RAF Centenary Trophy
Made for the centenary of the Royal Air Force, and given as the trophy for a new annual award first presented in 2018.
What the trophy is
Two aircraft rise from an enamelled blue base with their contrails spiralling down behind them, a Supermarine Spitfire and a Lightning F-35B. The two were chosen because they sit at either end of the Force’s first hundred years.
The base is enamelled blue for the RAF and overlaid with silver gilt strips that stand for the contrails. The crest of the Royal Air Force, in silver gilt and enamel, is applied to both sides.
The centenary programme, RAF100, ran under three headings: Commemorate, Celebrate and Inspire. Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier, then Chief of the Air Staff, decided to use the piece as the trophy for a new annual award, first presented in 2018.
How we made it
Silver that has to look like it is moving is a modelling problem rather than a finishing one. The two aircraft carry no visible support, so the weight has to be resolved through the contrails, which means the decorative element is also the structural one and neither can be adjusted without the other.
It was made at our bench in sterling silver, with the enamel and the gilding applied afterwards.
The RAF Centenary Trophy for Inspiration was presented by Melissa John in memory of her brother, the aviation historian Christopher John.
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