Antiques Roadshow: Guests stunned by war memorabilia value
WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Antiques Roadshow.
An Antiques Roadshow expert was left visibly moved by a breathtaking Battle of Britain collection, leaving the owner to "gulp" at the hefty valuation.
In an episode filled with history, the BBC show visited Pitzhanger Manor in London and met a guest who had a fascinating archive. Smith, thrilled by the encounter, expressed his delight: "You have made my day. You have made my day.
"Forty-four years ago, I was at school, a friend of mine, his dad used to write books and I helped to write a book about the Battle of Britain.
"These belonged to one of the few, a Battle of Britain pilot. Who was he? " he asked eagerly.
The guest revealed the items were from Richard Edgar Peter Brooker, his uncle.
"He detailed Richard's service in the RAF starting in 1937 and mentioned how he returned to the UK in 1943 to train pilots before commanding a unit on D-Day at Thorney Island."
Handling the oxygen mask, Smith was struck by its historical significance: "The Battle of Britain, that's the bit.
"To actually hold one of these things which was worn in the battle, which is such a pivotal moment in World War Two.
"Because without these people wearing these horrible cloth things as oxygen masks with their microphone in the front, the Germans would have come and it was these people that stopped it.
"The bar, 'Battle of Britain', there are only 2,500 odd of those in the world for the air crew that fought during that battle."
The guest revealed his uncle had shot down seven or eight German planes, earning him the title of a fighter ace, while piloting his Hawker Hurricane.
Smith praised the Hurricane, calling it a "fantastic aircraft, which we always forget because we always think of a Spitfire.
"But it was the Hurricane really that was the workhorse for the battle."
The expert then began to detail some of the medals displayed on the table, including two Distinguished Service Order (DSO) medals, Flying Crosses, Star of Battle of Britain and a war medal, among others.
Unfortunately, the story didn't have a happy ending for the guest's uncle who tragically died while serving.
The guest shared: "He was killed just before the end of the war on April 16, 1945.
"His aircraft disappeared, they don't know where he crashed, because on that day he wasn't wearing his dog tags.
As Smith started to summarise, he said: "It's such a collection. What if I said to you then, £3,000.
Clearly dissatisfied with the valuation, the guest quipped: "Bye bye".
He added: "Well £3,000 will buy you just the bar that says 'Battle of Britain'", leading the guest to question: "Really?"
Smith exclaimed, "So on the table, £60,000" prompting audible gasps from the onlookers and a sharp intake of breath from the guest who managed to utter: "Gulp."
He went on to express his awe: "To actually be able to hold something that was there on one of those days in the sky over London, you honestly don't know what this means.
"Thank you so much for bringing this in. Absolutely fantastic."
Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
