Flying Ace Pint Glass

Description

This pint glass honors Framingham’s most famous WWI veteran, Arthur Raymond “Ray” Brooks, whose story is featured in our latest exhibition, An American Town in World War I. Brooks was Framingham’s only World War I Flying “Ace,” a distinction given to an aviator who had 5 or more confirmed downed enemies.

It was common for the aero squadrons to adopt a nickname and design an accompanying insignia. The 22^nd Squadron’s nickname, “The Shooting Stars” was a clever play on words, not only calling to mind flying celestial bodies, but also their mission as a fighter squadron, which was to shoot down enemy aircraft. Brooks himself was credited with designing the squadron’s shooting star insignia, which was painted on the side of each of the squadrons’ planes worn as a pin on their flying tunics