioneering work: before Ferry Command, only about a hundred aircraft had attempted a North Atlantic crossing in good weather, and only about half had made it. Over the course of the war, more than 9,000 aircraft were ferried across the ocean and, by the end of the war, crossing the Atlantic had become a routine operation, presaging the inauguration of scheduled commercial air transport services after the war.[1]

 

Ferry Command was subsumed into the new Transport Command on 25 March 1943 by being reduced to Group status as No 45 (Atlantic Ferry) Group.[6] No. 45 Group still retained responsibility for Atlantic aircraft ferrying operations, but Transport Command was a worldwide formation, rather than a single-mission command. Bowhill became the first commander of Transport Command.[

post-188552-0-24633800-1582564997_thumb.jpg

Link to comment

Beautiful Wing design

post-188552-0-45763300-1582565145_thumb.jpg

 

Notice the excellence and precision of the enameling along with the lettering being set and centered to perfection. The crown is exquisite giving allusion to the early motto of the RFC, Royal Flying Corps,"Per Ardua ad Astra" through adversity to the Stars! The star is positioned and centered between 2 heavenward feathers on each side, the surrounding background being pebbled, gives an excellent framework to this tribute to flying and tradition and history.

post-188552-0-40079900-1582565462_thumb.jpg

 

Complexity bears simple Elegance

post-188552-0-47984800-1582565602_thumb.jpg

 

The script is classic RAF lettering commensurate with it's configuration on the embroidered wings of the pilots

post-188552-0-34065300-1582565994_thumb.jpg

 

With the pilots being based out of Canada, of course a Canadian outfit, Murphy jewelers, was commissioned to create this incredible wing.

post-188552-0-45339000-1582566091_thumb.jpg

 

These Wings had a hefty screw back attachment apparatus which made them an item usually permanently affixed to the jacket or service shirt when worn.

post-188552-0-14433000-1582566245_thumb.jpg

 

Notice the beautiful undulation of each wing, with the tip of each wing coming up to a point flaring forward from the trough of each wing's undulation from the shoulder to create a glorious billowing effect when viewing the wing from the front...

post-188552-0-72805500-1582566357_thumb.jpg

 

Side view

post-188552-0-55941400-1582566479_thumb.jpg

 

Side view

post-188552-0-00400700-1582566516_thumb.jpg

 

Rear shot of both

post-188552-0-17265700-1582566558_thumb.jpg

 

Rear shot of Maker's Mark regarding the cap badge. The cap badge was created by Scully Ltd., also in Montreal, an incredibly adept marriage of the two pieces of insignia from two different companies!!!

post-188552-0-21957100-1582566956_thumb.jpg

Link to comment

I didn't have time earlier to post the Air Transport Group No 45 badge that was eventually embroidered in bullion for the North Atlantic route flyers. These were the men who remained faithful to flying the North Atlantic ferry route after the ferrying of aircraft and transport of personnel was required on a worldwide scale under the 1943 formed RAF Transport Command, with several Air Transport Groups by region. ATG number 45 was the oldest group of course, filled with the Civil pilots from the US, the UK and Canada pioneered one of the most dangerous routes in history, as a common and daily undertaken route across the North Atlantic and it's freezing temperatures during the winter and it's harrowing storms during the summer. I give you their wing design, obviously utilized by a regularly active pilot during the war.

post-188552-0-89788400-1582606580_thumb.jpg

 

The rear...

post-188552-0-73486700-1582606623_thumb.jpg

Link to comment

Gorgeous examples of some VERY hard to find insignia to an under-appreciated group of heroes.

 

Thanks for sharing these. I really enjoyed getting to see them. Is the cap badge made by Scully? I'm having a tough time deciphering the maker.

 

Allan

Link to comment

Gorgeous examples of some VERY hard to find insignia to an under-appreciated group of heroes.

 

Thanks for sharing these. I really enjoyed getting to see them. Is the cap badge made by Scully? I'm having a tough time deciphering the maker.

 

Allan

Scully ltd. was established in the late 1800s and are still in business, making insignia for the military and helping individuals with their militaria needs as well, for well over a hundred years....

Scully ltd website, Montreal...

 

https://www.williamscully.ca/shop/index.php/

Link to comment

Mtnman,

 

Just absolutely beautiful insignia. I also have an affinity for the RAF Ferry/Transport Command. here is a link to one of my posting showing a Transport Command BD. Would love to see more of your Transport Command collection.

 

http://www.worldmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/314286-raf-ferry-command-uniform-flying-jacket/

 

 

Thanks,

Paul (aka Scarecrow)

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...