An Antiques Roadshow guest was gobsmacked when she found out how much her mum’s RAF uniform could sell for.
Expert Siobhan Tyrrell was absolutely delighted when she saw the collection from WWII RAF pilot Jackie Moggridge, brought in by her daughter.
Siobhan said: “So I read this lady’s autobiography about a year ago and she inspired me so much that I booked a flight in a Tiger Moth, which I know she trained in and was one of the many planes she flew for the air transport auxiliary.
READ MORE:Antiques Roadshow expert issues stern warning to guest over item in shock valuation
“So who is she to you?”
The guest confirmed: “So she’s Jackie Moggridge, she’s my mother and she was born in South Africa and wanted to learn to fly to show off to her brothers.
(Image: BBC)
“She not only got her private pilot’s licence but she was the first woman to do a parachute jump in South Africa.
“She couldn’t do commercial college at South Africa so she had to come to England.”
The guest explained that her mother came to the UK to train in 1938, one year before the Second World War began, and she was the only woman on the course.
(Image: BBC)
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But at first, she wasn’t accepted onto the programme because she was a woman.
“She wrote to the RAF and said ‘I’m going to join the RAF’ and they said ‘Oh no, we don’t take women fighter pilots,'” the guest said.
“So, she joined the WAAF and became a radar operator.”
Luckily for Jackie, she was finally accepted when the force didn’t have enough male fighter pilots.
(Image: BBC)
“That was a great triumph for women to actually have the opportunity to fly for their country,” Sioban said.
The expert then showed a photo of Jackie as well as a book which she dubbed a “bluffer’s guide to flying”.
Jackie’s daughter said: “She actually joined the RAF Volunteer Reserves which was working at weekends.
“While she was there, she was looking for jobs and eventually she got her Channel Airways job..
(Image: BBC)
“And we have a book here which I like to think is a bluffer’s guide to flying. It is nicknamed The Blue Book.”
“She didn’t talk a lot about the war,” said Jackie’s daughter.
“But she used to say if you jumped into bed with her in the morning, she would say ‘Do you want to fly a Spitfire?’
Revealing the huge value, Siobhan said: “It could easily make between £30,000 and £40,000,” adding that the guest could expect an “absolute frenzy” if she sold it.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
