Sunderland Flying Boat
I'm looking for some interior photos of a Sunderland, to go with a little family history thing I'm writing (my mother flew from Lagos Nigeria, via the Belgian Congo, Uganda and the Sudan, to Cairo in one in 1941). Can anyone help? It would have been an RAF flying boat, but it would be nice to compare it with a civilian version (if there was any difference).
A colleague who was on the same trip wrote in her diary: "The seats were very comfortable, easily adjustable by hand levers at either side and cushioned with pneumatic pillows. Each seat had straps and rugs, and an adjustable table with a foot rest beneath it. The positions obtainable merely by pulling or pushing the hand levers ranged from upright, for reading and eating, to half-horizontal, which was ideal for sleeping. The aircraft was arranged on 3 levels. The tail section, where most of the luggage was stored, contained 2 rows of 3 seats, which were the only ones where smoking was allowed. 3 steps down was the main cabin, with the first exit door, and 8 more seats. down another step was a smaller cabin, with 2 bunks, wide enough for 2 people to lie on each, head to tail. then came a short passage, with the galley on 1 side and 2 lavatories on the other. Finally the forward cabin, and purser's office, which contained the second exit door, 3 or 4 more seats and an iron ladder, leading aloft to the flight deck. The ventilation throughout could be controlled by regulating small 'blowers' set at intervals along the cabin 'ceiling'. The general colour scheme was a pale green, and everything was beautifully clean and orderly"
Thanks, WW