The Caterpillar Club

The Caterpillar Club

The Caterpillar Club is made up of a rather special group of people, who have successfully used a parachute to bail out of a failing aircraft, thus saving their lives. Founded in 1922 the ‘caterpillar’ refers to the silk threads that went to make the original parachutes and recognises the debt owed to the silkworm for producing them.

The Caterpillar club brooches or pins, are very small, typically only 2cm long, and realistically styled in gold as a caterpillar with garnet or ruby eyes. To the reverse, you will often find the recipient's name, and occasionally rank.

For obvious reasons, this unusual club does not have many members, and those who are, value their brooches highly.

We were recently delighted to have a brooch consigned to auction with ‘SGT RJW Brown’ written to the reverse. Shot down by an ME109 whilst flying his Hurricane over France in June 1940, he baled out and was picked up by a unit moving South, then put on a hospital ship back to England. Having rejoined his squadron, Sgt. Brown was back in action by the 18th August.