Mikey-1980 Posted December 23, 2021 Author Share Posted December 23, 2021 7 minutes ago, Magpie22 said: Like I said, I think that is a leek in the centre. Douglas was Welsh! Probably not many Welsh in Costa del Stafford!! Peter M You'd be surprised.....the board isnt that far away from Stafford to Wales.......unfortunately 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted December 23, 2021 Share Posted December 23, 2021 Great scheme and I’ll be up for that decal sheet when it’s released I think! The plant in the horseshoe is definitely not a leek though - speaking as a Welshman, if you served me a thistle in my Cawl I’d be most put out 😆 Steve 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magpie22 Posted December 23, 2021 Share Posted December 23, 2021 (edited) 2 hours ago, Steve 1602 said: Great scheme and I’ll be up for that decal sheet when it’s released I think! The plant in the horseshoe is definitely not a leek though - speaking as a Welshman, if you served me a thistle in my Cawl I’d be most put out 😆 Steve My apologies for any discomfort. I certainly would not want to spoil your soup. Then again if you were a member of the Welsh rugby team..................? Any idea as to what the plant is then? At least I can recognise a kangaroo, not so good on flora. 😀 Peter M Edited December 23, 2021 by Magpie22 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey-1980 Posted December 23, 2021 Author Share Posted December 23, 2021 It looks like a Thistle, which is the national flower of Scotland. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted December 23, 2021 Share Posted December 23, 2021 6 hours ago, Magpie22 said: My apologies for any discomfort. I certainly would not want to spoil your soup. Then again if you were a member of the Welsh rugby team..................? Any idea as to what the plant is then? At least I can recognise a kangaroo, not so good on flora. 😀 Peter M 6 hours ago, Mikey-1980 said: It looks like a Thistle, which is the national flower of Scotland. I agree with Mikey Peter - I think it looks like a Thistle as well. I did a quick Google search and there are some brooches and badges with thistles in horseshoes as good luck emblems. Maybe something familiar to Scots members? Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Roberts Posted December 24, 2021 Share Posted December 24, 2021 I know I shouldn’t but I can’t help it. Any speculation on colours? To my eyes, a yellow horseshoe and ‘roo (looks similar to the roundel yellow), green leaves, stem and bulb of flower (assuming a thistle), purple bit out the top of the thistle, and a black something opposite the roo (maybe a ‘gremlin’?) Any other takers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted December 24, 2021 Share Posted December 24, 2021 I had a fiddle with the image & although not conclusive at all. wondered if, with Douglas' Welsh heritage could it be a dragon? Steve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magpie22 Posted December 24, 2021 Share Posted December 24, 2021 10 hours ago, Steve 1602 said: I agree with Mikey Peter - I think it looks like a Thistle as well. I did a quick Google search and there are some brooches and badges with thistles in horseshoes as good luck emblems. Maybe something familiar to Scots members? Steve Flora was never my strong point. Couldn't even get my scout badge for that. I bow to your expert opinion. Leeks and large thistles not common in my country of birth. Now, the question is, why would a Welshman have a thistle emblem on his aircraft? Peter M 7 hours ago, Peter Roberts said: I know I shouldn’t but I can’t help it. Any speculation on colours? To my eyes, a yellow horseshoe and ‘roo (looks similar to the roundel yellow), green leaves, stem and bulb of flower (assuming a thistle), purple bit out the top of the thistle, and a black something opposite the roo (maybe a ‘gremlin’?) Any other takers? Stirrer!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magpie22 Posted December 24, 2021 Share Posted December 24, 2021 1 hour ago, stevehnz said: I had a fiddle with the image & although not conclusive at all. wondered if, with Douglas' Welsh heritage could it be a dragon? Steve. Interesting thought, Steve. I don't know. Maybe one of our UK bretheren may be able to help. I've also had a go at trying to enhance the detail on the interior part of the emblem. Still tells me little, though. Am I incorrect in my statement that Douglas was Welsh? Was he a Scot? Peter M 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted December 24, 2021 Share Posted December 24, 2021 The shape also reminds me a bit of Bullwinkel but he post dates WW2 by a couple of decades. I dunno. Steve. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted December 24, 2021 Share Posted December 24, 2021 45 minutes ago, Magpie22 said: Interesting thought, Steve. I don't know. Maybe one of our UK bretheren may be able to help. I've also had a go at trying to enhance the detail on the interior part of the emblem. Still tells me little, though. Am I incorrect in my statement that Douglas was Welsh? Was he a Scot? Peter M Peter- did a bit of Googling and found this in the book “Spitfire Leader: Robert Bungey DFC, Tragic Battle of Britain Hero” By Dennis Newton ”Finucane was joined on 8 May by a thirty-four year old Scotsman F/Lt Graham Douglas, who was a former flying instructor. Douglas became the commander of ‘B’ Flight” (of 452 Sqn) Mystery solved - assuming it’s the same Douglas, he was a Scot and the thistle makes more sense 👍 Steve 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray_W Posted December 24, 2021 Share Posted December 24, 2021 3 minutes ago, Steve 1602 said: Mystery solved - assuming it’s the same Douglas, he was a Scot and the thistle makes more sense Now Steve, that's solved, but I still can't un-see a Welsh dragon opposite the Kangaroo. Thistle centre. Maybe some more to the story. Ray 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted December 24, 2021 Share Posted December 24, 2021 12 minutes ago, Ray_W said: Now Steve, that's solved, but I still can't un-see a Welsh dragon opposite the Kangaroo. Thistle centre. Maybe some more to the story. Ray Playing around with contrast a little and magnifying…. Is it another kangaroo in a different colour? I can’t account for the ‘squiggle’ on its back but it looks a bit like another ‘roo to me. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magpie22 Posted December 24, 2021 Share Posted December 24, 2021 10 minutes ago, Steve 1602 said: Peter- did a bit of Googling and found this in the book “Spitfire Leader: Robert Bungey DFC, Tragic Battle of Britain Hero” By Dennis Newton ”Finucane was joined on 8 May by a thirty-four year old Scotsman F/Lt Graham Douglas, who was a former flying instructor. Douglas became the commander of ‘B’ Flight” (of 452 Sqn) Mystery solved - assuming it’s the same Douglas, he was a Scot and the thistle makes more sense 👍 Steve 4 minutes ago, Ray_W said: Now Steve, that's solved, but I still can't un-see a Welsh dragon opposite the Kangaroo. Thistle centre. Maybe some more to the story. Ray Thanks for that info Steve. I have Newton's book, but didn't check that. I note that he describes Douglas several times as a Scot. On the other hand, Chris Shores in "Those other eagles" states that Douglas was born in Colwyn Bay, North Wales on 6 Feb 1917. So, I am not sure that the mystery is solved, short of accessing Douglas' official RAF record. As you say, Ray, maybe some more to the story. Peter M 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magpie22 Posted December 24, 2021 Share Posted December 24, 2021 (edited) 39 minutes ago, Steve 1602 said: Playing around with contrast a little and magnifying…. Is it another kangaroo in a different colour? I can’t account for the ‘squiggle’ on its back but it looks a bit like another ‘roo to me. Another possibility is that the left hand part may be an emu, the other fauna on the Australian Coat of Arms. On my print you can see what could be long legs and large, (and lethal), toes typical of an emu, with the head at upper right. The positions of emu and kangaroo seem to be reversed, but considering the rudimentary nature of the kangaroo, the artist may not have been all that familiar with Aussie fauna. The shield with the emblems of the six states has been replaced with a 'thistle'. My possible emu legs are chopped off in your magnification. I suspect that what we can see of the left side of the emblem on the print may just be the black outlines and the main coloured sections are disappearing into the background paint, possible if it were a brown, as one would expect with an emu. "And I'm telling you, I can run faster than a kangaroo!" More research required!! Peter M Edited December 24, 2021 by Magpie22 Emu pic added for those unfamiliar with the bird 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Roberts Posted December 24, 2021 Share Posted December 24, 2021 Could Douglas have been born in Wales, raised in Scotland? I have been researching ‘Australian’ Battle of Britain pilots and there are several who were born in the UK but immigrated to Australia where they were raised, so considered themselves Australian when they returned to fight. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now