Cool. Looks like a very nice bike.

I have a pre-war Schwinn with an early AW; it is stamped AW fairly clearly, with a faint 0, which I interpret as 1940. There are a couple other forum members who have late 30's bikes with early AW hubs; see if you can compare notes with them. What other words can you see on your hub shell: patent applied for?

On the trigger, see this article.

Was Rudge made in Nottingham before it became part of Raleigh?

Edit:
From a little googling &c I gather Raleigh bought Rudge in 1943. Rudge was originally based in Coventry, and the word Coventry appears on the head badge as late as 1937:

Since your rear fender decal clearly states Nottingham, I suspect it's a Raleigh and from after 1943.