SAS beret flies in Suffolk auction

A rare WWII beret has sold for over £20,000 in a Suffolk auction house.

Stowmarket auctioneers Bishop & Miller sold the sought-after Special Air Service (SAS) regiment, sand-coloured beret for a hammer price of £21,700.

The high-selling lot, which was sold to a collector based in Switzerland, was among a number of other rare items included in Bishop & Miller’s specialist Military & Medals Auction.

Oliver Miller, managing director of Bishop & Miller Auctioneers, said, “We had an exciting few days of auctions and our customers had certainly done their homework on many of our collectibles with some exceeding estimates. The rare World War II SAS beret was certainly our star lot, and we had a number of competitive bids before the auction opened so we knew it was one to watch. Militaria collectibles, especially rare militaria clothing items like this beret, are in high demand at the moment.”

Other top selling lots included:

• a collectible Siebe Gorman & Co divers knife which sold for £2,300.
• An impressive Norfolk Regiment D.C.M. M.M. Mon’s Trio First World War Medal Group, which sold for £2,400 to a UK -based expert medal collector.
• A recently uncovered large archive from a well-known pilot called Flight Lieutenant J.H. Liversidge D.F.C. A.F.C. Royal Air Force, who was also pilot to the royal family. The medal collection included the pilot’s Distinguished Flying Cross (1958) and a number of unpublished photographs of the pilot with members of the Royal family, including the Queen Mother. The lot sold for £5,200.