BSAP Reserve Air Wing Insignia

[guBulawayo]

The Police Reserve Air Wing (PRAW) was officially established on 1st July 1957, as posted in Force Order 213/57; whereby licensed light aircraft owners (and others suitably qualified), who were members of the Police Reserve, undertook Police flying duties as required. All aircraft were assigned the callsign ‘Copper’ followed by a number, sets of which were allocated for each flight (01 and 02 being reserved for the Unit Commander and Deputy Commander respectively).

Here is my collection of PRAW insignia. I wrote an article on the unit that was published in Medal News Feb 2008, regards Wayne

[Mervyn Mitton]

A nice collection to a rare unit.    I had a number come into the shop over the years - but, always they were limited and quite valuable.  As you will know the pilots flew their own planes and I remember one old chap telling me how he had fitted a pipe between his legs which  went out through a hole cut in the fuselage   -   when over targets he would pull the pin on hand grenades and drop them down the tube..............

I have never seen the Matabeleland Air Wing  -  must be very rare.      Mervyn