Width: 77mm
Provenance: Dame Anna Neagle
A three piece pilot’s wings brooch in white gold pavé set with 96 round single cut diamonds, the RAF cypher in white gold and also set with 29 diamonds, surrounded by a gold wreath of green enamel laurel leaves, the whole surmounted by the Imperial State Crown, the whole mounted on a pin back frame for wear as a single entity and offering the option to wear as a pair of single wing clips and a buttonhole lapel badge. Contained in the maker’s original box of Skinner & Co., 25 Old Bond Street, London.
Dame Anna Neagle DBE (1904-1986) was a major box-office draw in British cinema for 20 years and was voted the most popular star in Britain in 1949. She was known for providing glamour and sophistication to war-torn London audiences with her lightweight musicals, comedies, and historical dramas. Almost all of her films were produced and directed by Herbert Wilcox, whom she married in 1943. During the First World War Wilcox served with the Royal Flying Corps and fledgling RAF.