"It’s common knowledge that Eagle started life with Handley Page Halifax /Halton aircraft.
Harold Bamberg, keen to begin a flying operation, formed Eagle Aviation having come to an
agreement with fruit merchants at London’s Covent Garden to fly fruit from
Spain to Bovington here in the UK. The aircraft were equipped with panniers made
by a company called Air Tech Ltd.

The panniers were fitted to some RAF aircraft but most of the series 8 type where fitted
with such panniers for civilian use. This pannier, with a capacity for loads up to 8,000 lbs (3,632 kg),
has loading hatches fore and aft and can be lowered from and raised up to the aircraft by
means of winches. Thus for specific freight-carrying operations a complete pannier can be
detached and replaced by another for rapid "turn-around" flights.

Some time ago I discovered that the remains of a pannier were to be found in a scrap yard some
twenty mile away from my home. After further investigation it was discovered that what was
left of a pannier still existed in the scrap yard. Discussion with the owner of the yard began
and eventually I was able to retrieve the main hoist frames and a loading door. The pannier
had been badly damaged by cattle stampeding the item thus breaking up the structure. However the
retrieved items were soon at the workshop and restoration began. The main hoist frames’
serial number was discovered to be No. 88, all individual parts are clearly marked with their part numbers.

The frames had the pannier built around them and were the main sections for winching the pannier
up into the aircraft. After being in the scrap yard for about sixty years the aluminium shows no
signs of corrosion. This item was not used on any aircraft that was operated by Eagle but it does show
what such items looked like. The rare and possibly unique relic is possibly the only example left of a
Halifax pannier albeit now just parts.

I would like to express my thanks to W.J.Furber Ltd of Prees and Shrewsbury for their help and
willingness to see these items preserved.