When an RAF pilot earned his wings, the award carried great power. The King’s crown wings sewn on the uniform above the heart proved that the wearer was part of an elite club. Wearing the uniform with RAF wings was transformative. Geoffrey Wellum, a pilot of No. 92 Squadron, recalled the dizzying effect of self-admiration after his wings were sewn onto his uniform. Colin Hodgkinson, a pilot who lost both legs in an accident, credited his wings for his rehabilitation: ‘Air Force Blue, at that time the most famous colour in the world … I smoothed the wings above my left breast pocket, prinked like a mannequin up and down before a glass. My God! Nothing could stop me now. I was irresistible!’ William Simpson, a pilot who suffered burns during the Battle of Britain, recalled how women were attracted to ‘those silver embroidered wings on the smoke-blue RAF uniform, and the little flashes of coloured ribbon beneath them … The uniform was redolent of glamour and courage. Even the breaking of our bodies was accepted as part of success rather than failure.’
The wings shown here belonged to Flying Officer John Dundas of No. 609 Squadron and are sewn to his RAF tunic dated May 1940. Dundas is credited with twelve confirmed victories, two shared destroyed, four probables and five damaged during his service. He was awarded a DFC on 9 October 1940. One month later, he shot down the German ace Helmut Wick, but was then downed by Wick’s wingman, Rudi Pflanz. Both Wick and Dundas were listed as missing in action. Their remains were never found.