Flying Boats

by Charles Woodley

  The catering for the final leg of the journey was prepared and placed aboard by the Victoria Falls Hotel, and made an impressive contrast to that available back in Britain, where food rationing was still in force. Canapés and aperitifs were served, often on the promenade deck, before the silver service luncheon. Typical of the menus was the selection offered aboard G-AHIN Southampton en route from Victoria Falls to Vaaldam on 1 May 1948. This consisted of cold roast chicken, boiled ham, cold tongue, roast lamb and salad, followed by fruit tart and cream, cheese and biscuits, fruit and coffee. The Solents were equipped with the latest Crittall ‘Airborne’ electric oven, which only the chief steward was permitted to operate. The seats on the aircraft were covered in blue fabric, the carpets were of a deeper blue, and the curtains were in two shades of beige. One of the stewards’ extra duties was the fastening of the bulkhead doors separating the lower deck cabins so that any water that found its way in could be contained and removed. Vaaldam was reached in the afternoon and the passengers were taken by coach on the 58-mile journey into Johannesburg. If thunderstorms rendered Vaaldam temporarily unusable there was an alternative alighting area at Haartebeeste Port, almost 30 miles equidistant from Johannesburg and Pretoria. The fare from London to Southampton to Johannesburg was set at £167 one-way or £300 12s 0d for a round trip, thus putting the trip beyond the means of all but government officials and their families, those travelling on business, and wealthy individuals.

  During June 1948 the Solent fleet had to be withdrawn for float modifications, not returning to service until October. When they transited Egypt after this, they utilised the Lake Mariut Marine Base at Alexandria instead of Cairo. This artificial lake had been constructed by the Egyptian government at a cost of £125,000, and here BOAC set up stores, a marine yard, offices, engineering workshops, a staff canteen, and a kitchen in which the catering for the flying boats was prepared. There was also a restaurant and restroom offering pleasant views across the lake for the passengers. It was here that they completed the immigration and quarantine checks before passing on to the nearby control tower for customs clearance.

  On 19 March 1948 the Plymouth-class Sandringham service to Hong Kong was extended to Iwakuni in Japan. The first extended service was operated by G-AJMZ Perth, with the 10,625-mile journey from the UK scheduled to be accomplished in seven days. From 20 November 1948 the service was extended again, this time all the way through to Tokyo, and on 30 December that year the Sandringhams began operations between Hong Kong and Shanghai, a link that later had to be suspended because of political difficulties. By the end of 1948 the timetable of BOAC flights to and from Southampton read as follows:

  MON ...

  1145hrs Hythe-class arrival from Australia.

  1500hrs Plymouth-class arrival from Hong Kong.

  TUE ...

  1145hrs Solent departure to Vaaldam.

  1230hrs Plymouth-class departure to Hong Kong.

  WED ...

  1145hrs Hythe-class departure to Australia.

  1300hrs Hythe-class arrival from Karachi.

  THUR ...

  1145hrs Hythe-class departure to Karachi.

  1500hrs Plymouth-class arrival from Tokyo.

  FRI ...

  1145hrs Solent departure to Vaaldam.

  1230hrs Plymouth-class departure to Tokyo.

  1530hrs Hythe-class departure to Australia.

  SAT...

  1145hrs Hythe-class departure to Australia.

  1530hrs Solent arrival from Vaaldam.

  SUN ...

  1145hrs Solent departure to Vaaldam.

  1530hrs Hythe-class arrival from Australia.

  1530hrs Solent arrival from Vaaldam.

  The last full year of BOAC Hythe-class operations would be 1948. On 16 February 1949 the final Hythe-operated service from Australia arrived at Southampton, with Captain D.W. Pallet in command of G-AGJO Honduras for the last leg. Between them, the Hythe class and the other civilianised Sunderlands had flown 25,117,246 miles and carried 79,793 passengers in BOAC service. The Plymouth-class Sandringhams were to remain in service for a little longer, but by the summer of 1949 Canadair Argonaut landplane airliners were in service. From late August they supplanted the Sandringhams on the Far East routes, while the Africa flights remained flying boat operated, using Short Solent 2s. These examples were actually owned by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and leased to BOAC, but in 1948 the decision had been taken to give BOAC its own Solents by the expedient of acquiring the six Short Seaford 1 flying boats under construction at Belfast and converting them to thirty-nine-seat Solent 3s for the state-owned airline. On 5 May 1949 the first Solent 3, registered G-AKNO, alighted on the River Thames near Tower Bridge and was moored on public view close to Tower Pier as part of the events commemorating the thirtieth anniversary of civil aviation in Britain. On 10 May it was moved to a new site by the Traitors’ Gate at the Tower of London and was named City of London by the Lord Mayor of London Sir George Aylwen, who poured South African champagne over the aircraft’s bows from a silver chalice. In a speech thanking the Lord Mayor, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Civil Aviation referred to the future of flying boats and the fact that BOAC was the only airline operating them. He said that although the high maintenance costs of the flying boat bases had placed the airline at an economic disadvantage, Britain had retained faith in the aircraft on the basis of their superior standards of comfort and security. Whether in the end Britain would be able to retain the flying boat services, or whether the inexorable forces of airline economics would force the country to abandon them, remained to be seen. He expressed the hope that, through BOAC’s perseverance with them, other operators would be encouraged to turn to flying boats.

  BOAC Short Solent 3 G-AKNO moored on the River Thames near Tower Bridge in May 1949. (Dave Welch)

  In April 1949 the flying boat component of the BOAC fleet consisted of eleven Solents and eleven Plymouth-class Sandringhams, the latter type on services to Karachi, Tokyo and Shanghai, and between Singapore and Hong Kong. The Solents were to serve on many routes. On 15 May 1949 the type replaced Avro York landplanes on twice-weekly services to Lake Naivasha (the alighting point for Nairobi), and on 26 May they took over from Sandringhams on the weekly services to Karachi.

  During September and October 1949 one of the schedules on the South Africa service was temporarily rerouted via Cape Maclear in Nyasaland instead of Victoria Falls. BOAC had been persuaded to include Cape Maclear in its route network by the new governor of Nyasaland in order to service the Colonial Development Corporation’s Tung Oil project at that location. A base at Cape Maclear had to be set up from scratch, and initially there was no jetty and no launches for the passengers, who were transported by a small dinghy to a landing place at Monkey Bay, 8 miles away. From 10 November 1949 the stops at Cape Maclear were increased to once-weekly, with the Solents passing through on Tuesdays on their way to Vaaldam and on Thursdays on the way back. By then the facilities had been improved and launches had been acquired to ferry passengers to and from the Cape Maclear Hotel. This luxury establishment boasted a golf course, billiards room, and a swimming pool, but could only be accessed by road during the dry season. The air service into Cape Maclear was short-lived, however, lasting just one year, and its withdrawal led to the closure of the hotel twelve months later. A temporary grounding of BOAC’s Canadair Argonaut fleet during September and October 1949 saw Solents once again being used on the services to Basra and Bahrain, but once the Argonauts returned to service the flying boats were only used on the routes to South Africa and East Africa. At that time many of the African services carried the children of colonial officers, travelling unaccompanied out from the UK to join their parents for the school holidays. One former schoolchild later recalled travelling as a teenager to Dar es Salaam for this purpose. Over Ethiopia the crew had to climb as high as possible to try to avoid thunderstorms, but many passengers were airsick nevertheless.

  By the beginning of the 1950s the days of
the BOAC flying boats were numbered. On 24 September 1950 the Solent schedules into Lake Naivasha were withdrawn and replaced by Handley Page Hermes landplane services into Nairobi airport, and on 3 November that year the final Solent service to Vaaldam was operated out of Southampton by G-AHIO Somerset. The aircraft’s arrival back at Southampton brought to an end BOAC’s last flying boat service. Flying boats had been in unbroken service with BOAC and its predecessor Imperial Airways since 1924. The Solent fleet was then officially disbanded, although by then several of the aircraft had already been sold off to Aquila Airways for use on tourist services. The remainder went into storage and were eventually broken up at Hamworthy and Belfast. The sole survivor of the G class, G-AFCI Golden Hind, lingered on unused and unwanted until 1954, when it was damaged in a storm and subsequently scrapped.

  By Flying-Boat to Africa: A Passenger’s View

  At the end of November 1948 newly married Hilary Kirk emigrated to Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia, aboard the BOAC Short Solent G-AHIY Southsea. She had never flown or travelled abroad before. These are the letters she sent home to her parents during the course of her journey. Much emphasis is placed on the meals served during the trip, as Britain was still subject to stringent food rationing at the time.

  28 November 1948. Grand Hotel, Lyndhurst, New Forest

  We have just arrived here. We arrived at Waterloo with lots of time to spare, and travelled First Class, courtesy of BOAC. Ditto the dinner on the train, the best I’ve yet had on the railways ... tomato soup, roast duck, cheese and celery, coffee with masses of sugar. We came here by BOAC bus, and the nice little hostess is a dear and most friendly and efficient. This looks a lovely place, but we shall be called at 6.15am tomorrow ... oh dear. It’s great fun, they give us a card each day with times and dates and instructions on it, all v.clear. I don’t think there is a full quota of passengers. Hence the leniency over excess baggage charges, I believe.

  30 November 1948. In flight over France, 1.05 p.m.

  What a way to spend a Sunday afternoon in November! Blazing sun and clear blue sky. Cotton wool clouds and France underneath us like a jigsaw puzzle of roads, walls and hedges. No feeling of movement whatsoever. We’ve been up for over an hour and have just crossed the Loire, so we must be moving fast really. We got up at 6.15am only to find we needn’t have bothered, as the fog caused a delay, and breakfast was at a civilised hour. We left Lyndhurst at 10am and went by bus to Southampton, where we were whisked at top speed through what formalities there were. Handed in ration books, ID cards and passports for inspection (I’ll send sweets and clothing, as they gave them back to me), and merely told the customs we hadn’t anything dutiable. Finally we walked along yards of jetty to the flying-boat and took our seats. Very comfy ... seats adjustable for reclining or sitting up, well-padded with rug, very warm and beautifully clean and new-looking. We’re in the middle cabin, under the wing, and I have a glorious view from the window. Staff v. helpful and kind. Our nice hostess is still with us. Forgot to say that as we were held up we are spending the night at Marseilles instead of Augusta. We will be there by 3.0pm. We skimmed out into the harbour, past the liners Queen Elizabeth and Durban Castle, and each engine was tried out, then we got up speed and water shot past the windows, and suddenly we lifted and shot up, gaining height v. quickly, and entered thick fog which was rather frightening as we were quite blind. But it grew lighter, and zip, we were in blazing sun with clear deep blue sky. The clouds were like icing sugar or snow, all creased and bumpy and extending to eternity, with little gaps giving a glimpse of the Channel below. We had no ‘last view of England’, only clouds for miles. Then, suddenly, there was the Cherbourg Peninsular and the cliffs of France, for all the world like an Ordnance Survey map, or a model for Town and Country Planning. I just can’t see enough of it! Forests are ink blots and houses look so fragile. The fields are olive, not a clear green, and we can see frost on the north face of hills still. They brought us boxes of sweets to chew as we took off, to clear our ears. We had lunch at 12.30, very good stew and lovely peas and potatoes, apple tart, bread and real butter, and gorgonzola cheese. The First Officer (enormous type, with moustaches halfway up his cheeks ... most odd) has just been round to see if we’re OK, and he says that we’re 7,500ft up and going at 194mph. He also said that our night stops have been changed, and will now be at Marseilles, Alexandria and Khartoum. I’ve tried to give you an idea of all this, it’s so exciting, and feels so safe, no wobble at all. I’ve just spotted the Massif Central, and Cevennes comes next. N.B ... We’re provided with special maps, these airletter forms, postcards and leaflets, all free, so we can follow our course. This IS fun!

  28 November 1948. Postcard headed Hotel L’Arbois, Marseilles

  This is our first night stop. It’s a wonderful place, built in 1946, so very modern. Every room has bathroom etc attached, and ours is most palatial and comfy ... better than the Ritz! We’ve just had dinner ... soup, then ham and salad, then lamb, then masses of fruit for dessert. Now we’re going to visit the harbour and eat bouillabaisse, if we’ve room! After all, our next stop is Augusta. We had a perfect launch, and it was glorious coming over the Cevennes and then seeing the Med and Marseilles.

  29 November 1948. In flight. 12.15 p.m. Local time. Just past Sardinia

  Oh Gosh! I forgot to take a Kwell before we started, and as it’s been rather bumpy just now I’ve regretted the omission! However, I’ve had one now, and a cup of coffee and some scones have made me feel far better. We left Marignane (airport for Marseilles) at 10am and were airborne by 10.15. We arrive at Augusta at 1.15 for lunch, so we’ll have a lovely long afternoon and evening. Marseilles is terribly dilapidated and very French. Just like the films. Our hotel seemed to be the only clean and modern place we saw. We continue to be excellently looked after. It is very cloudy below us today, but we saw Sardinia OK. Malta we missed, I’m afraid. I don’t know why it’s so bumpy because the weather looks perfect. I have never seen such heavenly clouds as today. We flew among great whorls of snow white, and there were clear alleys between. They rose in mountains round us. The sun tips them with gold, silver and rose, and through a gap we can see the dull sea far below, dreary and utterly divorced from the world where we fly like gods.

  29 and 30 November 1948. Augusta, Sicily

  Monday evening ... I feel impelled to tell you about each new place we reach, so you’ll be inundated with letters if I keep up this rate of two a day ... We had rather a nasty journey towards the end today, very bumpy and sick-making in horrid grey cloud. Then we landed and I really thought we would brush the bushes on the shore, we were so low, but we reached the sea safely to find it choppy and dark green. The weather is dismal, wet and windy. So much for sunny Italy.

  Tuesday AM, in flight ... No time to finish this yesterday. We landed by a jetty and walked up an Italian garden with hanging trees and cacti ... hideous but fun ... to BOAC House, where we had a lovely lunch. Our bedroom was in Raleigh House, up the road. A dreadfully bleak, forbidding room. We were glad to leave it this AM. In the afternoon we looked around Augusta. Very dirty, sordid and dilapidated, with rubble still in the streets, and signs of American occupation. Most unattractive, but full of beautiful children. We rose at 5.15am, of all the Godless hours, today, because we have to make up lost time and reach Luxor. The Med is very dull to fly over, and we’ve been at 1500ft most of the time. Africa appeared as a line on the horizon, and is now revealed as a flat desert rimmed with turquoise, and the sea is deep blue and silver in the sun. We’ve left all the clouds at Sicily and the sky rivals the sea, without a cloud. We’ve skipped forward an hour, and reach Alexandria in 15 mins. It’s 12.30 and we left at 6.30, so we’ve taken five hours.