Originally obtained by Lt. Col. George B. Jarrett during his North Africa service in 1942, this artifact is rare if not unique in the world. Twelve Avro Ansons were acquired by the Greek Air Force in 1938 for maritime patrol duties. When Germany invaded Greece in April 1941, five of these aircraft managed to escape to North Africa and were operated by the British against Rommel's Afrika Corps in that theater.
This hand-painted roundel was souvenired by Jarrett on April 1, 1942, from one of these Anson's that had been destroyed on the ground at Heliopolis, Egypt. The brown and green camouflage was standard for the time, and the blue/white/blue roundel was standard for the Greek Air Force (and remains so), though the blue is quite a bit darker and more saturated in color than usually depicted in color profiles of these aircraft. A handwritten description by Jarrett, in pencil, is present in the lower left front of this rare fabric artifact.
Jarrett acquired numerous aircraft fragments during his service in North Africa, though most are quite small, including multiple Royal Air Force Hawker Hurricanes, a Bristol Blenheim, and many fabric samples from what he described as a 'burned [Vickers] Wellington'. Many were shared with his longtime friend and fellow collector, Robert Boehme of Seattle, Washington.
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