Canterbury Aviation Company badge

Pilot’s ‘wings’ badge from the Canterbury (NZ) Aviation Company. Henry Wigram established the Canterbury Flying School at Sockburn (now Wigram) aerodrome near Christchurch in 1916. Training commenced in August 1917 and 170 pilots had graduated by the Armistice in November 1918. All but 20 sailed for Britain to receive further training from the British air services, although only a handful flew operationally, with most of the others still undergoing ground or flying training in Britain at war’s end.