Help me sleep tonight! Take a look at my Pilot's Badge - Please!

[Tim B.]

Another peanut adding to the gallery...

I'd like to add to Yuri's comments on the details of Toby's badge.

I have always noticed that the acorns on the GWL badges seem to be larger or more pronounced than other pilot badge makers. Toby's badge does show this trait as well.

I would tend to agree that the badge either has GWL parts, or is an unmarked GWL piece.
Tim

[Yuri D.]

I am not at all implying that this badge is 100% guaranteed to be a GWL. I'm just saying that with the evidence at hand, it sure seems to point to this. And until we get additional evidence that indicates otherwise, we should put a name on these badges worthy of their beauty and execution: "an unmarked GWL".

Yuri

[Mike Kenny]

Hi,

For Rich, I'm sure I have images of a marked GWL Pilot's Badge in zinc somewhere. I contacted an eBay seller about it a genuine badge a few years ago and he was sure it was zinc, not tombak/neusilber.
For Toby, re wingtips, keep in mind that on most badges, these were HAND cut. This unknown maker normally only used a file (or one cut of a very thin saw - eg bandsaw) to form the wingtips. Your example is different in that the wingtips have quite a bit of extra effort put into the cutouts!

Personally, I like the theories that this unmarked badge is in some way related to GWL. Just too many similarities for me.

Rich, one thing I've been meaning to ask for ages, could you post a close-up of the rivets on your example? From a distance, they look like GWL rivets, but not as well formed.

Regards
Mike K

[Joseph D'Errico]

Hello Gentleman,

I really like the direction that this thread is going in,but I do feel that that is a huge step, for me anyway to say that this is an unmarked GWL based on similarities. Please do not misunderstand what I am saying, I agree with the observations made and feel more or less the same way. Is their any means of researching this through any archival data that may have survived the war? Perhaps some purchase orders, spec sheet ect. ?

I feel that this is extremely important, simply because of the nature of what is being proposed. I agree common sense may say that this is an unmarked GWL, but I have always thought of this site to be more or less a watch dog for such claims.
Also this may also effect the price point on these unmarked examples.

A huge step forward none the less , a good one I think, but before I can accept that this is an unmarked GWL, I would like to know if we can pursue a documented avenue or is this why the unmarked examples have always been catergorized as unmarked unknown ?

I am just playing the devils advocate and sharing some thoughts.

Cordially Yours,
JD

[Lorenzo Brown]

I'd have to agree that there is not enough 'hard" evidence to say that the badge is a GWL:

The adler is different,
the wreath is different,
the hinge is different,
the pin is different,
the catch is different,
the rivets are different,
the finish is different.

....There is no "hard" evidence.

The ONLY similarity is in the "soft" evidence...i.e.: the DESIGN style.
That could be because the same designer crafted the prototype, or because the designer copied the GWL design style.

So, we don't know who made the badge, but IMO there is no "hard" evidence to say that GWL was the maker.

[Albert]

Well said Lorenzo

Dear All,

It sure is tempting to call it an unmarked GWL. But no matter how welcome a positive answer to the question GWL yes or no might be, it can not be based on a few similarities, called soft facts by Lorenzo, ignoring all hard evidence that it is clearly produced on different tooling, sports a different pin assembly and is riveted in different, sloppy, way.

Let's not get simplistic please.

Best regards,

Al

[Yuri D.]

I have no problems NOT calling this badge an "unmarked GWL". What name can we give it?

Yuri

[Rich G]

Mike

Here's a close up along with some GWL rivets. I hope this will suffice!

Why don't we call it the willbinaGWL

(well it looks like but is not a GWL)


Rich

[Rich G]

oops!

[Tim Calvert]

PUBTIAG

Remember the P.O.N.T.I.A.C. joke??
Poor old ------ thinks its a Cadillac?

[Albert]

As long as you don't "caaall iiit Al..." Call it Simon.

Regards,

Al