Royal Air Force silver Ashtray

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My two favourite pass times are Carboots and metal detecting, one of today’s Carboot finds is this little Walker & Hall c1958 Birmingham silver ashtray celebrating an airman’s wedding from the pilots in his squadron, hope you like it. Have a wonderful Sunday :wink:.

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Interesting ashtray, not so much for its manufacture but for the dedication. RAF IV Squadron, formed in anticipation of WWI was a crack fighter squadron operating in Europe both during and after WWII. Flight Lt. Frederick Ronald Lund, who graduation from Cranwell in 1951 near the top of his class was assigned to the squadron. His job was weaponry training. He was the Top Gun pilot of the day long before Mr Cruise took time away from his Scientology to create the fame attached to the US equivalent. In May 1958 Ron’s career nearly came to an abrupt end with a two wheel, ASI missing landing at RAF Jever in Germany. The Ashtray tells us he likely survived the Hawker Hunter F6 mishap got married the same year. I do not know if he was related to Fearless Freddie Lund an American Stunt pilot killed in 1931. Nor do I know if he had a US cousin also Ronald who served in the USAF and died recently but it seems rather likely. The temptation is to trace the family and offer their ash tray back to them!

I recently performed exactly that service with a rather pedestrian but massive sterling tea tray engraved to the grandfather of a local practicing lawyer. Since I had bought it below scrap before the recent raw silver price jump I could pass on the. benefit of that as well as the restoration of a family heirloom.

CRWW

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Once again I’d like to thank you for all you do to help us , I truly appreciate you all here at this forum :wink:. I bought other stuff along with the ashtray and scuttle namely cigarette silks sewn to a cushion cover, some RAF aerial photographs of some railway !!!, another 2 Trench Art Brass shell scuttles in the form of candle holders probably used as mess table illumination !!. The silks are a mixture of Allied Forces Flags and football clubs, also Royals. They could be keepsakes from past members of Flt Lt Lunds family ( WWI / WWII ) as they were all Purchased together !!!. :thinking:. Alan