Friends Newsletter Autumn 2010 - Poole Flying Boats Celebration

News Round & with Views to Peruse !
In the period a few days before the end of August it seemed as
though the weather ~ gremlins had affected our PFBC Website,
which went off air: Our apologies where this caused annoyance,
but this was due to switching over the providers of its hosting.
Hopefully the hiccups are resolved for a more effective service.
The PFBC Trustees & Friends have the commitment to develop
our site to include much more eagerly sought-after information
within the various sections under the buttons - such as Memories
and also to include detail about specific ‘captivating’ Projects !
With regular Newsletters, and the priority for Friends in PFBC
Celebrations, the current fee of only £5 for Friends is retained,
though this barely covers costs - especially increased postage !
If this has to be raised in the future, it will be done reluctantly.
The cost of the Supper at the Roundhouse Hotel on the 9th. Sept
was excellent value in meeting the costs for a lovely evening…
As with the visit by Mayor Barry Goldbart to greet Volunteers
+ to view PFBC’s Display Boards at Bournemouth’s Air Fest,
the Friends of PFBC were greatly honoured by the presence of
Mark Smith, Director of Tourism & Corporate Communications.
We were also joined as a guest by Brian Grinter who when with
BOAC enjoyed his time as Steward flying from Poole & Hurn,
so much so that he has written a booklet about his experiences !
Mike Phipp gave a first class presentation which captivated us all
in reaffirming the intrinsic links between BOAC Poole & Hurn;
- also providing a fitting tribute to the history of aviation at Hurn,
and the new Passenger Terminal of Bm’th International Airport
which will be in full swing in 2011 after its Wintertime’s lull !
Mike Phipp with a brace
of FBs: Empire C-Classes
also a Passenger Launch
of Imperial Airways Ltd.
speeding to the pierhead
Babs Plumbridge with
Steve Marchant - who
was the winner of the
PFBC’s ‘Bournemouth
Bicentennial Fun Quiz’
+ Bottle of Champagne
… with our resplendent
new Dodger in full view
Short Empire C-Class: G-ADUT Centaurus Cut-away section of the layout & accommodation
So much to Celebrate...
As PFBC looks forward to 2011 there are some very significant
Celebrations to consider...For there is the 75th. Anniversary of
the Short Empire C-Class which was to have such an impact on
the public’s perception of Flying Boats & Air Travel in general
when the first of these were completed at Rochester during 1936.
Heading down the slipway on 1st. July without internal fittings,
G-ADHL Canopus became the Class Leader when trialled, but
G-ADHM Caledonia was the first with a Cert. of Airworthiness.
On 22nd. Sept. Canopus departed Rochester bound for Genoa
crewed by IAL Superintendent - Major H.G Brackley ‘Brackles’,
+ Capt. Bailey (with Adam, Bell, Crowson, Long, Hards & Vallett)
to be acclaimed as the fastest FB in the world (up to 200mph) !
Capt. Bailey took Canopus on to Alexandria ~ so that the first
scheduled flight of a C-Class was on 30th. Oct. back to Brindisi.
G-ADUU Cavalier was shipped to Bermuda for flights to the US,
Along with G-ADUT Centaurus (as above) + G-ADUV Cambria,
G-ADUW Castor was launched in Dec. as last in this batch of 6.
From the inauguration by Canopus it would be just under 4 years
before the C-Classes were displaced from Home in Southampton
(Capt. Alger in Castor made the first flight from there Feb. 1937)
with the declaration of War, and relocated as planned to Poole !
Canopus would feature here - before leaving for the Horseshoe
Route, and returning only to be scrapped at Hythe in Nov. 1946.
Caledonia would also ‘operate out of Durban’ from June 1940
variously with 15 other C-Class, leaving only a handful at Poole,
which would be joined by the influx of lend-lease US aircraft !
The C-Classes also gave rise to the military version - the Sunderland.
From the Collection
of HLM Brian Galpin
...and so with Thanks to ‘Uncle Sam’
The first PBY Catalina for BOAC at Poole was G-AGBJ Guba
(aka Guba II) bought from private geo-ops in Oct. 1940, after
surveying New Guinea & potential Trans-Indian Ocean routes.
This long range aircraft was acquired for the ‘Foynes Shuttle’
and for unscheduled flights via Lisbon to Gib./or West Africa,
ready for ops from Poole Feb. 1941 after fitting out at Hythe.
Next Cat was G-AGDA delivered in June 1941, followed by a
quintet:~ G-AGFL, G-AGFM, G-AGID, G-AGIE + G-AGKS.
[Subsequently, this quintet were to be transferred to Qantas as
Vega Star, Altier Star, Rigal Star, Antaris Star and Spica Star
delivered to Ceylon from Poole to operate the Double Sunrise
flying non-stop journeys between Perth WA & Lake Koggala.
*PFBC HLM - Alan Badger is specifically researching this subject.]
Preceding these also on lend-lease were 3 large Boeing 314As
as G-AGBZ Bristol, G-AGCA Berwick and G-AGCB Bangor,
available to BOAC under terms of Lend-Lease Act, March 1941.
BOAC crews collected these from the US for delivery to Poole
and for major servicing they had to be returned to Baltimore !
These were twice the size & capacity of the Empire C-Classes
and could carry passengers on Transatlantic Routes from Poole
inc. W. Africa, though they were often turned around at Foynes
until 1944... Up to 1946 each flew more than a million miles !
In 1941 these aircraft had brought the UK & US literally closer
together, so their wartime contribution was highly significant
and photographs taken at Poole provide such iconic images...
A good reason to celebrate then, and in 2011 as a 70th. Anniv.
[For much more info. see various Archive PDFs on PFBC’s Website]

Unlike the Catalinas, which under the terms of Lend-Lease
had to be scuttled after WW2 as they were not permitted to be
used commercially or provide recycled material, the Boeings
were returned in ’48 after ops between Bermuda & Baltimore,
then being restored to the US register for a couple more years.
In all seven out of the original dozen 314 and 314A Boeings
operated until 1950, Anzac Clipper and the former Berwick
as NC18608 were the final pair going for scrap during 1951.
Commemoration Marking the Spot
One of the most famous Flying Boats of all prewar had been
G-ADHK Maia, with its little/mighty partner G-ADHJ Mercury
referred to as ‘The Pick-A-Back’ or the ‘Composite Pair’…
On 11th. May 1941 there was the first loss of a Flying Boat
when at Poole due to the ‘enemy action’ of a Heinkel - He III:
A bomb blast by the moorings off Salterns resulted in serious
damage of Guba (- yet saved by prompt action of an aircrew)
and the tragic loss of Maia and her nightwatchman on board !
So 2011 denotes the 70th. Anniv. of this tragedy of warfare -
Therefore the Trustees of PFBC consider that we must mark
this event and the spot off Salterns in an appropriate manner.
Approx.
Wingspan
Sizes
PBY Catalina
(r & blw) Empire C-Class
no wheels
so use of
beaching
trolleys
floats
Boeing 314A
sponsons
retractable
floats with
also likely
ret’-wheels
Set of
Profiles
©
PFBC
Archive
Sturdy Guba with Team on Survey at Lake Habbema in New Guinea, 11,000ft.asl
A Note from one of PFBC’s Hon. Vice-Presidents ~ Harry H. Pusey
has opened a fascinating line of research regarding G-ADHK Maia
+ the number of propeller blades shown in various photos collected:
It is great to access his advice which stretches back to Imperial’s era.
Due to wartime bans /censorship imposed the vast majority of iconic
images showing either of the Pair are prewar (the only time together).
Accordingly from records it is revealed that Maia had 3 prop-blades
when festooned with a gantry for association with G-ADHJ Mercury.
Yet either side of that period 4 blades likely denote an engine change.
G-ADHK Maia
“ on the step ”
Courtesy of Short Bros
Note: shown here with sets
of 4 propellers blades
CONTACTS ‘PFBC @ 113’
Friends of PFBC: Own address...with Bertie Bowman
at... 113 Commercial Road, Parkstone, Poole BH14 0JD
The same applies to offers of Membership of the PFBC Task Forces
- or assistance to benefit PFBC’s Archive: Contact Harry Alexander
For bookings of tickets for PFBC Celebrations contact Ken Sanson
and all other general enquiries - via PFBC’s Office reg’d. address:
PFBC... at 113 Banks Rd., Sandbanks, Poole BH13 7QQ
PFBC Email: info@pooleflyingboats.com
Also Note: the absence of the
‘ coupling gantry ’
PFBC Website: www.pooleflyingboats.com (+ Forumsite)
Poole Flying Boats Celebration
Charity No. 1123274
PFBC
THE
PICK
A
BACK
PAIR
©
Friends Newsletter: Sept. 2010
www.pooleflyingboats.com ( THE PICK A BACK PAIR in colour )
It has been a very busy Summer for PFBC & for the Friends:
Following on from our Celebration of the 70th. Anniversary
of RNAS Sandbanks, has been Bournemouth Air Fest 2010,
and the preparations for the Supper at the Roundhouse Hotel.
Putting on these most successful events requires considerable
planning and a terrific input from the Friends as Volunteers !
The Air Fest required a rota of 20 Volunteers with also help
from others ~ where PFBC enjoyed support from the RAeS,
in order to cover all 4 days as well as setting up on the Wed !
After the first 2 days of the Fest, the ‘vagaries’ of the British
Summer’s weather prevailed - so that the heavy cloud cover
prevented flying on Saturday & pruned Sunday’s programme.
It was a shame, but the numbers attending were so enormous
(300,000, 2pm on Sat.) as to ensure 3 more years’ bookings !
Luckily we had such a prime pitch inside the Veterans’ Tent
+ comfy chairs; conviviality & good rapport with our closest
neighbours, most appropriately the Vets of the Fleet Air Arm;
also the constant flow of visitors to meet, greet & get to know
- some of whom especially sought out PFBC /became Friends.
We displayed our new ‘Dodger’
Poole Flying Boats . COM
which measures 10m x 1m, that
hung on the outside of the Tent in withstanding the sternest of tests !
Congratulations to all those Volunteers for ‘a task well done’
despite the weather - and who drew comments of admiration
about PFBC professionalism from other groups in the Tent !
Over the last year, almost 50 Friends have played such a vital
role as Volunteers which is a terrific achievement for PFBC.
See overpage for more info. about our plans for Celebrations.