Churchill Photo

[SPIT]

Hi
I saw in a photo that was in a newspaperthat Mr W S Churchill seemed to be wearing RAF Pilot wings ? Was he awarded them for passing an RAF Pilots course or was it (like certain members of the Royal Fam) just "taken out of the bucket" to make him appear good to the public in the WW2,era therefore cocking a snook at the poor buggers who realy worked for there wings ???? I know he had some medals from the BOER WAR and WW! but thyese were for the ARMY. :confused::confused:

[AvroLincoln]

Churchill was one of the first people to grasp the military potential of aircraft and in 1912 he set up the Royal Naval Air Service (http://www.pprune.org/FWWRFC.htm). He also established an Air Department at the Admiralty so as to make full use of this new technology. Churchill was so enthusiastic about these new developments that he took flying lessons.
Also see here:
Winston Churchill: a biographical ... - Google Books (http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=HBUslUOGOgkC&pg=PA37&lpg=PA37&dq=winston+churchill+flying+lessons&source=bl&ots=emdAWFDK34&sig=wUbvEzzG07R_ImYmdBwjbqtnCS0&hl=en&ei=AzKHSqjrI4b3-AbI_om7CQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2#v=onepage&q=winston%20churchill%20flying%20lessons&f=false)

[longer ron]

Surely the only public figure to wear military wings without having been awarded/qualified to wear them,I know he did some flying training but istr he never completed/qualified.
Unless anybody here knows of any other naughty public figure :E

[BOAC]

The exhibition in Chartwell says his family 'disuaded' him from continuing due to the 'incidents' referred to in the book. Let's face it, flying with a big lit cigar is dodgy:)

[henry crun]

They could be right BOAC, with the strong draughts in an open cockpit it would have burnt dowon in no time at all. :)

[MReyn24050]

All been covered before:-
http://www.pprune.org/aviation-history-nostalgia/268663-churchill-uniforms.html

[S'land]

Let's face it, flying with a big lit cigar is dodgy

As was flying with a decanter and glass of Cognac:hmm:.

[BOAC]

As was flying with a decanter and glass of Cognac - only with negative g:)

[2 sheds]

I seem to recall reading that he was actually formally awarded "honorary" wings by the RAF. Can't quote chapter and verse, though.

2 s