Aircraft Port and Starboard Access Panels

This pair are a complete mystery as we have no information as you're their origins or the airframe they came from. Their source was from the now defunct Torbay Aviation Museum and we speculate they may have been separated from the aircraft when the museum contents were auctioned by Sotheby's back in 1988.

The panels as shown are a mirror image of each other and we speculate they were port and starboard fuselage or wing access panels. The only clue we currently have is in cleaning them before photography today we noticed and manufacturers code G5 in a flattened circle which we believe represents the Gloster company. This is followed by 401 which is repeated with an ink stamp on the inside of one panel, which we are advised is a factory inspectors stamp. In addition one panel is stamped Y46888 8 whilst the other is marked Y46889 8 which we assume to be the part number. So if any armchair or other experts can add anything to our knowledge on these we would be glad to hear from you and will update our listing accordingly.

Each panel has a silver base with white overpainting with both originally having a vertical stripe down each. Inside is finished in drab olive and riveted reinforcing struts and rubbing blocks fitted. Each measures 30" x 14" and tapering down to 9.5" (77 cm x 36 cm tapering down to 24 cm.) We know Torbay owned Meteor T7 (WF877) and perhaps these panels came from her but we stand to be corrected!