Senior United States Army officer (1912-2005) who designed the U.S. Army's parachutist badge, paratrooper or 'jump' boots, and the airborne jump uniform. He is known as the ‘Father of the Modern Green Berets.’ Fascinating lot of original artwork related to the creation of the Army Parachutist Badge, which was designed in 1941 by Captain (later Lieutenant General) William P. Yarborough and approved by the Department of the Army in March of that year. The lot includes an original sketch by Yarborough of the badge, accomplished in graphite on an off-white 6.75 x 9.25 sheet, signed below, “This is what the original sketch of the parachute badge looked like. It was one of several I proposed. It was officially approved by the Secretary of War on 10 March 1941. William P. Yarborough, Lt. Gen. USA (Ret), 17 Sept 94.”
Also features an original hand-painted design of the Parachutist Badge, accomplished in graphite, ink, and watercolor on an off-white 5.5 x 4.25 sheet, which is mounted and framed to an overall size of 12.25 x 11.75; the frame backing is annotated in black ink by Yarborough, who signs within the text: “Artists rendition of Parachute badge design, done at Recruiting Publicity Bureau, Governor’s Island NY at direction of Colonel LeRoy W. Yarborough who headed that Bureau during World War II years. Original design from which the above was copied, done by then Captain William P. Yarborough, 501st Parachute Battalion in 1941-2.” In overall fine condition, with some light toning and scattered marks.
Yarborough volunteered for the airborne forces and joined the newly formed 501st Parachute Battalion in late 1940 and was given command of Company ‘C.’ Later, as Test Officer for the Provisional Parachute Group in 1941, he designed the paratrooper's boot, the paratrooper's uniform, the parachutist badge, and airborne background trimming, as well as a number of aerial delivery containers for which he received U. S. patents. According to Yarborough: ‘Of heraldic significance there is little other than the following: Wings in the raised position supporting the chute symbolize the fact that we are transported by air, but not wings of our own, or by our own planes. The wings are not in an active flying attitude, which is symbolic of our gliding or floating to our objective.’
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