A Centre Piece for the RAF 206 Squadron Centenary celebration
Bertie & French were thrilled to be tasked with designing and creating a special commemorative piece for the RAF 206 Squadron Association, as a tribute to the squadron and a milestone event. We crafted the octopus, drawing inspiration from their badge and motto, 'Nihil Nos Effugit.' I absolutely love working on animal pieces! It might be a bit crazy, but I feel like I have a connection to them, so I always give my 'creatures' a name. She was named Orla, which I felt reflected her precious status.
'Orla' meaning 'Princess'.
Orla's creation
After all parties were happy with the design, Keith and I worked out the best way to construct the piece. Waxes were made of the components and then these were lost wax cast. Once we had the Octopus parts in sterling silver, we had the task of soldering them together so that no joins could be detected. This was followed by days of applying the textures and mirror polished areas to accentuate the design.
Soldering of post to the underside of Orla
Applying the finishing touches to the body
Finishing touches
A great deal of thought and research went into choosing the base for this centre piece. It had to be heavy, relatively resilient and compliment the silver. We eventually chose Welsh slate and had the engraving done by a specialist company.
The Squadron badge
'Nothing escapes us'
The octopus relates to the squadrons maritime services and is an exceptional squadron with a vast history.
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