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| British Military World War II Silver Chaplain's Chalice Set (Pair, sterling silver and silver plate) - Broad Arrow, Crows Foot
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Reference: S11337
Period: George VI
Year: 1943
Silversmith: Hurst, Franklin & Co
Place: London
Price: $ 540.00
Weight: 171 grammes, sterling chalice only grams
Dimensions: 10.5 cm height, 7 cm diameter
Condition: Excellent, do not appear to have seen much use, if any. Some light oxidation that will polish out in time.
Description: A British Military World War II Silver Chaplain's Chalice Set (an identical pair, but one is sterling silver and the other is silver plate). The Chalices are a standard design dating back to the 17th century, with a semi spherical bowl, a knobbed baluster stem (designed for grip with thumb either above or below), and a circular domed foot with a rim. Both chalices are engraved with a cross, and are on the small size, so probably designed for travel. The silver plated chalice has a gilded interior, the gilding is good. Whilst both chalices appear identical, the sterling silver one is heavier (171 grams vs 142 grams for the plated version. Both chalices are clearly marked with the broad arrow (sometimes called crows foot or pheon), this mark is associated with the War Department, but has a history that dates back to Henry VIII and the establishment of the Board of Ordnance by Sir Philip Sydney, originally to mark supplies to the Royal Navy. In 1875 the symbol was listed in the Public Stores Act, and was used to mark government ownership, everything from furniture, war supplies and even prisoner uniforms. The broad arrow is quite rare on sterling silver, it is usually found on Admiralty pattern flatware (itself quite rare, issued to British naval ships for use by officers), see an interesting article by Luke Schrager of Schredds (https://www.schredds.com/pursuivant/broadarrow.htm). Alongside the broad arrow both chalices are stamped "1944", so we know these were issued during World War II. The sterling silver chalice is clearly hallmarked with London hallmarks for 1943 and makers mark H.F. & Co Ld." for Hurst, Franklin & Co, who specialized in supplying ecclesiastical goods between 1935 and the 1980's when they were liquidated. The silver plate chalice has the same broad arrow, 1944 and makers mark HF & Co Ld. Both chalices are an identical design, by the same maker and date, why is one silver and one silver plate? Our best guess is that one was for the Officers mess, the other for the enlisted men, but all suggestions welcome! The set could have been used on a British naval warship, or could have been used by a Padre or Chaplain attached to a military unit - we do know this specific design was used by Chaplains who participated in the D-Day landings (https://theddaystory.com/discover/about-us/working-with-others/chaplains-and-d-day/).
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British Military World War II Silver Chaplain's Chalice Set
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Silver Chaplain's Chalice Set
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Pair, sterling silver and silver plate) - Broad Arrow, Crows Foot
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Hurst, Franklin & Co London 1943 silver hallmarks
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1944 Broad Arrow Crows Foot, silver plate chalice
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World War II Silver Chaplain's Chalice Set with scale
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