Inter War period US Navy Officers Sword and knot named to a Naval Aviator who was Killed in Action on a Secret Mission off the Coast of Gibraltar. He was shot down seven months before the U.S. entered the war, making him one of the first Americans killed in World War II. Davis was serving in England as assistant U.S. air and naval attaché in London. He was flying as a passenger aboard a British Sunderland Flying Boat from Gibraltar to England when it was shot down by German fighters. The British government claimed the plane was “lost” and “gone missing” rather than admitting the large, slow plane carrying government officials was flying alone without fighter escort protection, which made it an easy target for German fighters. It was a careless and embarrassing situation for the British government at the time. Prior to serving overseas, Davis was stationed at the naval air station in Lakehurst, New Jersey, when Marion C. Cooper, the producer of the 1933 film classic “King Kong,” went there and asked if he could film Navy planes doing acrobatics to use in the final scene of the movie on top of the Empire State Building. Davis agreed and was paid $10 by Cooper. If you google his name a photo of that check exists here https://ocfair.com/heroes-hall/exhibitions/virtual-museum/world-war-ii/ The sword has condition issues from a taped scabbard to graying to the blade but still a very historical piece.