Air trooping 1950's Hermes

[Cornish Brian]

Hi, I was a passenger as a child on an Airworks Hermes from Blackbushe to Singapore.

I know it was a long hard travel even though I was only 6 at the time. The Hermes we were on, crashed in Dum Dum airport on the 1st September 1957 and was declared BER. We unfortunately landed on a DC3 that had lined up ready for take off. All four on the DC3 were killed.

After a few days lay over in Calcutta, we eventually resumed our flight on another Hermes. Our Hermes was G-AKFP.ve

The reason for this post is I have always wanted to know the route we had taken because after a few take offs and landings, my young mind got confused. Any one help please.

Thanks.

[AARON O'DICKYDIDO]

In December 1958 I was a 10 year old boy travelling out from Blackbush to Singapore. We too travelled by Airworks Hermes. The stops stops we made included; Ankara, Karachi (Overnight) and Calcutta ( Overnight). I do not remember if that was the schedule. I do remember that it was very exciting.

AARON.

[TCU]

Here are the details of your incident including a post crash photo of the disabled Hermes
ASN Aircraft accident Handley Page HP.81 Hermes IVA G-AKFP Calcutta-Dum Dum Airport (CCU) (http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19570901-0)

[Chris Scott]

What a shocking accident to be involved in, Cornish Brian. Reading the ASN report, and looking at the photo of your Hermes, you were all very fortunate that the a/c did not break-up or catch fire. The DC-3 was presumably entering the Rwy 01L from your left side, so maybe the Hermes's left wing-tip struck its cockpit just before touchdown?. Was anyone seriously injured on the Hermes?

Having done many long-haul flights as a boy myself, I don't blame you, aged 6, for getting confused about the routing.

Did you carry on travelling by air between Singapore and the UK?

[WHBM]

The various Hermes operators (Airworks, Hunting, Britavia, Skyways etc) of military charters to Singapore used a variety of stopping points. Do any of these look familiar ?

http://www.pprune.org/aviation-history-nostalgia/315367-commentary-good-old-days-airline-travel-3.html#post3955012

[spekesoftly]

The accident report in TCU's post mentions that GAKFP had made intermediate stops at Karachi and Delhi.

What I also find interesting (from the same report) is that Calcutta was equipped with both ILS and radar. Advanced for an airport in 1957, especially in that part of the world.

[SKYBYWAYS]

Hi Brian, I was with Skyways at the time of your 'experiences' and, as you may now be aware, we ran integrated services to Singapore with Airwork trooping flights and, for some period, introduced a further complication when our scheduled freight operations, on behalf of BOAC, were also added to the mix! My book on Lancashire Aircraft and Skyways includes details regarding these and other operations . If you don't find all the answers to your questions I shall be pleased to enquire into any outstanding points you may have. Cheers Skybyways.

[Cornish Brian]

Sorry about the long delay in answering (Health probs.) We have an eye witness description of the crash follow on from another Hermes pilot who was virtually following us into land. He told us about having to land and see the wreckage unnerved his crew and the carcase and debris was bulldozed off the runway and the Airworks signs painted out with a couple of hours. 9 That pilot now lives in Canada). The crash report plays down the thunderstorm we had been going through for a very long time, well over an hour. The crew must have been exhausted. Most passengers had been so ill they had nothing left to bring up...smell wasn't too good either. There was more panic in the sky then there was when we crashed...I think it was just relief to be on the ground. No one ever told us of the fatalities in the DC3. we found out later from newspaper articles.

I've followed the link that was posted above about the route but that is from Stansted. We went from Blackbushe and we all seem sure that our first port of call was Rome but can't get it confirmed.

[Cornish Brian]

There were no casualties as such on our aircraft. One serviceman (Raf sergeant I think) ended up breaking his arm and giving himself a black eye when he escaped via a window and slid down the wing.
We had a few days stop over in Calcutta, a strange but remarkable experience but eventually a replacement Hermes arrived and we carried on. We didn't have our scheduled stop over in Thailand as the plane had a better range and I think that the service personnel had been fitted in ones and twos onto other flights...families would have been more difficult.
When the time came to board the replacement aircraft, no one baulked at it or appeared anxious about flying again. They just got on, settled in, got their magazines etc out, grabbed some Barley Sugars and relaxed. I suppose it was much like life in those days....you rolled with punches, picked yourself up and carried on. No one to sue.
Would love to go back to Calcutta and see if things have changed...hopefully for the better.

[regentbl]

our family travelled on new years day 1959 on an Airwork Services Hermes and routed Blackbushe-Brindisi-Ankara-Abadan-Karachi- Delhi-Calcutta-Bankok-PiaLeba. The trip seemed to go on forever and can remember bits of it as a 4 year old. My former chief pilot Dennis Colombo was the first officer as he recalled the New Years day service. Return from Singapore two years later was an equally drawn out experience but this time in a troopship; the Oxfordshire!

[brakedwell]

Would love to go back to Calcutta and see if things have changed...hopefully for the better.

No chance, but they did build a new terminal building.

Dum Dum 1972 from the flight deck of an RAF Britannia.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c32/sedgwickjames/aviation/CalcuttaDumDumAirport_zps77d7a949.jpg

[DAVE H]

We went from Blackbushe in late '56, just after the crash of the Vulcan at London Airport. Our coach took us past it and we could see the remains on the airfield.
Our route was Brindisi (Italy) Beirut(Night Stop), Bahrein, Karachi(Night Stop), Delhi, Calcutta(Night Stop), Bangkok, Singapore.

We crossed the Alps through a thunderstorm and the Hermes was going up and down like a lift in the updraughts and downdraughts. A very interesting experience if you weren't the nervous type!!! :):):)

[john henesy]

I flew out to Singapore in March 1955 from Blackbushe. We took off on Monday, got over France, and had to return to Blackbushe due to engine trouble. We had trouble the whole way and didn't land in Singapore until 10 pm Friday evening. The route was: Rome, Nicosia, Bahrein, Karachi (overnight) New Delhi, Calcutta (overnight) Bangkok, Singapore. Returned to the UK by troopship which had to go round the Cape as the Suez Canal was closed. 42 days to Southampton.

[Warmtoast]

John

Returned to the UK by troopship which had to go round the Cape as the Suez Canal was closed. 42 days to Southampton.

I went out to the Far East in the Nevasa round the Cape in October 1956 shortly after the Suez crisis closed the Canal and recorded my experiences here:
http://www.pprune.org/aviation-history-nostalgia/455388-what-way-go-1950-s-style.html

[john henesy]

Warmtoast, I returned on the Troopship Dunera. It was the smallest on the troopship fleet at only 13,000 tons. Didn't handle the storms too well. We stopped at Colombo (then Ceylon), Mauritius, Cape Town and Dakar. In Dakar we had been scheduled to play a football match against the French Foreign Legion. I was selected for the Dunera team but much to my disappointment the game was cancelled. Cape Town was an uplifting experience, the locals were very hospitable, you couldn't walk more than a few yards without being invited to someones home. A trip by coach was arranged around the Cape peninsular to a place called Muizenberg (sp?) which was very interesting. Put me off booking a cruise for life though!!!

[GrumpyOldFart]

Brian:

Would love to go back to Calcutta and see if things have changed...hopefully for the better.

Well - certainly fewer DC-3 runway incursions these days ...

[john henesy]

DAVE H mentions the Vulcan crash at Heathrow in 1956. In'56 I was based in Singapore, had been out there for 18 months, and the Vulcan did a demonstration flight over Singapore. It did two low passes over our camp. I remember looking up and thinking 'I would give everything I've got to be going back to the UK on that'. A salutary lesson in 'be careful what you wish for'.

[armybrat]

I was aged 8 when we were flown home from Fayid to Blackbushe in a Hermes in January 1956.
Was it Luqa where the plane refuelled?

[Terry Fisk]

Hi, I was a passenger as a child on an Airworks Hermes from Blackbushe to Singapore.

I know it was a long hard travel even though I was only 6 at the time. The Hermes we were on, crashed in Dum Dum airport on the 1st September 1957 and was declared BER. We unfortunately landed on a DC3 that had lined up ready for take off. All four on the DC3 were killed.

After a few days lay over in Calcutta, we eventually resumed our flight on another Hermes. Our Hermes was G-AKFP.ve

The reason for this post is I have always wanted to know the route we had taken because after a few take offs and landings, my young mind got confused. Any one help please.

Thanks. Reply, Hi Cornish Brian, I Have just seen your message, I don't know if it will help but I flew on one of those flights as a young adult taking off from Blackbushe on March 8th, 1955, and remember most of what happened on my journey. So please email me if you are still interested. [[email protected]]