Maltese Trench Art Ashtray

This one is a bit of a conundrum! The ashtray is pressed from a solid piece of brass and looks to be hand made, as opposed to a commercially produced item, so is more than likely a piece of WWII trench art. It features a pair of engraved aviation wings, with a Kings Crown above and to the centre a Maltese Cross.

Extensive online research has failed to find an exact match, but the closest we have come is that this could possibly relate to 22 Squadron of the RAF. When the badge was approved by King Edward VIII in 1936, the squadron were supporting the British response to the Abyssinia crisis from Malta, hence the inclusion of the Maltese Cross. Further research however indicates RAF 126, 185 and 261 squadron badges also incorporate a Maltese Cross, so the debate remains wide open. The other alternative is it relates to the Air Wing of Malta's Armed Forces, but as this was only created in 1973 and we feel sure this ashtray predates this, so we have ruled this option out.

Our current conclusion is it was manufactured on Malta in WWII as a generic souvenir by or for RAF personnel serving on Malta to take home to friends and family. If any visitors to our site can add anything more definitive to our speculation please get in touch. Condition remains excellent, with the top surfaces finished in polished brass, whilst the underside has been left "Au naturel". It is in hexagonal form with each of the six sides measuring 2. 5" (6 cm)