A PIECE of history dropped from a Hercules aircraft more than 34 years ago has surfaced on eBay.

When Swindon Post Office celebrated its 150th anniversary in 1979, somebody had the idea of parachuting hampers of commemorative postcards on to South Marston Airfield.

A crew from 70 Squadron at RAF Lyneham was given the task, and used it as a training exercise for their vital role of dropping vital supplies all over the world.

The postcard drop took place on Monday, November 26, and we wrote the next day: “Bombs away chaps – it’s airmail with a difference.

“Proving there’s more than one way to deliver the mail an RAF Hercules parachuted four hampers of postcards on to South Marston airfield yesterday.”

We added: “Head postmaster Les Dean was on hand to see the hampers land. He said: ‘The drop was tremendous – I really enjoyed it. it was much more dramatic than I expected.’ “After they touched down, the cards – featuring mail trains which have worked through Swindon Station during the past 150 years – were whisked away in a mail van to the head Post Office in Fleming Way.

“There they were handstamped with a commemorative cancellation and stamped with a cachet recording the flight from RAF Lyneham and the parachute drop at South Marston.”

Wing Commander Norman Hodnett, in charge of 70 Squadron, said: “It’s been superb. It’s been an ideal opportunity for training over a strange drop zone.”

Four locos were pictured on what were described as the first commemorative postcards issued by Swindon Post Office. They were an Iron Duke Class broad gauge from 1891, the King George V, diesel hydraulic D1013 Western Ranger and an Inter-City 125. Like the King George V, D1013 survives in preservation.

According to Post Office officials a total of 40,000 cards were dropped, and 20,000 of them had already been earmarked for collectors around the world before the first hamper was loaded aboard the aircraft.

The fact that the Adver was able to acquire an example for a low price suggests they aren’t rare, but mint examples do not frequently turn up for sale. Mention of them is made occasionally on collectors’ websites.