@WHBM - wow, thank you I will definitely call & try & get copies of these editions, really appreciate you taking the time to research. I had read a small article about the proving flight at
hong kong | scottish aviation | canadair | 1949 | 1274 | Flight Archive which had a photo of him & the crew but it would be great to read more detail. FYI my grandfather flew Britannias from 1956-1963 on routes from London to Johannesburg and then to Australia and the Far East.
My father doesn't remember Captain Pelly having any hearing problems.
@A30yoyo - I think link
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...r_Abkommen.jpg may well have my grandfather in the middle. My dad was pretty certain but he did say it was unlike his father to have his hat askew! You mention the in man the centre of this picture is Reinhold Caspareuthus, do you know why he was there with Chamberlain?
Finally for today, my father has mentioned a few more pieces of trivia..
- My grandfather was given a blunt reminder that the flight manifest for Neville Chamberlain's first flight should include 2 bottles of single malt to which the prime minister was known to be partial!
- He logged over 4 million airmiles
- Captain Pelly flew the first British mail service to Malmo in 1936.
- As well as the planes I mentioned he also flew Air Speed Ferries (a three-engined type), Avro 10, Dragon Rapide and later the Rapide.
- My father believes that Captain Pelly flew prime ministers Ramsey Macdonald (193x?) and Clement Attlee (on his far east tour 1947/8?) as well as Churchill prewar, before he became prime minister. I haven't been able to substantiate these claims.