60/449

Pannier,

Geoffrey Musgrave & Son (Manufacturer)

Pannier baskets like this were developed during World War II as a means to drop supplies from the air to troops. During the war basketmakers were pressed into service and all willow commandeered by the War Office to make such panniers. It consists of two rectangular baskets which fit into each other, thus making the sides double thickness and increasing their strength, and the baskets were secured with webbing. A parachute was attached for dropping fragile supplies while less fragile stores were dropped without one. This is the base of a pannier, made by Geoffrey Musgrave and Son of Stoke Saint Gregory, Somerset. The lid, 63/70 is a replacement made for MERL by Emily Mullins of Reading, Berkshire. It is part of a large collection of traditional craft products acquired from the British Council.

1 pannier base: willow, cane, sisal, webbing

MERL miscellaneous note, B. L. 22 March 1961 – ‘The British Council collection. // This collection of material which is covered by the accession numbers 60/430 to 60/791 contains examples of craft products made in the British Isles. The major part of the collection was prepared immediately after the Second World War for a travelling exhibition which was sent to Australia and New Zealand. // The collection was purchased for a nominal sum by the Museum in two portions, the one in the summer of 1960 and the other in February 1961. // For further details see the individual catalogue cards and the catalogue prepared for the temporary exhibition of the collection.’, MERL 'Catalogue index' card – ‘This unusual basket is design for dropping supplies to troops from the air. It is made of peeled willow and has two heavy webbing straps… // Note: Miss Rose of the British Council has marked this item as ‘half missing’. // From: Geoffrey Musgrave & Son, Stoke St. Gregory, Nr. Taunton, Somerset… // The missing lid of this pannier was made by Miss E. Mullins for M.E.R.L. // Note on the design of the basket during the 1939–45 war:– // “The prototype of the airborne pannier was evolved by Mr. W. Shelley of Salisbury from an idea of the later Major Squirrel of H.Q. Home Forces at Amesbury Abbey. Before D-Day the War Office found that it had a requirement for two million of these willow hampers for dropping stores by parachute. The leading master contractors were approached. All basketmakers throughout the country were to be pressed into service. This was easier said than done. The English basketmaker is an independent worker. Sometimes he belongs to a union, sometimes he does not. He may employ labour or work alone or with his family, doing the work for a remote agricultural community. His hours and his prices are often his own affair. It meant personal visits, and persuasion was not made easier by the fact that the ultimate use of the panniers was a secret. In the end the War Office commandeered all willows home grown and imported, and the two million panniers that were made. The pannier consists of two rectangular baskets, one slightly smaller that [sic] the other, measure 36 ins. x 22 ins. x 16 1/2 ins. When closed the sides are double, and it stands up so well to its job that less fragile stores were dropped from an aircraft without a parachute. The medical pannier has a tray for fittings and a canvas cover. The frugal Dutch farmers round Arnheim are still storing their bulbs in some of the panniers dropped at that heroic battle.” // Baskets & Basketry by Dorothy Wright. Batsford, London, 1959. pp.16–17.’, MERL 'Catalogue of baskets' form – 'NAME: Basket (PANNIER, air travel) // Acc. No.: 60/449 // Group: TRANSPORT // Neg. no.: 60/3960 // Place of origin: Bottom from Somerset. Top from Berkshire // Period in use: Post-1943 onwards // DESCRIPTION // Materials: White willow. Buff willow. Cane. Seisal [sic] rope & webbing. // Maker – (bottom) J. Musgrove & Son. Maker – (top) Emily Mullins // Shape and construction: Two oblong rectangular baskets which fit inside each other – the bottom one has webbing straps fitted. The top has two rope handles waled in all the way round. Both are light randed with trac borders & have 3 finger-holes at each end.* // Dimensions: Bottom half: 34” long. 20” wide. 16 1/2” deep. Top half: 36” long. 22” wide. 16 1/2” deep. (outside measurements) // Use: For dropping troop supplies from the air. A parachute was attached when more fragile stores were carried. // Dialect names: // Distribution: // Additional notes: The history of the design & making of these: see Shelly & Ballekin. 1943. Copy in Hist. [history] file. & p.16 of BrB. // *See Nat. dist 1945 p.114. // Refer to the Air Ambulance Panniers p.109.', British Council ‘Exhibition of Rural Handicrafts from Great Britain’ Exhibition Catalogue, 1946, ‘Introductory Note’ – ‘This exhibition contains only examples of handicrafts that are still being practised in the British Countryside. It is confined to the work of our traditional craftsmen and women who, with very few exceptions, would not think of themselves as artists or designers but whose work, nevertheless, so greatly enriches the daily life of those who live with and use their products. The work of these craftsmen, too, provides the basis from which many artist-craftsmen gain technical knowledge and inspiration. // Included with these rural crafts are eight screens showing handicraft processes which can be undertaken by schools or adults who wish to practise a craft at home. In this way we hope these examples of Britain’s country crafts may be related to a practical aspect of present day life in the Dominions and meet the increasing need to find satisfying ways of using the leisure which machinery now makes available to us. // Along with her traditional rural crafts Great Britain seeks to employ all the resources of modern agricultural science and engineering. We have therefore included with this exhibition some photographs showing examples of recent developments in agricultural machinery.’, British Council ‘Exhibition of Rural Handicrafts from Great Britain’ Exhibition Catalogue, 1946, p.41 – ’11. Airborne Pannier, peeled willow. As used to supply troops from the air. G. Musgrave & Son, Somerset.', British Council Ref. No. NZ 11.

Stoke Saint Gregory

1943 - 1946

Wood, willow, Plant fibre, rattan, Fibre

Wright, Dorothy (Recorder)
Mullins, Emily Elizabeth