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"Sweetheart grips"

The grips on Captain Sparks’ pistol are known as “Sweetheart grips” and were common during the war. Soldiers made them from the Perspex windows of shot down aircraft specifically to put pictures of their sweethearts under as a good luck charm. This also explains why in the TV series Felix was desperately trying to reach for his pistol when got wounded. 

According to Alex Kershaw’s book “The Liberator”: “In one village [Felix] found a craftsman, who replaced the pistol’s standard grips with transparent plastic taken from a downed American bomber’s windshield. Sparks set a photograph of his son, Kirk, and wife, Mary, under one grip and a favorite pinup under the other”. 

Alex Kershaw’s book could be purchased in various options (hardcover, paperback, Kindle, audiobook) on Amazon.