mark of Garrard & Co, London 1962, of 'Chippendale' style, the field engraved, 'Presented to Air Vice Marshal J.E. Johnson CB CBE DSO DFC RAF by the Officers of Air Forces Middle East on the occasion of his retirement from the Royal Air Force', raised on four hoof feet, signed to the underside, 37cm in diameter, 40ozt Provenance: By direct descent to the current owner Footnote: Air Vice Marshal James Edgar ‘Johnnie’ Johnson, CB, CBE, DSO & Two Bars, DFC & Bar, DL was the highest scoring Western Allied pilot against the German Luftwaffe and was the Royal Air Force's officially recognised top-scoring fighter pilot of the Second World War. Prior to the outbreak of War, Johnson tried on several occasions to join the RAF, but was rejected due to a collarbone injury from his rugby days as a teenager. He was finally accepted in August 1939 at the age of 24, but his injury dogged him throughout his early training and flying career. In 1940 he had an operation to reset his collarbone, resulting in him missing the Battle of France and the Battle of Britain; he was still recovering from surgery. In the Autumn of 1940 he began flying spitfires regularly under Flying Ace Group Captain Douglas Bader. He took part in the offensive sweeps over German-occupied Europe from 1941 to 1944, almost without rest. Bader was shot down in August 1941 and Johnson received his own squadron command in 1942. He was one of a very small group of pilots given permission to use their own initials instead of the traditional squadron and aircraft identification letters on the side of his aircraft - J.E.J. Johnson's combat tour included participation in the Dieppe Raid, Combined Bomber Offensive, Battle of Normandy, Operation Market Garden, the Battle of the Bulge and the Western Allied invasion of Germany. In total he flew over 700 sorties and engaged the enemy on 57 occasions. His wartime record was 34 aircraft claimed destroyed with a further seven shared destroyed, three probable destroyed, 10 damaged, and one shared, destroyed on the ground. All of his kills were fighters including the formidable Focker-Wolf Fw190 and Messerschmitt Me 109 rather than the slower and more vulnerable bombers. His own aircraft was never shot down. His medal collection was impressive; he was made Companion of the Order of the Bath and Commander of the Order of the British Empire in addition to winning the Distinguished Service Order three times, the Distinguished Flying cross twice, The US Distinguished Flying cross and Air Medal, the Belgian Croix de Guerre, Officer of the Order of Leopold with Palms and the French Commander of the Legion of Honour. The medal group sold for £241,000 when they appeared at auction in 2001. Johnson continued his career in the RAF after the war, and served in the Korean War before retiring in 1965 with the rank of Air Vice Marshal. This salver was presented to him on the occasion of his retirement. He died on 30th January 2001 at the age of 85. (Photographs: Johnson in front of his Spitfire MK IX EN398 JE - J., in the cockpit and meeting with Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Normandy 1944, reproduced with kind permission of the family)