In the unlikely surroundings of an airfield near Cheddington, Buckinghamshire, the restoration of Pacific one of the last surviving canal tugs which, in its working days, operated as Stewart & Lloyds Ltd No 4 on the Birmingham network is making steady progress. Alan Barnes meets the tug's owner, John Pattle.

An illustration of Stewart & Lloyds Ltd No 4, later Pacific, in the livery that she will carry upon completion of overhaul.

This particular tug was one of a pair built in 1934 for Stewarts & Lloyds of Halesowen by Yarwoods, who were based in Northwich, Cheshire. Yarwoods built only hulls, which were then sent to Harris Boat Builders at Bumble Hole in Nertherton, Worcestershire, for the completion of the cabin and superstructure. While owned by Stewarts & Lloyds the two boats were unnamed, being listed as tugs Nos 4 and 5, and spent most of their working days handling coal traffic. Regular workings would involve towing up to eight empty coal boats from Halesowen to the coal mines at Cannock. On the return journey they would tow four full boats, each carrying a load of 40 tonnes from Cannock to the Stewarts & Lloyds depot at Bilston, where two of the coal boats would be dropped off. The remaining two would then be towed on to Halesowen.
In later years the tugs were named; No 4 became Pacific while No 5 was christened Bittell. It is a remarkable coincidence that these two tugs were not only built together and worked together, but have also both managed to survive. Bittell was bought by British Waterways in June 1958 and was allocated asset number 80384. It is believed that the present engine was installed by British Waterways in the late 1960s and the gearbox was also replaced at the same time.

In Birmingham in the late 1950s, heading towards Coombswood. The ice has already been broken and the tug is pushing the ice to one side. The boatmen on the joey boats often kept warm from cinders in fire bucket, unless a cabin had been provided.

From the mid-1970s until 1985, Bittell was used on behalf of British Waterways by Charlie Atkins Jnr the son of 'Chocolate Charlie Atkins', a well-known character on the cut. Charlie Jnr lived at the top of Farmers Bridge Locks in Birmingham and the tug was used for general maintenance jobs and moving other boats around the Birmingham Navigations. It was at this time that the vessel was named Bittell.

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