Help Keep an RAF VC Medal in the UK

His name will be familiar to 10 and 101 Squadron members if they served on the VC10 aircraft because two Brize Norton-based VC10s carried his name before their eventual withdrawal from Service. ‘Arthur Scarf VC’ adorned VC10 XV 109 for 42 years and when that aircraft was withdrawn from Service the name was transferred to ZA 147 for a further three years.

The medal was sold at auction in April 2022 for £550,000 by a direct descendant of Sqn Ldr Scarf’s family but its export overseas was prohibited until late January 2023 as it is considered to be an object of cultural interest and a national treasure.

The RAF Museum needs public support now to enable a figure of £660,000 to match a bid placed by an overseas buyer. This will enable the Museum to keep the medal here in the UK where it will be on public display in London for all to see.

£250,000 of the required funds is needed as soon as possible through public donations with any additional funding being made up from the Museum’s own funds, and a potential grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund.

A ‘GoFundMe’ campaign has been set up by the Museum to raise the necessary funds and readers are invited to contribute to help this worthy cause so that the medal may stay in the UK. Time is of the essence.

To make a donation go to the gofundme.com/f/save-the-scarf-vc website or donate to #SaveTheScarfVC on the RAF Museum’s dedicated ‘Save the Scarf VC’ GoFundMe page. Funds must be raised by the RAF Museum by 27 April 2023.