The Messenger was designed to meet an informal request from a group of British Army officers for a robust, slow speed, low maintenance air observation post and liaison aircraft.

The aircraft designed was a cantilever low-wing monoplane with a fixed tailwheel, powered by the de Havilland Gipsy Major 1D inline engine.

(The Messenger shown at the beginning of this article – in the guise of this aircraft – attended the 60th D-Day commemorations at the Imperial War Museum Duxford in 2004.)

[5] Post-war production centred on the Messenger 2A for the civilian market, aircraft being built at Newtownards in Northern Ireland and flown to Woodley for final fitting out.

Several examples of the type were sold to Australia and others were exported to Argentina, Belgium, Chile, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand, South Africa and Switzerland.