By Dave Clearwater
Communications Manager, Air Force Museum of New Zealand
Lace panel
An historic lace panel is the main feature in a new exhibition at the Air Force Museum, which opened to the public on 30 July 2010.
The ‘Woven in War’ exhibition marks the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain. Visitors to this exhibition have the opportunity to view a magnificent and rare commemorative lace panel from the Museum's collection, while discovering the story of the Battle and some of the New Zealanders who took part in it.
Dobsons & Browne & Co. Ltd in England developed the design for the panels over two years (1942–1946) to commemorate the Battle of Britain, and to be a tribute to all those who fought to save Britain in its time of need. Thirty-eight precious lace panels were manufactured, after which the jacquards (looms) were destroyed—adding to the value of the panels. Each panel is 4.5 m long and 1.62 m wide, and is made of fine Egyptian cotton with a silk backing. These panels are iconic and highly valued by those institutions that possess them, such as the Royal Air Force Museum.
Panels were also given to:
- King George VI
- Sir Winston Churchill
- RAF units
- Westminster Abbey
- the City of Nottingham (where the panels were woven)
- the City of London, and
- personnel from Dobsons & Browne.
To acknowledge national contributions to the RAF during the Battle, panels were gifted to:
- New Zealand (displayed at the National Museum—now Te Papa)
- Canada
- Australia, and
- South Africa.
In 2008 an approach was made to the Air Force Museum from the United Kingdom to gauge our interest in acquiring one of these rare panels. It had been held in private hands overseas after WWII until recent years when it was brought back to England. The Air Force Museum seized the opportunity and is now the proud owner of one, of only two, of these panels in New Zealand.
The acquisition of this panel is a very special one given its rarity and historical value. Due to the delicacy and fragility of the lace, the exhibition will close mid-November 2010.