Material: Embroidered cotton or silk thread on wool backing
Dimensions: 115 mm Wingspan x 40mm H
Description: This vintage military qualification badge is an authentic example of a World War II era Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) pilot's wing brevet. The insignia features a pair of elongated, outstretched cream-colored wings intricately stitched with feather patterns that flank a centralized circular medallion. Embroidered within the center are the bold, stylized block monogram letters "RCAF" nested inside a protective, protective brown-tinted laurel leaf wreath. Surmounting the entire central arrangement is the vibrant red, white, and gold embroidered Tudor Crown, widely designated by collectors as the King's Crown. This uniform artifact features a distinctive padded, three-dimensional convex profile achieved via an internal buckram or cotton packing structure layered underneath the dense face stitching.
Circa: 1939–1952
Notes:
This Royal Canadian Air Force pilot’s brevet is distinguished from RAF examples by its central C device rather than the RAF monogram. King’s Crown examples belong to the George V and George VI period before the change to the Queen’s Crown in 1953, and they remain among the most evocative insignia of Commonwealth aircrew service.
This specific variant is highly appreciated by phaleristics experts because it is a padded pattern wing intended for officer service dress tunics, which was much more expensive to manufacture than standard flat machine-embroidered battledress patches. Experienced collectors heavily scrutinize the reverse backing materials and embroidery styles to differentiate between British-made contracts, domestic Canadian production pieces, and modern reproduction iterations.
There are many variations in design and size on this cloth badge and i cannot confirm maker, circa, or service usage.