Tag Archives: militaria

Bernard John Warren | Caterpillar Club Pin

Posted on April 11, 2024 by Fellows
A Caterpillar Club pin is a tiny but significant pin awarded to members of an exclusive group. The Irvin parachute company awards them to those people whose lives have been saved by one of their parachutes. Members receive a membership card and a distinctive pin. The gold caterpillar brooch has red (sometimes garnet, other times enamel) eyes. Raised gold stripes are lined along the body of the pin just like on the body of a caterpillar. Engraved with the owner’s name and rank, these pins (or brooches) serve as tangible symbols of the thrilling tales behind their acquisition. Sgt Bernard John Warren When a little gold caterpillar arrived at Fellows Auctioneers HQ in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, our specialists knew straight away what it was. It has been an honour to offer for sale 6 of these little gold pieces of aviation history since 2017. Our previous encounters with these pieces mean that when we see a new one coming into our auctions, we know exactly what to do to start uncovering the stories that these small tokens symbolise. Our jumping-off point is always the inscription on the pack of the brooch. In this case, it read Sgt. B J Warren. After much searching through military records and censuses, we found him. This particular pin belonged to one Bernard John Warren. Once we put a name to the pin, we were able to uncover how he came by this little caterpillar, a story taking us back to the 1940s. Warren started his military service 3 years into the Second World War. He enlisted in the Royal Air Force in late 1942. He went on to join the 103 Squadron at Elsham Wolds on February 24, 1944. 103 Squadron was a Royal Air Force bomber squadron during World War I, World War II, the Cold War and beyond. During the Second World War, the Squadron reformed in August 1936. From October 1942 to November 1945 the squadron flew Avro Lancaster bombers Mks.I & III. The crew to which Warren belonged flew successful missions aboard their Lancaster MK III bomber. In April 1944, Warren served as a rear gunner onboard the Lancaster ME741 alongside his colleagues:
  • Flt Sgt Walter MEADOWS
  • Flt Sgt Douglas Theodore MITCHELL
  • Sgt Bernard John WARREN
  • Sgt Thomas William WETTON
  • Fg Off James William BIRCHALL
  • Sgt David John HILL
  • Sgt James HILL
Earning a Caterpillar Club pin An incident worthy of a pin On April 23rd, 1944, tragedy struck and the Caterpillar Club gained a new member. The eighth and final operation for Lancaster ME741 almost didn’t happen. Take-off was delayed for the bomber crews of the 103 squadron at first when a plane from another squadron caught fire. The 103 crews had to use a different runway. Due to these changes, only 13 or the intended 15 planes took off. Once in the air, they made their way across Mainland Europe towards Dusseldorf. As Warren’s crew flew over the burning German city, they were hit by a flak and lost control. Warren recalled the incident: “My intercom went dead, the hydraulics ceased to function and my guns were U/S. I rotated the turret by manual control but, from then on, I was a sitting duck. More flak followed and with the aircraft now on fire, I decided to leave the turret. On entering the fuselage I came face to face with our wireless operator who had been sent back to see if I was still alive. He indicated that we were to bale out and I put on my parachute and followed him out of the rear door.” Our thanks go to David Fell for his research on this incident and the 103 Squadron. Prisoner of war Warren was one of the lucky ones, although stranded behind enemy lines, he was unhurt. He was captured by German soldiers and became a prisoner of war. He was first imprisoned in Stalag Luft 6 at Heydekrug, then Stalag 357 ‘Kopernikus’, at Thorn (now known as Toruń) in Poland. Conditions at the camps were miserable. He and the other prisoners endured harsh conditions until April 1945 when they were released due to the advance of Allied forces. The story does not end there, however. Upon their release, the POWs were mistaken for Germans by the Allies, and they suffered an attack by British Typhoon fighter-bombers. At least sixty prisoners of war were killed and many more were wounded. Bernard Warren’s wartime experience is peppered with instances of survival against the odds. We are privileged to be given the chance to discover these stories and share them as part of our auction process. We would never have known about his time in the RAF and subsequent internment as a POW if not for this piece of gold measuring less than 2cm in length. As we have seen with the other Caterpillar Club pins we have sold at auction, his story is not uncommon. However, that does not make it any less remarkable. Sgt. B J Warren’s Caterpillar Club pin at auction Lot 194 Caterpillar club pin awarded to Sgt. B. J. Warren. Price Realised: £1,170.00 Our Antiques specialist, Alison Snowdon said: “To be offering a second Caterpillar Club pin this year truly is an absolute honour. It is a privilege to share the stories of bravery and heroism wrapped up in these little pins. Their potential for research and intrigue really is second to none. The potential to uncover the stories of why and how they were awarded never ceases to amaze me”. Monies, Medals & Militaria Thursday 25th April 2024 – Ends from 12:00 pm Viewing Times: London Thursday 18th April 11:00-17:00 Birmingham Wednesday 24th April 10:00-16:00 Virtual viewings are available by request. Virtual viewings are the ultimate personal shopping experience. Using Zoom, you can ask us whatever you need to know to buy with confidence. Find out more here. Please contact coins@fellows.co.uk to book a virtual viewing Valuations Our valuations are free, with no obligation to sell with us. Our experts will value your item with an estimate, so you can find out what it could achieve at auction. The process is simple. You can fill in a form online or book an appointment to visit either of our offices in Birmingham or London. Virtual valuation appointments are also available. Find what you’re looking for Make sure you don’t miss finding that special something by signing up to our email alerts. You’ll be the first to know when catalogues become available, receive invitations to special events and preview the hottest lots from our auctions, plus much more. Why not use our free personal shopping service? Sign up for lot alerts and tell us exactly what you are looking for. Each time we upload a catalogue, we search for your keywords and email you lots matching your interests. Your personalised email will include images, lot descriptions and auction details. Alexandra Whittaker BA (Hons) | Head of Partnerships and Events
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Stanley Cranston Alldis | Caterpillar Club Brooch

Posted on January 16, 2024 by Fellows
The Caterpillar Club The humble Caterpillar Club brooch. Measuring no more than 2 centimetres, these miniature lapel pins may seem unassuming. But if you take a closer look, if you perhaps turned one over, and if you look closely at the reverse – you will see a name. Behind that name, there will undoubtedly be a story. Here at Fellows, we have been privileged enough to tell four of these stories and this January for our Jewellery auction we’re able to tell a fifth. These brooches, gold with garnet eyes, were awarded to those people who bailed out of an aircraft and subsequently survived through the use of a parachute. More specifically, an Irvin Air Chute parachute. Because they are inscribed with the name of the person who jumped, we are often able to trace that person through military records to find service numbers and details of the event. As a matter of fact, just last year we were able to trace the life of C E Stead. Not only did we uncover more about his life before he joined the RAF, but we were able to find a first-person account of the incident that earned him his place in this elusive club. S. C. Alldis The most recent pin that we are fortunate to put to auction once belonged to S C Alldis, who we believe to be Stanley Cranston Alldis, service number: 1398378. Alldis was born in Sussex, in 1922. By the time WWII began, he would’ve been just 17 years old. He returned home at the end of the war and later married his wife, Brenda, in 1953 at age 31. He passed away aged 79 in 2002. While we might not have that much information about Alldis and his life at home, we do know that in 1957 he was awarded the Air Force Cross, examples of which we have seen in previous auctions. 11th November 1944 On the 11th of November 1944 at 16:54 an Avro Lancaster MK 1 took off, carrying seven men from No. 57 Squadron. Their names were Samuel Bowden (pilot), Lewis Wolfe Nagley (navigator), Cyril ‘Titch’ Bayford (air gunner), Sidney Charles Green (air gunner), Arthur Brett (flight engineer), James Aloysius McLaughlin (wireless operator), and Stanley Cranston Alldis (bomb aimer). Image credit to the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre They departed from East Kirby for an operation against the Rhenania-Ossag oil refinery in Hamburg. Just over two hours later, at 19:27 the Lancaster was hit with exploding shells fired from the ground. On the first impact, the flak hit one of the engines and a rear turret which were subsequently torn off. Image credit to the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre The remainder of the aircraft bounced and flew for over a kilometre until it finally crash-landed just outside Hamburg, near Beckdorf. Five out of the seven men on board were unfortunately lost to this accident. It is believed that the two survivors bailed out of the aircraft via parachute; Lewis Wolfe Nagley and Stanley Cranston Alldis, both men were then taken prisoner of war. In 2009 after over 60 years of research, the son of Cyril Bayford – the air gunner on board, was eventually able to track down the site of the crash. Consequently, he enlisted support from eyewitnesses and locals from the surrounding area, and with the assistance of an archaeologist, they were able to excavate the remnants of the plane crash. They found hundreds of items, including the pilot’s watch strap which was then returned to his family and given to his great nephew. Many of the items on board have now been returned to East Kirkby. These items are now part of the collection at the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre. Sgt S. C. Alldis’s Caterpillar Club Brooch Shortly after bailing from the aircraft, Alldis was taken to and held at Stalag Luft 7 Bankau, near Kreuzburg. He was only 22 years old. Owing to this incident, Alldis earned a place in the Caterpillar Club. Our first Jewellery auction of the year will feature his brooch that commemorates this undeniably brave feat. Lot 55 Gold World War Two Irvin Caterpillar Club brooch Price Realised: £1,365.00 Our Antiques specialist, Alison Snowdon said: “We are thrilled to have had another Caterpillar Club consigned for our upcoming jewellery auction. Awarded to Stanley Cranston Alldis, this little gold brooch marks a moment of bravery with a life saved by the use of a parachute“. Previous Caterpillar Club Brooches at Fellows Lot 594 Two WWII ‘Caterpillar Club’ badges, engraved ‘P/O. C E Stead’, one gold Price Realised: £2,795.00 Lot 17 A 9ct gold red enamel ‘Caterpillar Club’ badge, engraved ‘Sgt. W. H. T. Farmer’ Price Realised: £2,169.20 Lot 4 A gold ‘Caterpillar Club’ brooch Price Realised: £1,173.92 Lot 11 A ‘Caterpillar Club’ brooch Price Realised: £1,531.20 Valuations Our valuations are free, with no obligation to sell with us. Our experts will value your item with an estimate, so you can find out what it could achieve at auction. The process is simple. You can fill in a form online or book an appointment to visit either of our offices in Birmingham or London. Virtual valuation appointments are also available. Find what you’re looking for Make sure you don’t miss finding that special something by signing up to our email alerts. You’ll be the first to know when catalogues become available, receive invitations to special events and preview the hottest lots from our auctions, plus much more. Why not use our free personal shopping service? Sign up for lot alerts and tell us exactly what you are looking for. Each time we upload a catalogue, we search for your keywords and email you lots matching your interests. Your personalised email will include images, lot descriptions and auction details. Cordelia Porter | Research Coordinator
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