Hello Johnny,
My own thoughts have always been quite simply, an eagle, is just that and nothing more, unless, it was actually worn by a member of 8 Group, notwithstanding, the facts remain.
The eagle with the distinctive pin was the first to be originally made as a Pathfinder badge and was not, to the best of my knowledge, used as anything else, in that, whilst there certainly are PFF Sealed Patterns in existence of the eagle with both screw posts and the pin, the screw post eagle was already in existence, before the PFF was created, as were all those others with blades, lugs and wires, but, the eagle with the pin would almost certainly have been "the badge" in it's final form.
I knew a number of PFF members down the years and I remember being told that there were great many eagles of all types in use as their badge and I believe the pin was in use in 1945 just before the war had ended, the former is certainly born out with your photographs.
I have one of Patrick Carden's in my collection, from memory, he flew with both 582 Squadron as well as the quite remarkable 139 Squadron, with this latter, as "assistant" Master Bomber on several occasions.
Kind regards Frank
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