Letter on German aeroplane wing fabric

Letter from Ted to Edie from France 1918 written on the back of a piece of fabric from a wing of a German aeroplane, which was shot down within 100 yards of his dugout. He believed the German plane was that of the Red Baron.

Text reads:

France

27-4-18

Dear Edie,

Here is a souvenir

for you. It is a piece of the

wing of a german aeroplane

which was shot down within 100

yards of my dug out.

It is great sport to see them

come down tho' of course some

times the laugh is on the wrong

side of NO MAN'S LAND.

They generally come down a

flaming mass & burn up but

the pilot of this (a baron von

--?) brought down 79 of

our 'planes & then got 5 bullets

thro' his throat & decided all of

a sudden to descend, NAPOO.

Hope this reaches you.

TED

Following his death behind Australian lines in France on 21 April 1918, Manfred Von Richthofen's red triplane became the object of souvenir hunters. Parts of the plane's fabric were cut up and sent as letters home. Along with genuine pieces, there was a swift trade in items of dubious origin.

Research by the Australian War Memorial indicates that Ted's letter to Edie fits the latter. Stylistically, the language is similar to items of the time, but the paint application does not match any German aircraft finish that can be readily identified. The lack of light blue or dark green with a red over paint strongly suggests that this piece is not genuine.

Permission to use this item for any purpose, including publishing, is not required from the State Library under these conditions of use.

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