This should be in Hendon

[NutLoose]

Or at least a mess......... stunning

On Ebay at the monent and nothing to do with me BTW

Very Fine Bas Relief tribute to the RAF pilots of the Battle of Britain | eBay (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Very-Fine-Bas-Relief-tribute-RAF-pilots-Battle-Britain-/180739515227?pt=UK_Collectables_Militaria_LE&hash=item2a14ea235b)

Hope i haven't broken any rules showing it.

[skippedonce]

Certainly a spectacular piece, more suited to a museum than a house (imho); pity the current owner doesn't seem to know his birds though.

In heraldic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heraldry) terms it is: "In front of a circle inscribed with the motto Per Ardua Ad Astra (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Per_Ardua_Ad_Astra) and ensigned by the Imperial Crown an eagle volant and affronte Head lowered and to the sinister. - Air Ministry Orders A.666/49 of 15 September 1949.

'It all started in the summer of 1914 when the Board of Admiralty took it upon itself, in defiance of Cabinet orders issued two years earlier, to rename the Naval Wing of the Royal Flying Corps as the Royal Naval Air Service, and issued regulations for the organization, rank titles and uniform of the service. These regulations of June 23, 1914, clearly stated the officers of the RNAS would wear an eagle on the left sleeve above the rank lace. An eagle was also substituted for the anchor on buttons, cap badges, and other insignia. According to tradition, the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty adopted the eagle design (outstretched wings with head inclined to the right) from a brooch, which the wife of a naval officer had purchased in Paris. So, from the very moment it was hatched, the bird was an eagle.' - National Defence and Canadian Forces (DND/CF) | Défense nationale et les Forces canadiennes (MDN/FC) (http://www.forces.gc.ca)

[ShyTorque]

Nutloose, when you get your Christmas bonus, surely you will have enough spare change to buy it and donate it to the Museum. ;)

[Wensleydale]

Museums house historical artifacts - this modern piece of art is not one of them. Yes it is large and a very nice piece of work, but is it historically important? Nice to have perhaps but it does not relate to the historical period that it portrays. More suited for decoration at a military establishment than Hendon me-thinks.

[NutLoose]

Actually yes and no, there was this modeller that started to build an accurate 1/5th scale Spitfire cockpit, this progressed to a fuselage and carried on, Dr Fopp the then curator saw it and encouraged him to finish it, the Museum commisioned a display case for it, it was placed in the entrance to Hendon after a labour of love lasting some 11 years in the building..

Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I by David Glen (Scratchbuilt 1/5) (http://hsfeatures.com/features04/spitfiremkidg_1.htm)


http://hsfeatures.com/features04/images/spitfiremkidg_6.jpg

[stumpey]

Oh WOW!

Now that is good. Very very good.:D

[Tankertrashnav]

skippedonce - Thanks for the very detailed explanation of the eagle/albatross thing. We got taught it was an eagle, not an albatross, during week one at OCTU, but in 50 years time one of the two people left in the RAF will probably think it's an albatross!


Some weeks after it was returned to us, an antiques dealer from the States offered us $10,000 US, cash, which his partner extolled us not to take as he thought it was worth a lot more.


More likely he didn't fancy dusting it every day! I bet he wishes he'd accepted the $10,000 for it, that decision has cost him several £thousand