It's still out there !

[Gary J]

I went to a local "antique auction" last week .... and this turned up !
.. Described as a "large wicker hamper" !!!

Turns out to be a 1944 dated British Airborne resupply wicker pannier !

...

Gary J.

[Adrian Stevenson]

It is a great find! The condition is superb. These can often suffer badly from woodworm. Well done!

Cheers, Ade.

[Gary J]

Cheers Ade!
Indeed a lucky find ...
It's one of those items thats always on the perminant "shopping list", which you know you will only find by a lot of patience and good luck !

Condition ...
No worm .. stored dry !!
I suspect that it may have been "recycled" as a linen basket or blanket box either during, or straight after WW2
... only surfacing after a house clearance of 60 year old goods ..

for a comparison .. check out half way down the page on this web site ..

http://www.spanglefish.com/16parachu...?pageid=105902

Gary J.

It is a great find! The condition is superb. These can often suffer badly from woodworm. Well done!

Cheers, Ade.

[Voddebaal]

And another item saved!

Great job!

[oradour]

All that glisters is not gold ! The item was correctly described by the staff of the auction saleroom as " a large wicker hamper ". Wicker panniers, Mk.VI harnesses and roller runways were all standardized in size to complement each other. Working with a different sized/configured basket would have complicated matters.There is no evidence of a short supply of standard panniers necessitating the use of civilian pattern ones.Of course these civilian pattern baskets were supplied to the Army etc, but having gone through all the technical records relevant to AB Forces and checked the photo' library I can find no evidence of use of this laundry basket in a parachute supply role. See basket
Wishful thinking I believe

[Gary J]

Yes !!!
It looks like the information you found on the web site was correct !
The basket is certainly not of the telescopic type.

I'll have to settle for it being a wartime dated wicker hamper instead then ..

Well at least it was dirt cheap !

Gary J.

[skypilot]

I appreciate that this is an old thread but it has just reminded me that I need to nag my mother again......she has 3, yes 3 of these panniers, one of which is 1944 dated with "1 PARA" daubed on the side of it. She stores spare bed linen and such in them having acquired them from a German lady who's husband had been a para.

Every time I ask for them she just complains that she wouldn't be able to get anything as good to store the blankets in and why should I have them to flog on eBay anyway!!!