An exceptionally rare Royal Flying Corps finger plate 1912-1918

A rare Royal Flying Corps brass finger plate, c.1912–1918. Engraved with the RFC monogram within a circular cartouche, this plate would likely have adorned the door of a squadron office or officers’ mess during the British Army’s pioneering air service.

The Royal Flying Corps, formed in April 1912, pioneered military aviation during the First World War. Initial roles focused on reconnaissance and artillery observation, but soon expanded into aerial combat and ground attack. Pilots flew rudimentary wood-and-canvas biplanes without parachutes, radios, or modern safety systems. Casualties were catastrophic—over 9,300 RFC/RNAS personnel were killed or went missing, including more than 700 aircrew in 1916 alone, and losses peaked during “Bloody April” of 1917 when 316 aircrew were killed or went missing in the space of a month. Parachutes weren’t issued to fixed-wing pilots until late 1918—long after many had already perished—making every sortie a fight for survival.

Surviving hardware like this finger plate is exceptionally rare. Most items were removed, scrapped, or lost when the RFC was amalgamated with the RNAS to form the Royal Air Force on 1 April 1918. Presented on a later-painted board with a typed provenance label “ROYAL FLYING CORPS. Door Plate from R.F.C. Squadron Office or Mess door. This would be circa 1912–1918. The RFC became the R.A.F in April 1918."  This is a tangible relic of the deadly dawn of air warfare.

Measuring: 24 cm high, 8 cm wide (plate)

England, c.1912–1918