RAF Base Calshot Inter-Flight Shield

Presented by the officers to the winners of the annual tug of war competition and is dated 1925 and was awarded every year from then until 1937 when the competition appears to have ceased, possibly due to the war clouds over Europe. It resumed in 1946 and was last awarded in 1950. The central engraved shield is surrounded by 17 smaller engraved and dated shields and we can confirm in 1934 was won by the HQ, in 1932 201 Flying Boat Sqdn, 1930 Workshops and 1948 201 Sqdn. RAF Calshot was a sea based aerodrome in the Solent, established by the RFC in 1913 as a RNAS station testing sea planes. It was taken over by the RAF in 1922 and was the home of the high speed flight to train pilots for the Schneider Trophy races. From 1929 to 1931 "Aircraftsman Shaw" formally known as Col. T. E. Lawrence or "Lawrence of Arabia", was posted to Calshot to help with race preparations and also to work on the development of the 200 class sea plane tender. In 1921 201 Sqdn were based at Calshot followed by 240 in 1937. In WWII the base was used mainly for repair and maintenance but was involved in the evacuation from Dunkirk and from 1942 was the home to Air Sea Rescue craft. Post war Calshot-based Sunderlands flew in the Berlin air lift flying over 1000 sorties. Calshot finally closed in 1961 and our plaque is a unique souvenir and is steeped in the history from the very early days of the RFC, RNAS and RAF. 17" (43 cm)