29 Apr 2025
A post box topper of iconic wartime aircraft the de Havilland Mosquito has been created to commemorate VE Day.
Members of the Sopwell Knitters, who meet every Monday at the White Lion pub, crafted the woollen plane after Steve
Thompson, a volunteer at the de Havilland Aircraft Museum, suggested the Mosquito would be the perfect topper to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of war in Europe.
He provided precise details of the Museum’s FB 60 variant and knitter Nadine Homer visited the museum to ensure the correct colours were used for the camouflage.
She decided to replicate the aircraft at a scale of 1:25, and knitting and crocheting began in early March and was completed in record time.
Mostly made of timber, the Mosquito was known as ‘the Wooden Wonder’; its VE Day rendition is inevitably called ‘the Woollen Wonder’.
Nadine said: “The Sopwell Knitters were delighted to create this topper. We are passionate about our craft and love a challenge. We are very excited to be able to share the Woollen Wonder with everyone to mark this special occasion.”
The topper was put on display at the pillar box adjacent to St Albans Clock Tower, where it attracted considerable attention from passing shoppers. It will then go on show at the Shuttleworth Premier Air Show before being offered for display at St Albans Museum + Gallery.
