WW2 British Airborne Wicker Pannier

World War 2 British Airborne Wicker Pannier (Dropping Basket), as used in the battle of Arnhem. The pannier is constructed of two halves of woven wicker, with the top half fitting over the bottom half. This allowed the pannier to become telescopic and have a height adjustment. The top half has a length of rope interwoven into the wicker along the edge that formes a loop at each of the four corners to aid in carrying. A MK1 parachute was used to drop the pannier, they could carry a maximum of 350 lbs (160kg). A 'T' is painted in black on one side. There are some small damages, see photos. Rare and hard to find original WW2 British Airborne Dropping Basket!