About this piece
back to topA good-quality early 20th century bronze Royal Navy boat badge for the HMS Wyvern (D66), from the collection of the late John Ritchie (1944-2025).
The HMS Wyvern (also spelled ‘Wivern’) was an Admiralty modified W-class destroyer launched in 1919. Wyvern served in the Mediterranean and Atlantic fleets before deployment into the Second World War where she received battle honours for the Atlantic, North Africa and North Sea. She survived the war and was dismantled for scrap in 1947.
The shield-shaped badge displays a mythical creature known as a wyvern that resembles a dragon, framed by a rope twist border as pictured, this one marked ‘Wyvern’ to the reverse.
‘Wyvern’ is just one of a selection of ship badges we have acquired from John Ritchie’s collection which will make interesting pieces for the modern collector of British naval history.
The John Ritchie Collection
John Ritchie was an eminent figure in the world of maritime antiques for over 40 years. In his lifetime, he served in the Merchant Navy and travelled the globe, developing a passion for maritime collecting and history. In later years, he became proprietor of Books Afloat in Weymouth, a second-hand bookshop dedicated to all things nautical.
