Code: E23863
Royal Canadian Air Force service dress tunic button by J.R. Gaunt & Sons of London. Developed by escape and evasion genius Christopher Clayton Hutton at MI9, this looks like a standard full sized brass button but the back can be unscrewed to reveal a carefully concealed 0.5" compass. This example has a reverse thread. Virtually undetectable in normal use with an incredibly fine thread these buttons really are a work of art. The compass housed within is not a standard 0.5" escape and evasion compass but is actually significantly shallower to allow a better fit. This example belonged to George Pope who flew in Lancasters with bomber command from Linton on Ouse during the war. Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Pope worked for the Canadian National Railway Company before and after the war. He was also a talented ice hockey player, something he continued to persue well into his 80s. The compass was gifted to a hotel owner in York who Pope befriended after visiting his old base in the late 1960s/early 1970s. In very good used condition. Comes with a brief typewritten history of the original owner. A lovely rare item. Stock code E22863.
