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A nice copy of the Second Pattern Embroidered gold and silver wire Cap Badge of the FERRY COMMAND, worn during the Second World War.

Badge measures just over 2 1/4 inches across by 2 1/2 inches in height.

New, Unissued condition. 

This is a quality badge, produced by a Military Tailor and not a cheap copy.

 

Ferry Command was established early in WWII to improve aircraft deliveries to Britain from US factories, since surface shipping was too slow and the ships themselves were needed for other cargoes. Against the British Air Ministry's advice, Lord Beaverbrook (Maxwell AITKEN), the Canadian-born minister of aircraft production, asked Sir Edward BEATTY of the CPR to assemble an organization to fly new multiiengined aircraft across the Atlantic. The CP Air Services Department, established in July 1940 and a handful of experienced transatlantic flyers from British Overseas Airways Corporation worked with servicemen and civilians of virtually every Allied nation from headquarters in Montréal. Subsequently its successors, the Royal Air Force Ferry Command and No 45 Group of RAF Transport Command, eventually delivered more than 9000 aircraft - losing only about 100

 

Ferry Command was formed on 20 July 1941, by the raising of the RAF Atlantic Ferry Service to Command status. Its commander for its whole existence was Air Chief Marshal Sir Frederick Bowhill. He was also the first commander of Ferry Command's successor, Transport Command.

As its name suggests, the main function of Ferry Command was the ferrying of new aircraft from factory to operational unit. 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.

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.

Ferry Command was absorbed into the new Transport Command on 25 March 1943 by being reduced to Group status as No. 45 Group. No. 45 Group still retained responsibility for Atlantic aircraft ferrying operations, but Transport Command was a worldwide formation, rather than a single-mission command.

The Airport utilized Gander Airport for the base of trans-Atlantic Operations

 

IDEAL FOR RE-ENACTMENT, DISPLAY, FRAMING etc

An Aviation Enthusiasts / Collectors / Service personnel piece.

See other versions and sizes of my RAF Wings for sale on Ebay, from Minature to large 11 inch size!

Badges are produced for Collectors / Re-enactors and are realistically priced - Don't delay - BUY IT NOW !

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