Can anyone nail down the approximate dates (within a decade) as to when Theses types of RM and RAF wings were made (I am making a big assumption that they are all genuine, please correct me if I am wrong on this).
RM wing #1 has got me stumped, it is the only wing with a backing that is not embroidered through (or padding either), and the background is Black as opposed to the Dark Blue of #3 & #4. I beleive #2 is a tropical version. #3 & #4 are almost carbon copies of each other except one sports a slick "varnish like" substance that I assume is a glue of some sort. I have seen this same thing on a few of my Army para wings that have come off of uniforms, I'm just wondering if this is just particular to certain manufactures or what?
The RAF wings are another can of worms. #1 sports what is suppose to be a MOD contractor number, and black "under embroidery". This is the only wing of the dozens I have that has black thread. #2's backing is a black gauze-like material. #3 has what could be called the standard backing of modern wings, Buff colored cloth. #1 & #2 light up like Vegas under UV, while #3 is dead flat.
Also, does anyone know the names of any of the contractors that have supplied the UK with their para wings?
RM wing #1 has got me stumped, it is the only wing with a backing that is not embroidered through (or padding either), and the background is Black as opposed to the Dark Blue of #3 & #4. I beleive #2 is a tropical version. #3 & #4 are almost carbon copies of each other except one sports a slick "varnish like" substance that I assume is a glue of some sort. I have seen this same thing on a few of my Army para wings that have come off of uniforms, I'm just wondering if this is just particular to certain manufactures or what?
The RAF wings are another can of worms. #1 sports what is suppose to be a MOD contractor number, and black "under embroidery". This is the only wing of the dozens I have that has black thread. #2's backing is a black gauze-like material. #3 has what could be called the standard backing of modern wings, Buff colored cloth. #1 & #2 light up like Vegas under UV, while #3 is dead flat.
Also, does anyone know the names of any of the contractors that have supplied the UK with their para wings?
. In it's defence this piece seems nicely made and the black bobbin thread is not really a cause for concern, i have seen white, black, red and green so that isn't the problem. You probably need an RAF collector for that one. Number 2 is also a strange wing as it shows absolutely all the characteristics of a wartime piece. This one warrants further investigation as it could be very old! try burning the white bobbin thread on the reverse and see if it is cotton; that's always a good start. Number 3 is another very recent wing displaying the same backing as number 2 in the first picture.
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