The RAF “Victory Bell” made from the aluminium of downed Luftwaffe aircraft

This handbell was fashioned from the metal of German aircraft downed over the British Isles, by the Buckinghamshire Die-Casting Co. of Burnham, Bucks, England, to financially support the RAF Benevolent Fund. The bell is cast aluminium and the quality of that metal is probably not that high. However, it wasn’t constructed to be a thing of beauty so much as a memento celebrating Britains survival from overwhelming odds in terms of the number of enemy aircraft sent to destroy the island nation. Of course, many of those downed aircraft may represent crew who did not survive their endeavour so there is solemnity as well a celebration. Fashioned with the heads of Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin in relief and a large “V” in relief on both sides of the handle. On the bottom flare of the bell there are the following inscriptions “Cast in metal from German aircraft shot down over Britain 1939 – 1945” then “RAF Benevolent Fund”. Compared to other handheld bells this bell makes more of clattering clang, rather than a pleasant tone, but again the purpose of the bell wasn’t to rival brass bells tuned to give some pleasing tone. The original striker shows wear consistent with age.

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