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RAF Officer Rank Service Dress Cap

SOLD

Code: U17697



By Burberrys. Unsized but would estimate approx. 7 - 71/4.   Standard peaked cap. Some light soiling and fading. It has a few small moth nips / fabric pile damage to the crown and two very small moth holes on the underside of the peak (see photos).  Fitted with a faded but very nice heavily padded bullion badge. Good mohair band and leather 'chinstrap' alhtough the latter needs a little adjustment. The inner 'Real Roan Leather' band is in good condition but has lost some stitching in places.  A blue-grey satin lining is largely hidden by the greasepaper/oilcloth liner. 

This belonged to Flying Officer Vincent Lithune DFC.  Linthune joined the RAF in 1935 and qualified as an AC1 Armourer serving with 201 Squadron  before being remustered to become an airman pilot in June 1938.  Having completed his training he was promoted to Sergeant and again remustered as a pilot armourer in April 1939.   Following the outbreak of war he was posted to 233 Squadron on Hudsons operating off the coast of Norway.  He was wounded in May 1940 following an attack by 2 Bf109s.  He then had a period of instructing at Cranwell before moving to 93 Squadron flying Havocs.  He was commissioned in February 1942 and joined 25 Squadron in  Feb. 1943  as a Flying Officer on Mosquito fighters.  He claimed his first victory, a Ju88 on the night of 3/4 October, a Ju188 followed during March 1944 after which he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.  In July of the same year he destroyed a V-1.  In November he was forced to ditch a Beaufighter that he was ferrying to Morroco and was interned in Portugal for a while.  After the war he served with the Fighter Command Communication Squadron, as Commanding Officer (CO) of the 2nd TAF in Holland and CO of 96 Squadron flying Meteor night-fighters.  Later he served as Flight Commander with 219 Squadron flying Venoms until he retired in 1957.  This cap came to us with other items of WW2 and postwar kit directly from his daughter. Good/good  '+' used condition. Stock code U17697.