Avionic / Dave Reid - can't answer for the background in that photo, but think Heathrow WAS BSAA's first airport. See this extract from 'Star Dust Falling':
'It had aircraft. It had pilots. All BSAA needed now was an airport from which to operate. Bennett knew exactly which one he wanted: out to the west of London was a new airfield still in the throes of development. There were no buildings to speak of or hangars for that matter but in time it would prove itself, Bennett was sure of that. The only immediate problem was the condition of the runway, which was covered with builders' materials. One morning in December 1945 he turned up to survey it. He was immediately stopped by the building foreman who wanted to know what he was doing there. Bennett asked if, in exchange for a few quid, he could get the runway cleared.
The foreman agreed that it could be done. The next day Bennett flew down from the A.V. Roe factory at Waddington in the first of the Lancastrians. There was no one manning the control tower that day because the control tower had not yet been built. Bennett simply looked out of the window to find his way to the airfield. Once down he went immediately to the Air Ministry in the centre of London and baldly announced to the civil servant in charge that he was ready to start services from the new airfield. The official demurred. BSAA was listed to fly from Hurn, near Bournemouth on the south coast. And in any case, the London airport wasn't ready for aircraft. Yes it was, Bennett said. He'd just landed there. And as he'd have to take off again, the service might as well start from there. The weary official agreed. Bennet had contrived to make BSAA the very first airline to operate out of that new London airfield which, in just a few years, would become known as Heathrow.'
Oh and Herod - another quote from 'Star Dust Falling' - already posted by me on this thread, but what the hell:
BOAC will take good care of you.
BEA will get you there and back again.
BSAA will inform your next of kin.
Last edited by Phoenix1969; 16th Sep 2016 at 08:58.