The remarkable World War Two history behind a rare Gold Caterpillar Brooch being auctioned in Birmingham

A very special brooch – only awarded to those whose lives were saved by parachutes – will be auctioned in Birmingham next Thursday (January 25). 

Gold Caterpillar Brooches were only presented to members of the Caterpillar Club, individuals saved from disabled aircraft by their chutes set up in the 1920s. The one being sold by Fellows Auctioneers, in the Jewellery Quarter, was worn by Sergeant Stanley Cranston Alldis.  

The 22-year-old was one of a seven strong Avro Lancaster crew who took off from East Kirby during World War Two on November 11, 1944, to bomb Hamburg’s Rhenania-Ossag oil refinery. 

Two hours later, a 7.27pm, the Lancaster was hit and crash landed close to Hamburg. Only bomb aimer Alldis and Lewis Wolfe Nagley, the navigator, survived. Both were taken as prisoners of war. Alldis returned home at the end of the conflict and married Brenda, in 1953. He died, aged 79, in 2002. 

The brooches, only 1.7cm long and with garnet eyes, were bestowed by the Irvin Air Chute Co. How many received the honour is unclear, but by 1939 the Caterpillar Club was known to have 4,000 members. 

This is the fifth Caterpillar Brooch to be sold by Fellows and carries an estimated price of around £400. But all the others have flown way above their estimates, some even selling for double what was expected. 

Alison Snowdon, Fellows’ Antiques specialist, said: “The best things really do come in the smallest of packages. At 1.7cm in length, this gold pin may seem unassuming, but this is not the case. 

“It ranks among the most interesting objects I have been able to work with. Engraved on the reverse ‘Stanley Cranston Alldis’, this pin is a Caterpillar Club brooch.  Created in 1922, the members of the Caterpillar Club are those who have bailed from a disabled aircraft and survived using a parachute.  

“The sheer bravery of the men and women to whom these were awarded is unimaginable. We are thrilled to have this pin included in our upcoming jewellery sale. I feel honoured to have handled it and to have uncovered this history of this true hero.”